Realme 16 Pro+ review

Design and hardware

The Realme 16 Pro+ comes in a fresh new attire designed by Naoto Fukasawa. And if that name sounds familiar, it's because Realme has partnered with the famous Japanese designer on previous projects. Some of you may remember the Realme GT Master Edition with its Suitcase Design or the GT2 Pro with its Paper Design. The common theme around these two devices and the new 16 Pro+ is sustainability.

Just like its distant siblings, the Realme 16 Pro+'s back design is made of renewable materials. This one is made of bio-based organic silicone, and it's quite nice to the touch, too. It's soft and gentle, but grippy. In fact, it's probably one of the best faux leather designs we've seen.

Additionally, Realme promises enhanced durability as the finish is touted as resistant to aging, dirt, bacteria and wear.

The available color options are three, or two for users outside of India. The one we have is the Master Gold, but you can also get it in Master Gray. The Camellia Pink remains an India-only exclusive.

The camera bump uses a "nanoscale metal coating" that protects it from sweat, rain and corrosion, while the frame uses glossy metal. The front gets Gorilla Glass 7i protection.

Speaking of protection, the 16 Pro+ comes with IP68/IP69K ingress resistance certification against water and dust.

Realme 16 Pro+

Going around the sides, we find the power button and volume rocker on the right side, both conveniently positioned. We can't say the same about the fingerprint reader since it's placed too close to the bottom edge under the display. At least it's responsive and fast.

The bottom side houses the SIM card tray, which can hold up to two physical SIM cards. There's also support for eSIM, but it depends on the market. For instance, the Indian variant misses out on the eSIM support.

We definitely like the design as it's grippy, nice to the touch and relatively lightweight too. We can't say how durable it is and how it will hold up over time, but we have a feeling it will hold up pretty well, especially compared to standard glass.