Realme 7 hands-on review

Software and features

The latest iteration of Realme UI based on Android 10 is at hand with some small improvements compared to the Realme 6's software but we suspect most of them will make it to the latter in the near future. Except maybe for the camera features.

The camera software now offers the so-called Starry Mode for astrophotography. It was introduced with the Realme X3 SuperZoom but this is the first phone from the strictly mid-range segment to get the functionality. It uses AI algorithms to analyze and stack images with various exposures to enhance the stars while keeping the night sky dark.

Screenshots from the home screen, app drawer and general settings menu

And due to the shift to the 64MP Sony sensor, some advanced features in the 64MP mode are available. Or at least they will be available with a future OTA. The said features are AI mode and Pro mode. Now, you can benefit from the full 64MP resolution while tweaking the camera settings manually. Realme also mentions something about 2x zoom. Sadly, we can't confirm that the 2x zoom crop works in 64MP mode for now. If it does, it will be pretty nice.

Anyway, the Realme UI keeps leaning towards more stock-ish Android feel and the removal of some bloatware like App Market and Hot Games is more than welcome decision. Additionally, the software comes with pre-installed Google Phone and Messages apps.

The best feature we've noticed is the adaptive refresh rate. We didn't have enough time to dig deep into that but we found that Realme UI is defaulting back to 60Hz whenever HRR isn't needed. For example, a static page in Chrome or on the Home screen, the display will revert back to 60Hz and as soon as you interact with the content, it jumps back up to 90Hz. While video playing apps like YouTube and Netflix are always set to 60Hz. Battery life would surely benefit from the variable refresh rate.

Last, but not least, the Super Power Saving mode feature that was introduced with the Realme C15 is available here too.

Wrap-up

As with every product, pricing is crucial. However, Realme, especially the Realme 1, 3, 5, 6 and 7-series are all budget-oriented and have always offered a true bang-for-the-buck deal. Sure, the Realme 7 is now just a little pricier than the Realme 6 but the added value is much-appreciated. Even though this isn't exactly a generational upgrade, it does stand on a couple of key improvements like the huge 5,000 mAh battery and the 6GB of RAM as a standard. We are yet to see what the TÜV Rheinland Smartphone Reliability Verification means too.

It's needless to say that this phone doesn't want current Realme 6 owners to upgrade, but if you are on the market for a feature-packed mid-range smartphone that punches above its class in more than one aspect, the Realme 7 could be a potential purchase. Although incremental, the changes are on point and pose as a nice refresh of already great hardware that the Realme 6 is. We still have to do our usual rounds of tests and write down a full review of the handset before making any conclusions but the Realme 7 does look promising at first glance.