Realme has begun launching its latest range of budget smartphones, with the Realme 9i now official and the rest of the set expected to arrive soon.
Here’s all we know so far about the Realme 9 series.
When will the Realme 9 be released?
Realme has already announced the Realme 9i, which is on sale now – but only in Vietnam.
There’s no official word yet on the rest of the Realme 9 range of devices, but we’ve seen strong rumours that it could be as soon as February 2022. This would be around the time we’d expect the introduction of the new handsets, as Realme launched the Realme 8 and Realme 8 Pro in March of 2021, with the Realme 8 5G following shortly afterwards, although it did take some time for the models to arrive in western markets.
If the past schedules are anything to go by then you may need to wait a little longer in the UK and Europe before getting your hands on the Realme 9. As with previous releases, it looks unlikely that US customers will be able to buy the new devices except by importing.
We’re also still waiting for the global launch of the Realme GT 2 and GT 2 Pro flagships, which have been unveiled in China but haven’t yet reached anywhere else.
How much will the Realme 9 cost?
The only official price so far is the Vietnamese pricing for the Realme 9i, which at VND 6,490,000 converts to roughly $285/£210/€250/₹21,100 – though direct conversions are not always an accurate indicator of pricing in other markets.
We don’t know much about the pricing of the other models yet – a Realme 9, 9 Pro, and 9 Pro+ are expected – but pricing is likely to be in the same region as the 9i, with a bit of variation between all the models.
What about the Realme 9 specs and design?
Several reports have emerged that the Realme 9 range will feature four models – Realme 9i, 9, 9 Pro and 9 Pro+. Other than the 9i there’s not much known about how they will be equipped, but here’s what we’ve manged to gather together on the various devices.
Realme 9i
Let’s start with the only model that’s launched so far, the 9i, which is expected to be the entry-level phone in the range.
The phone’s design is simple, and fairly understated by Realme’s usual standards – no giant logo or racing stripe to be found. It’s available in the blue above, or an even simpler black version.
The Realme 9i has a Snapdragon 680 chipset paired with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage – though other configurations may be available when it launches outside Vietnam. The display is a 6.6in FHD+ IPS LCD that can handle refresh rates from 30Hz up to 90Hz.
On the camera side you get a 16Mp selfie camera and a triple rear camera: a 50Mp, f/1.8 main camera with a pair of 2Mp sensors – one macro and the other monochrome.
Finally, you get a 5000mAh battery with support for 33W wired charging. It runs Android 11 out of the box.
Here are the full specs:
6.6in FHD+ 90Hz IPS LCD display
Snapdragon 680
6GB RAM
128GB storage
Rear camera:
50Mp, f/1.8 main camera
2Mp, f/2.4 macro camera
2Mp, f/2.4 monochrome camera
16Mp, f/2.1 selfie camera
5000mAh battery
33W charging
Android 11 with Realme UI 2.0
164.4 x 75.7 x 8.4 mm
190g
Realme 9
We haven’t seen much in the way of solid leaks about the Realme 9, but The Economic Times in India reports on various rumours that say the new handset could feature a 6.5in Super AMOLED display with an FHD+ (2,400 x 1,080) resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio and 405ppi.
Processing will be handled by a MediaTek Helio G95 SoC, aided by 6GB of memory and 64GB of storage. Of course, as with the Realme 8, there are likely to be multiple memory/storage configurations available.
In the optics, we could see a four-lens array, comprised of a 64Mp main camera, joined by an 8Mp Ultra-Wide, 5Mp macro and 2Mp depth camera. There will also be a 32Mp selfie camera on the front, which suggests a punch-hole aperture on the display. Here you’ll also find an embedded fingerprint sensor.
Realme 9 Pro
The 9 Pro is a more powerful beast, and expected to feature 5G support accordingly.
According to a report from 91mobiles and tipster Mukul Sharma it will be powered by either the MediaTek Dimensity 810 or Dimensity 920 chipset, while TUV certification reveals a 5000mAh battery. Frustratingly, for new few other specs are known beyond that.
Realme 9 Pro+
We know a little more about the 9 Pro+. The same 91mobiles report predicts this will also use either the Dimensity 810 or Dimensity 920 chipset, but adds that we should expect a 6.5in FHD+ display. The same 5000mAh battery is likely, but here with support for 65W fast charging.
There are also some camera specs listed for the Pro+, with a quad rear camera – 50Mp + 13Mp + 8Mp + 2Mp – and a 16Mp selfie shooter.
If Realme sticks to the heavily rumoured February release date, then it won’t be long before we see whether these specs prove accurate.
Until then, take a look at our roundups of the best budget Chinese phones and best budget phones that see the rivals that Realme will need to overcome – or the best Realme phones to see what the brand has managed so far.