OK, stop everything. Let’s talk pricing before we go any further. This has just been launched here in Madrid with a starting price of €399.
€399! That’ll get you 6GB RAM and 64GB storage. Cheap. Really cheap.
There’s an 8GB + 128GB version for €449 and a 12GB + 256GB version for €499. Convert those prices to sterling and adding some cream on and you’re looking at £359, £399 and £449 respectively.
Oh and hang on just one minute. Remember that big fuss about the 90Hz screens on the OnePlus 7T and the OnePlus 7T Pro ? Yeah, you’re getting the same 90Hz technology here too.
Powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+, the X2 Pro will kick out 2.96GHz and there’s an Adreno 618 GPU. The screen is a 6.5″ 2400×1080 Super AMOLED unit with 402ppi and 1000 nit.
It’ll be available in lunar white or neptune blue. The other specs include dual-band WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, a USB-C connector, 3.5mm audio port, NFC for your tappy-tap payments and GPS plus a 4000mAh battery. This uses AI to help with power saving, so more usage and less charging. Even when you do need to charge, it uses 50W SuperVOOC Flash Charge, so a very speedy recharge experience.
The front selfie shooter is a 32 megapixel lens (with beautification mode), but around the back you get 4 cameras – a 64 megapixel f/1.8 (yes, we did say 64 megapixels), a 13 megapixel telephoto one (with 5X Hybrid Optical Zoom and 20X Hybrid zoom), a super-wide 8 megapixel lens and a 2 megapixel portrait lens.
There’s lots of options and modes, including AI to help you get the right scene and camera settings. It also includes HDR, panorama, nightscape and anti-shake.
Hmm.. some of this all sounds very familiar, and indeed it should – the people behind Realme are called BBK Electronics, whose brands include Oppo, Vivo and OnePlus.
The excellent OnePlus 7T (£549) seems to have a lot of similar bits (speedy charging, 90Hz screen, similar display panel etc), but this is cheaper.
Here the Realme X2 has a 91.9% screen-to-body ratio with an in-display fingerprint sensor, a 3D glass body design, Dolby and Hi-Res sound, double antennas and Android 9 running alongside the ColorOS 6.1.
Head to realme.com for more info. We were pretty impressed, and I think it’s safe to say that the smartphone market is becoming more and more interesting by the day.
