Realme 8 5G launched in India, brings MediaTek Dimensity 700 chip and 90Hz screen for Rs 14,999

Realme 8 5G is the first phone in India to come with MediaTek’s newly launched 7nm Dimensity 700 chip. (Photo credit: Saurabh Singh/Financial Express)

Oppo spin-off Realme launched yet another “affordable 5G” phone – Realme 8 5G – in India on Thursday. With every new launch, Realme is going lower down the price ladder in line with its strategy to democratise 5G, though you still can’t make use of it in India at this point of time. The Realme 8 5G, that starts at Rs 14,999, undercuts the Narzo 30 Pro 5G (starting at Rs 16,999) to become India’s cheapest 5G phone – right now.

Technically the Realme 8 5G may seem like a step up from the “regular” Realme 8 (that also starts at Rs 14,999 by the way) and it is in some areas, but it is pretty clear that Realme had to cut some corners in order to keep the price down. For instance, the new phone comes with an IPS LCD – though 90Hz, which is an upgrade – display, triple cameras with a watered-down primary sensor, and slower charging.

Also Read | Realme 8 Pro review: Starry-eyed 108MP camera wonder

Regardless, the big new update is the system on chip. The Realme 8 5G is the first phone in India to come equipped with MediaTek’s newly launched 7nm Dimensity 700 chip with 5G dual SIM dual standby support. The regular Realme 8 has a 12nm Helio G95 processor. The Realme 8 5G also supports Dynamic RAM Expansion (DRE) to convert available storage into virtual RAM to enhance multitasking. A similar technology is used by Vivo inside its X60 series phones.

Realme is going back to a more understated look with the Realme 8 5G. (Photo credit: Saurabh Singh/Financial Express)

Rest of the specs are standard, meaning, we’ve already seen a lot of these specs in past and present Realme phones.

There is a 6.5-inch IPS LCD display with 1080p resolution and 90Hz refresh rate (180Hz touch sampling rate). There is a hole punch cut-out at one end housing a 16MP selfie camera (with Nightscape support) and Dragontrail Glass protection. Realme claims the panel can achieve up to 600nits of peak brightness.

Under the hood, the phone comes with up to 8GB RAM and 128GB UFS2.1 storage as standard. There is support for expandable storage via a dedicated micro-SD card slot. Software inside the phone is Realme UI 2.0 based on Android 11. Powering the phone is a massive 5,000mAh battery though charging is capped to 18W (Realme 8 supports faster 30W charging). Realme will ship a compliant charger in the box.

For photography, the phone has three cameras on the back: a 48MP main Samsung GM1 sensor with f/1.8 aperture lens, and two 2MP sensors, one monochrome (portrait) and another for macros.

Also Read | Realme on bringing 108MP camera to masses, undercutting competition, Make in India plans and first flagship store  

Realme is going back to a more understated look with the Realme 8 5G after going all in on branding with the Realme 8. The phone is made of glossy plastic, but it is a lot sober looking than the Realme 8. Realme will offer it in two colourways: blue and black. It is thin (8.5mm) and light (185g) much like most Realme phones. Rounding off the package is a side-mounted fingerprint reader (this is under the display in the Realme 8).

Realme 8 5G India price and availability details

The Realme 8 5G starts at Rs 14,999 for the base model with 4GB RAM and 128GB storage. The top-end model of the phone that comes with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage is priced at Rs 16,999. The phone will go on sale from April 28 and available from Rrealme.com, Flipkart and offline stores.