realme 6 vs realme 6 Pro: Which phone should you buy?

realme’s latest smartphones in the Philippines come from the 6 series. Starting from the realme 6i which is a budget gaming phone equipped with USB-C, we were later on introduced to the realme 6 and 6 Pro. 

You probably already know the key features of both phones so let’s just quickly do a rundown of both their offerings. 

They both have the same 90Hz refresh rate, 4300mAh battery with 30W Flash Charge, Android 10 OS with realme UI, 4G connectivity, dual-SIM capabilities, splash resistance, placement of fingerprint sensor, USB port, speakers, and headphone jack, and screen resolution.

Design

So where do they differ? Well, the most noticeable would be the back panels’ designs. realme 6 has what the company calls a ‘Striking Comet’ look, while the 6 Pro has this ‘Lightning-inspired’ pattern.

They both have their own appeal but I find the lightning design more eye-catching more so when you use it for shooting and the flashy pattern is just displayed for everyone to see. Meanwhile, my wife prefers the more subtle but elegant vibe the realme 6 has. And adding to the design, both have splash resistance for protection against liquids. 

Another difference between the two is the display size. The realme 6 Pro is just a bit larger at 6.6 inches (vs 6’s 6.5-inch screen) but they do have the same Full HD+ resolution and 90Hz refresh rate for more fluid movements and transitions. 

There’s Corning Gorilla Glass protection on these two devices but the 6 Pro has better reinforcement with the most recent offering (Gorilla Glass 3 vs Gorilla Glass 5). 

Cameras

Though they both have the same quad-camera setup, only the 6 Pro comes with a 12-megapixel telephoto lens while the realme 6 goes for a 2-megapixel portrait camera for adding extra depth. The rest carry similar 64-megapixel main, 8-megapixel ultra-wide, and 2-megapixel macro shooters. 

In general, the realme 6 takes decent shots with its main camera but compare it with the 6 Pro and you can see that its camera configuration produces better-looking shots than the standard realme 6. Additionally, when it comes to zooming in on subjects, there is a loss of quality for the realme 6 unlike the shots taken with a dedicated telephoto lens. 

For Portrait mode, the realme 6’s dedicated depth sensor makes it possible for cleaner cutouts as compared to the 6 Pro with random jagged edges. These are just some things you notice when you really look at them side by side. 

Shooting in Night Mode, the realme 6 Pro still takes the cake as it can produce clean shots of subjects using its Nightscape 3.0. The realme 6 also has a night mode, but not as effective as the 6 Pro’s. 

As for selfies, you both get a 16-megapixel wide camera but the 6 Pro has an extra 8-megapixel ultra-wide sensor to fit more people and other subjects in. It does come in handy but the main sensor alone also does a good job for your regular selfies. 

Apart from those, both phones have Pro Mode, Time Lapse, and Slow Mo that can shoot up to 240fps — one of The Modern Creatures’ favorite camera features!

Performance

Heading over to its internals, these two phones run on different platforms. The realme 6 sports a MediaTek Helio G90T processor while the 6 Pro carries a Snapdragon 720G CPU. 

The 720G on the 6 Pro is made to further improve mobile gaming experience. So in addition to having better optics for photography and videography, the 6 Pro is also built to handle heavy games — and we’ve proven that during our review.

But that doesn’t mean the realme 6 underperforms while gaming. No, its Helio G90T is actually a tried and tested processor and also delivers impressive capabilities as an everyday phone. 

We’ve played popular titles on it and it unsurprisingly handled Mobile Legends, Asphalt 9, and PUBG Mobile with ease. 

For battery life, we previously mentioned the 6 Pro lasting up to eight hours of continuous gaming before we needed to charge it up. For the realme 6 and its same battery capacity, it fell short from the performance of its bigger sibling at just six hours and 22 minutes of play time. 

But, with the promise of one hour charging time, the realme 6 took about five minutes faster to charge than the 6 Pro from 0-100%. 

Conclusion

So what can we take away from this? Well, it’s evident that they’re alike in many ways but the Pro variant has certain specialties.

But if you’re just looking for a reliable phone that you can use as a daily driver, the realme 6 is more than enough. It has a fast charging time like the 6 Pro, almost the same quad-camera setup, and a processor powerful enough to handle gaming. 

Although if you’re more particular with the shots you capture using a smartphone, definitely go for the 6 Pro. As we’ve mentioned in our review, it does go beyond the usual capabilities of a camera phone and offers more features to help achieve better footage.

Its battery life is also longer plus, only the 6 Pro has Dolby Atmos and Hi-Res audio. So those are some things to keep in mind. 

The decision-making process doesn’t simply end on what these phones can do. Pricing is, of course, a huge aspect when buying a new phone. So for the realme 6 Pro and all its extra features, you’d have to shell out PhP 16,990. While the realme 6 starts only at PhP 11,990 — that’s a PhP 5,000 difference and you still get a really capable phone.

There’s also a more expensive realme 6 with double the RAM at PhP 13,990 but still PhP 3,000 cheaper than the 6 Pro.

So all things considered, the realme 6 offers more bang for your buck. But, if you need those impressive low light images and that telephoto lens — and believe me, they do come in handy — then, by all means, go for the 6 Pro as it’s still a really good buy. 

Search
-

OPPO Find N3 Flip camera review: Better than ever

01/29/2024

Early-generation flip phones weren’t exactly renowned for their stellar camera setups but fast forward just a few years later and we have the OPPO Find N3 Flip – proudly flaunting the crown of being the first flip phone decked out with three cameras.  And that count isn’t just for show — we have flagship shooters on this little flip and, of course, that got me excited.

Because good cameras, like gooooood cameras, have been pretty elusive in the flip phone scene and I’m always excited to take a look at the newest improvements — especially in the camera department.

Specs rundown

Setting the OPPO Find N3 Flip apart is its triple rear camera ensemble, featuring flagship lenses with dedicated sensors. The main shooter boasts a formidable 50-megapixel lens with a Sony IMX890 sensor and optical image stabilization (OIS), while the telephoto lens, armed with a 32MP Samsung S5K2GN1 sensor, offers 2x optical zoom for those up-close moments. Completing the trifecta is the 48-megapixel ultrawide lens with a Sony IMX586 sensor.

For the front-facing camera, we also have a high 32-megapixel shooter with its own Sony IMX766 Sensor.

On the software side, we have Hasselblad color calibration which gives you those gentle natural colors, you’ll see later on. The SuperVOOC Imaging Chip helps with those low-light shots by improving dynamic range and noise reduction.

Form factor made for hands-free photography

The most-wanted cameras for content creation or otherwise would most likely have a flip display. Why? Because you’re given the freedom to move while still keeping a visual of your capture. It’s essentially what flip phones are trying to do as well — a large part of its charm really is its versatility.

Fold it halfway and you can prop it up on a table for easy selfies or even as a hands-free way to do video. Couple that with the new interval timer and you can create your very own photo booth or even shoot quick burst shots, again, hands-free.

You can also tent it and flip it over to get a lower angle on that camera — great from OOTDs or wide street shots. And you know that current trend of taping your phone to the ceiling for a dramatic top shot? No need to guess your framing since you can use the phone’s cover display and gesture controls to easily recreate the look.

Bottom line, the flipping aspect of flip phones is no longer the most exciting thing but rather, the experience. Flip phones can help you find new perspectives in photography, combined with the cover display and other photography features, it’s a fun little tool to explore your creative side

Camera review

Alright, let’s dive into the nitty-gritty of this review starting with those rear cameras.

The triple-lens setup delivers high-quality photos across focal lengths with the ultrawide being the weakest – but still not so weak.  Dynamic range? Impressive. The Find N3 Flip does a commendable job balancing shadows and brightness in tricky scenes. Soft natural bokeh is achievable on both main and telephoto lenses outside of portrait mode as well.

And speaking of the telephoto lens, its detail retention is commendable. You can still make out smaller elements in a frame though of course, the digital 5x zoom works best in bright light.

A favorite returns — Hasselblad tuning helps produce photos with colors that are nuanced and natural – not a tinge of oversaturation for the most part of the spectrum albeit with a slight quirk under blue light.

Color is consistent between lenses, as well, ensuring a seamless transition when switching from one camera to another. Switching from ultra-wide to the main camera causes little to no shift in color — a common trait of smartphone cameras — so I appreciate this attention to detail.

Post-processing maintains a gentle touch, avoiding the common pitfall of oversharpening seen in many smartphones. While it unexpectedly stumbles low-light conditions, requiring a steady hand and patience, impressive results can be achieved in the right conditions.

Switching gears over to video. Quality, while not exceptional, is good and dependable; still keeping things as real and natural with color reproduction. You have OIS on the main lens only which helps smooth out movement. For every other lens, however, we do only have electronic image stabilization (EIS).

Warping isn’t uncommon but not that intrusive. You also have LOG recording in Movie Mode should you ever need to grade your footage in post.

General conclusion, if you’re hoping for true flagship quality video, you may not find it here but quality still holds up for casual creators.

Front-facing camera

Around the front, the 32-megapixel is out to do your face some justice. Natural skin tones are easily achievable thanks again to that Hasselblad color. You’ve got wide and close-up options too which both do just as well as the 1x.

But much like my first experience with the OPPO Find N2 Flip, I rarely used this camera. Why when you can take high-quality selfies with the rear camera, right?  Here are some samples and I’ll let you be the judge.

Pain points

While the OPPO Find N3 Flip dances gracefully through the realms of photography, it does stumble a bit on certain notes. One noticeable hitch is the somewhat lethargic shutter response. Even in good light, there’s a slight delay that might make you miss a shot or end up with a bit of motion blur.

It’s a hiccup, but it’s not stealing the spotlight from the overall experience.

The ultrawide lens introduces a touch of distortion, though not overly dramatic. And one of my personal frustrations are the gesture controls. It’s just not as responsive as I want it to be, occasionally struggling to recognize palms and prompting awkward arm waves.

Another complaint I have that really surprised me was the lack of 4K video recording when using the cover display. I was honestly surprised at this given that the cover display/camera combo is designed to help you shoot but flip phones have their limitations and, well, it’s an unfortunate compromise. At least, in my opinion.

Looking toward the future, improvements in stabilization, low-light capabilities, and a boost in processing speed are areas the next generations could address.

Also a great daily driver

Before we wrap things up here, I do want to glaze over some notable features and specs beyond its cameras.

Powered by the Dimensity 9200 chip, the OPPO Find N3 Flip delivers reliable performance, though occasional dips are noticeable during multitasking.  I would often get a “Phone running Slow” if I forget to close down apps but overall, as a daily driver, it handles well.

The device’s 4800mAh battery, coupled with fast charging, surprisingly lasts well into the night for a flip phone – a rarity in the realm of dwindling mid-day battery woe of the usual flip. And it’s a BIG improvement from last year’s model which lasted only about half a day with average use.

The 6.7-inch FHD+ AMOLED display is nice and bright with a barely-there crease, though it does struggle under the noonday sun. With 120Hz, you can enjoy smooth animation. It also has Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protection for the main display and Schott UTG Glass for the cover display.

Speaking of the cover display, it does remain the same size (3.26-inch AMOLED) but you now have access to full apps. You can type in replies using the little keyboard though I find myself opting for voice input more often. I would like more apps but the selection isn’t bad considering this isn’t too much of a productivity-focused phone that it is a flip phone for content creation.

Additional caveats include no wireless charging here and just an IPX4 rating so a bit of care needs to be exerted. And finally, while OPPO assures the increased durability of its hinge, it does have a tiny bit of a wobble that causes me a little worry — though it could just be paranoia.

Final thoughts and wrap-up

Admittedly though, I haven’t tangoed with competitors like the Z Flip 5 which might make me a little less of an authority on this but in my time with the OPPO Find N3 Flip and its cameras, I’ve found they’re a delight in their own right.

Yes, there are those occasional hiccups like the slow shutter and sporadic lags, but it doesn’t overshadow the overall experience. When you pit them against non-folding phone counterparts, you might sense a slight dip in performance, but the quality? You’ve got a really capable shooter for a flip.

Would I recommend it to everyone? Of course not. As usual, and as with any piece of technology or thing really, it’s all up to you. I value camera quality quite a bit and I’ve always wanted a flip too. So combining these two features very well made me feel more like the OPPO Find N3 Flip is a better match for me.

If you value other things beyond camera quality, like productivity, for example, you might find features like the smaller cover display and few app choices a little limiting.

But with how its moving, OPPO might just be setting the pace for flip phone cameras. It’s impressive how far these modern foldables have come in such a short time. And while the Find N3 Flip certainly has its quirks, it had a purpose that was achieved – to offer the best flip phone cameras it possibly can.

Pricing

The OPPO Find N3 Flip is available in select countries and regions, at the moment, including Europe and Asia. In the Philippines, the OPPO Find N3 Flip retails for PhP 64,999 (approx. US$ 1,153) with two colors available.

 

REVIEWS