realme 8i Review from a User’s Perspective

It’s the time of the year when realme launches its midrange offering – this year, it’s the realme 8i!

What I Like About the realme 8i:

• sharper, smoother screen 6.6-inch – great for playing mobile games
• amazing camera (especially at this price range!)
• loud speaker (as compared to other phones)
• optimized night charging so the battery doesn’t wear out as quickly

Quick Specs:

• Mediatek Helio G96 octa-core 2.05Ghz
• Screen resolution is 2412 x 1080 with 120Hz refresh rate! This is what makes the screen feel buttery smooth.

It has the usual standard features I have come to expect from realme’s midrange offerings:

• dual SIM slots
• micro SD slot expandable up to 256 GB
• earphone jack – YES! Even though most of us are using Bluetooth earbuds now, this jack is still useful for connecting an external microphone, especially when using the phone to record video / attend online meetings and you want better audio
• fingerprint sensor
• 5000mah battery

What’s in the Box?

I have the realme 8i 4GB+64GB model. A 6GB+128GB version is also available.

• realme 8i (with screen protector already installed on it)
• 18W fast charger
• USB-C charging cable
• warranty & guides
• SIM card ejector tool
• gray transparent phone case

What’s the Difference Between the 8i 4GB+64GB version vs. the realme 8i 6GB+128GB version?

Aside from the storage specs, the phones are basically the same, EXCEPT that the 6GB+128GB model has VIRTUAL RAM. Virtual RAM actually uses the phone’s internal storage as makeshift RAM and increases the total amount of RAM on your smartphone. You can set your virtual RAM from up to a maximum of 5GB.

The 4GB+64GB model does not support Virtual RAM.

I had heard about this feature from other sources and was looking for it when I got my realme 8i, only to realize that it’s not supported on my phone. So, if your lifestyle/apps needs your phone to have more RAM, go for the 6GB+128GB realme 8i model.

Coming from a previous phone with 8GB RAM, I initially thought at 4GB would feel slower, but after installing all my apps, I did not notice any big difference – in fact, the realme 8i even felt faster! I’m not sure if it’s because of the better processor on the realme 8i, or because the screen on the 8i was more fluid – the 8i just felt more responsive!

How is the realme 8i to use in real life?

The realme 8i is initially available in 2 colors: Space Black and Space Purple. I much prefer black over purple – it’s easier to match and looks more minimalist.

I chose a kind of black/gray Theme for my wallpaper so the “inside” of the phone matches the outside 😀

Usage

The Fingerprint Sensor is located on the Power Button. I’ve never had any issue with realme’s fingerprint sensors – they were always fast and accurate.

Charging using the included adapter is quick! I also like that it has an Optimized Night Charging feature that regulates how much you charge your phone. Most of us charge our phone before going to sleep and unplug it when we wake up. However, this overcharges the phone and makes the battery wear out faster.

Optimized Night Charging is supposed to learn your sleeping / charging patterns and will learn to adjust its algorithms. For now, the default setting I noticed is that it stops charging when the phone reaches 80% at night, and there is a message that tells you that the phone will reach 100% charge by 6am. You can turn this feature off if you don’t like it, just search “Optimized Phone Charging” in the phone settings.

Calling and texting is the usual – did not notice any problems. Bluetooth, WIFI are all working. WIFI is 5G, but can also connect to older WIFI networks. Mobile data is VoLTE.

Didn’t have any problems watching videos on YouTube, Netflix, WeTV, etc… I love the clear, fluid screen so much! Screen casting to compatible TVs also works.

Battery life is pretty good – better than average.

Amazing Camera

You can take awesome photos using the realme 8i camera. Here are some photos I took with the realme 8i only using the camera’s AI setting and HDR setting turned on. Aside from being resized/ cropped as needed for upload on the blog, these photos are otherwise unedited. Click photos to enlarge.

The realme 8i has a triple camera. The other round thing is the flash.

Primary
50MP
f/1.8
HDR
5P Lens

B&W Lens
2MP
f/2.4

Macro Lens
2MP
f/2.4

Not only are photos so much better because of the camera, the high-resolution screen also has a lot to do with it! Viewing your gorgeous photos on a very sharp screen just make them look clearer and more vibrant!

The realme 8i also has a Dual Video Feature that lets you take videos using the rear camera and the front camera at the same time. The screen is split – top half shows the front camera view, lower half of the screen shows the back camera view. To access it, just open the Camera app, scroll the features until you see MORE, and then choose Dual View Video.

Another thing I’d like to add is that the built-in camera app already has a QR code reader built-in (Android 11) – no need to install a separate QR Code Reader app. Just click the Lens icon on the lower left. This is especially useful nowadays when we are asked to scan MandaTrack codes, etc… before entering establishments, or when paying using GCash or Paymaya in stores. Scanning QR codes using the realme 8i was almost instant 🙂 it took just a tad longer on my previous phone because the QR code had to be positioned a certain way for my previous phone to read it. Whereas now, with the realme 8i, it was fast and easy.

Mobile Gaming

I recently started playing Mobile Legends, and I so much prefer using the realme 8i because of the sharper, smoother screen! Everything is crystal clear, graphics are not pixelated nor choppy.

Like I said above, the phone speaker is loud. With my previous phone, I usually have the volume set to max, but for the realme 8i, I usually just have the volume set to 50% – 75%, because max volume is already too loud!

One thing take note of is you should avoid playing ML while charging the phone – well, we shouldn’t be doing this, anyway – it’s bad for the phone battery 😀 When I do this, I get a phone hot warning. That’s nice to know so I know to avoid doing this to protect the phone. So, it’s best to charge the phone first before playing, or to stop playing and charge the phone first. This only happens with ML though. I did not notice this when charging and doing other things on the phone like watching YouTube or browsing.

Also, if you like undisturbed gaming, DO NOT UNINSTALL GAME SPACE. It’s a preinstalled app on the realme 8i. When I set up my realme 8i, I got too aggressive in uninstalling apps I thought I didn’t need, thinking that I can always reinstall the app if I need it. I had no idea what Game Space was. It’s an app that prevents notifications, etc… from disturbing your game. Now that I know what it is, I tried to reinstall it, but it’s not available on Google Play or the realme App Market. One of these days I might have to reset my phone to see if Game Space gets installed again. I have tried making do by setting my phone on Do Not Disturb, but I still get pop-up notifications while playing 🙁

Battery lasts about 4-5 hours of continuous ML playing (using WIFI) – I’m sure this also depends on how bright you set your screen.

Price + P1,000 Discount Introductory Promo!

realme 8i 4+64GB

• The realme 8i 4+64GB will retail for P9,990.00 (SRP)
• As an early-bird offer exclusively on Lazada, the realme 8i 4+64GB will be available for P8,990 (P1,000 discount) starting November 17, 12 MN onwards.

realme 8i 6+128GB

• The realme 8i 6+128GB will retail for P11,990.00 (SRP)
• As an early-bird offer exclusively on Lazada, the realme 8i 6+128GB will be available for P10,990 (P1,000 discount) starting November 17, 12MN onwards.

The realme 8i will be available online exclusively on Lazada, and in all realme offline stores and partner dealers nationwide.

SUMMARY

The realme 8i sports a beautiful screen and an amazing camera at a midrange price. Good for mobile gamers and those who like to watch videos / TV series on their phone. The loud speaker will help so you won’t struggle to hear what you are watching. Battery life is also better than average.

If you can, I suggest going for the higher model 6GB+128GB to take advantage of the Virtual RAM feature. All those gorgeous photos and videos you will be taking with the awesome camera will also need a lot of storage space! 🙂

#realmePH
#InfinitelySmooth
#CaptureInfinitywithrealme