Realme 7 review

Realme UI on top of Android 10

The Realme 7 boots Android 10 with Realme UI 1.0. The phone supports fingerprint unlock, and the side-mounted sensor works very well, that is when you haven't blocked the fingerprint unlock through accidental touches. You can also add a face for even speedier unlock - though this is not as secure.

The launcher looks a lot like vanilla Android with no-nonsense homescreens, simplistic notification/toggles area, and easy-to-use task switcher. An app drawer is available, too, and it is as clutter-free as one could hope for. You can opt-out of the app drawer if that's your thing.

Realme UI 1.0

Realme UI supports different icon packs, so if you are not happy with the default one, you can opt for material style, pebbles, or you can even fully customize them by your liking.

Dark Mode is available, too, and it can be manual or scheduled. You can also opt to force it on third-party apps, though this doesn't always end well.

Customizing icons • Customizing icons • Customizing icons • Dark Mode • Dark Mode • Dark Mode

There are many powerful tools within the settings menu if you want full control over your Android OS. Or you can leave everything as is and enjoy a hassle-free Android experience optimized by Realme's AI algorithms and machine learning.

Settings

Like the recent Galaxies, the Realme UI offers a Smart Sidebar on the edge of the screen - you can customize the actions and app shortcuts that appear there.

Smart Sidebar

The multimedia apps such as Gallery, Music, and Videos are provided by Realme. There is also a redesigned File Manager and even a Phone Manager app. This completes the non-Google app list.

Gallery • Music • Videos • Phone Manager • File Manager

We are fond of the Realme UI, and we like the new direction. The interface is snappy, clutter-free, and easy to use. Yet, it retains plenty of powerful tools should you choose to dig deeper and use them.

Performance and benchmarks

The Realme 7 runs on the MediaTek Helio G95T - an overclocked version of the Helio G90T chip found in the Realme 6. It is a gaming capable SoC for mid-range purposes. It is fabricated on the 12nm FinFET manufacturing process from TSMC. The G95T packs an octa-core CPU with two high-performance Cortex-A76 cores ticking at 2.05GHz and six energy-efficient Corext-A55 cores working at 2.0GHz - same as the G90T.

The Mali-G76 MC4 GPU is now clocked at 900MHz - up from 800MHz in the Realme 6 and its G90T SoC. It should provide adequate performance for the class though there won't be (m)any games that will go beyond the 60fps mark, and you'd need 90fps to utilize the full benefits of the 90Hz screen.

The global version of the Realme 7 is available in three memory configurations - 4GB/64GB, 6GB/64GB, and 8GB/128GB (ours).

So, we ran some benchmarks, and the CPU scores are on par with the current budget mid-rangers crop. The G95 CPU is a capable performer, be it for single or multi-core tasks, and you can clearly see that in the charts below.

GeekBench 5.1 (multi-core)

Higher is better

• Huawei P40 Lite
  1862
• Realme 7 Pro
  1811
• Redmi Note 9S
  1785
• Poco X3 NFC
  1777
• Realme 6
  1726
• Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite
  1694
• Realme 7
  1681
• Realme 6 Pro
  1666
• Realme 6i
  1349
• Redmi Note 9
  1292

GeekBench 5.1 (single-core)

Higher is better

• Huawei P40 Lite
  591
• Realme 7 Pro
  576
• Redmi Note 9S
  570
• Poco X3 NFC
  568
• Realme 6 Pro
  565
• Realme 6
  548
• Realme 7
  536
• Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite
  521
• Realme 6i
  388
• Redmi Note 9
  361

The overclocked Mali-G76 MC4 is quite a treat for the budget class, and the Realme 7 aces the GPU tests. The only phone to outdo the Realme 7 is the Huawei P40 Lite, and it's not by much. The Realme 6i shows real potential, too, but do not forget it's a phone with a 720p display.

GFX 3.1 Manhattan (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Realme 6i
  31
• Huawei P40 Lite
  30
• Realme 7
  28
• Realme 6 Pro
  27
• Realme 6
  27
• Poco X3 NFC
  27
• Realme 5
  26
• Redmi Note 9S
  26
• Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite
  26
• Realme 7 Pro
  25
• Realme 5 Pro
  22

GFX 3.1 Car scene (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Huawei P40 Lite
  18
• Realme 7
  17
• Realme 6i
  17
• Realme 6 Pro
  16
• Realme 6
  16
• Poco X3 NFC
  16
• Redmi Note 9S
  15
• Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite
  15
• Realme 7 Pro
  14
• Realme 5
  13
• Realme 5 Pro
  12

Only one smartphone can beat the Realme 7 on the compound AnTuTu test, and it's the slightly more powerful Huawei P40 Lite.

AnTuTu 8

Higher is better

• Huawei P40 Lite
  325777
• Realme 7
  292828
• Realme 6
  288931
• Poco X3 NFC
  283750
• Realme 7 Pro
  278414
• Realme 6 Pro
  268785
• Redmi Note 9S
  254000
• Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite
  253271
• Realme 6i
  202275
• Redmi Note 9
  200414

These benchmark scores paint the Helio G90T as one very capable chip, especially for this budget class. Of course, few, if any, games will be able to exceed 60fps and make use of the 90Hz display, but it will still deliver lag-free performance across the board, and that's what's most important here.