Realme X7 Max assessment: Up to speed with 5G, but at what expense

On its official site, Realme calls purchasers to encounter the future with the Realme X7 Pro. With the Realme X7 Max, it promises it will get you there at complete speed. It will also expense you much less revenue. This future, presumably driven by 5G, is a extended way to go but brands like Realme — specifically Realme — are working overtime to make sure there is no shortage of devices when the network arrives at some point.

Like the devices themselves, hardware powering them is also receiving mature every single day. Over the last handful of months, each Qualcomm and MediaTek have released a swarm of 5G-prepared mobile processors, every single more capable than the other even though, the massive focus appears to be on producing technologies more and more accessible which is why we are seeing a lot of action taking place in the mid-variety segment lately. Qualcomm has a extended list of Snapdragon 800- and 700-series program-on-chips even though MediaTek is churning out equivalents below its Dimensity lineup by the dozen.

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This brings us to the topic of this review–the Realme X7 Max 5G–and why Realme believes it could bring you up to speed with 5G. This phone is powered by MediaTek’s most highly effective existing gen SoC, the Dimensity 1200. In theory, this tends to make it the most highly effective phone in the Realme X7-series. Even more highly effective than the Realme X7 Pro, which is technically, the “real” flagship. A phone that was launched barely 3 months ago.

Something like this does not occur quite frequently. This tends to make the Realme X7 Max sort of thrilling (that is if you haven’t invested in the Realme X7 Pro currently). But on the flip side, it also tends to make you wonder, if there’s a catch.

Expect the unexpected

The X7 Max is a mighty giant that is surprisingly light on its feet. On any provided day, a phone like this would appear like a recipe for disaster. Realme has tamed the beast but more than something, the X7 Max is a home run for MediaTek. After spending years playing second fiddle to Qualcomm, it is ultimately beginning to catch up. And if the Dimensity 1200 is any indication, the future appears promising.

Dimensity 1200 is MediaTek’s initially 6nm chip. It is also the initially MediaTek chip to use the Cortex-A78 core. It has a tri-cluster CPU with a “prime” A78 core operating at 3.0GHz, 3 other A78 cores at 2.6GHz, and 4 A55 “efficiency” cores at 2.0GHz. The Snapdragon 870 that it is constructed to compete with—though it has a CPU that clocks greater at 3.2GHz—is based on the older A77 core(s) providing MediaTek a slight edge in benchmarks. There are of course other aspects that weigh in, exactly where Qualcomm cruises ahead, but the bottomline is, each chips are matched evenly.

Next to the Dimensity 1000 Plus – seen inside the Realme X7 Pro – we’re hunting at 22 % quicker efficiency. And it can do this even though consuming up to 25 % much less energy. Both chips pack the exact same Mali-G77 GPU. Realme is making use of quickly UFS 3.1 storage (up to 256GB) in the X7 Max, an improvement more than UFS 2.2 inside the X7 Pro. There is no expandable storage.

There is an upgraded stainless steel vapour cooling program inside the X7 Max which is stated to be an improvement more than the copper-based program seen in the X7 Pro. This is one of the quite handful of phones below 20k to involve a devoted thermal resolution, or at least one that is getting advertised. But even more importantly, it operates.

This has two quick added benefits. For the most discerning user, the X7 Max does not get quite hot when stressed. For more particular use circumstances, like gaming, this phone can play graphically demanding games with regularly steady frame prices without having any visible throttling. Except for Genshin Impact which for some purpose has a chip-level cap, most games like Call of Duty: Mobile play at maxed-out settings on the X7 Max and the encounter is satisfying. As a frame of reference, the Snapdragon 870-powered Xiaomi Mi 11X’s gaming efficiency leaves a lot to be preferred.

It’s commendable due to the fact Realme has been in a position to attain all this maintaining the dimensions of the phone so compact, it does not even really feel like a efficiency-oriented device, the initially time you see it. It has made use of copious amounts of plastic—while the Mi 11X is all glass—to be in a position to do this, sure, but regardless of the develop supplies, this phone weighs just 180 gram and measures only 8.4mm. At a time when most phones like the X7 Pro are 6.5-inch and above, the X7 Max requires the road much less taken. This is a 6.43-inch phone. Call it a pocket rocket if you will.

Despite that, the phone does not compromise on battery capacity. Like the X7 Pro, the X7 Max also comes with a sizeable 4,500mAh battery. Battery life is fantastic. This is effortlessly a one-day phone for even the most demanding customers. Charging, even even though it tops out at 50W (this is 65W in the X7 Pro), is nonetheless one of the quickest in this price tag variety. For some context, the Mi 11X Pro which also has more or much less related battery life supports only 33W quickly charging.

The exact same no-compromise method extends to audio. The phone comes with dual speakers with Dolby Atmos and Hi-Res assistance. Quality of these speakers is not that great—relative to say the Mi 11X which has an “actual” stereo setup—but it gets the job performed even though also retaining the headphone jack.

This is the initially Realme phone in its class to have an official IP rating — this is IPX4. This indicates it is splash resistant. The Mi 11X with its IP53-rating is also resistant to dust.

Jack of all trades

Rest of the package is fundamentally Realme attempting to juggle several hats. Winning at some, failing at other individuals. Design is probably its weakest hyperlink. It’s becoming repetitive and, in that procedure, it is also losing out on its premium appeal. The X7 Max appears to be a cross in between the X7 Pro and the 8 Pro with a mixture of matte and glossy components. There is a sizeable holographic “Dare to Leap” slogan thrown into the mix and even though it is not as enormous as the one on the 8 Pro, you cannot just not see it and then when you do, you cannot unsee it. Realme phones have seen greater days. Remember the Realme 7 Pro? Or any of the Realme X Master Editions?

The 1080p Super AMOLED show on the X7 Max shows punchy colours and viewing angles are pretty fantastic. But it does not get quite vibrant. Even by Realme’s personal requirements, the panel is a step under the X7 Pro’s with brightness topping out at 1000 nits (the X7 Pro can go all the way to 1200 nits). There is no HDR assistance either. The in-show fingerprint reader is not the most precise and there is no screen protection (X7 Pro comes with Corning Gorilla Glass 5).

A silver lining is the quicker response price. The 120Hz refresh price in the X7 Max is paired with 360Hz touch sampling (240Hz in the X7 Pro) producing it excellent for competitive gaming – even though the distinction would be visible to only the most eagle-eyed.

The most noticeable downgrade is coming in the camera division. The X7 Max has only 3 cameras on the rear and only one of them—the primary—is usable. Realme is making use of a 64MP IMX682 major sensor in the X7 Max (the X7 Pro makes use of the IMX686) which clicks above typical photographs in fantastic light and fantastic-sufficient photographs in artificial and low light. Colours are frequently saturated and turn out hunting pleasing on the phone’s colourful screen even though a blown-out version seen on a larger screen, say a laptop, shows these photographs generally miss out on resolved detail. Dynamic variety is typical at ideal. Realme’s evening mode implementation is greater than some of its rivals, so that is a plus. The other two cameras – 8MP ultra-wide-angle and 2MP macro – are barely serviceable.

As for video recording, the phone does effectively at [email protected] Gyro-based stabilisation assists take clear shots.

The 16MP front camera (this is 32MP in the X7 Pro) captures fantastic-excellent selfies across lighting situations if at the expense of resolved detail.

Realme software—this is Android 11-based Realme UI 2. in the X7 Max—has each positive and unfavorable elements. It appears greater than MIUI, it is a lot cleaner as well – even though this can adjust as MIUI 12.5 becomes more broadly readily available – and the truth that it provides you so several customisation chops like the potential to adjust icons is effectively appreciated. Everything operates cohesively. But the update rollout and extended-term assistance is just way as well messed up and uneven. My X7 Max assessment unit is nonetheless on the March safety patch, even though a substantially less expensive Realme phone, the 8 Pro, got the April patch on schedule (in the month of April itself). Realme is on the proper track, if only it can repair this disparity, factors would be even greater.

What you see is what you get

The X7 Max “works as advertised” and that is its major USP. Straight off the bat, this is a higher-efficiency device. 5G might appear like an icing on the cake but make no error, Realme is genuinely severe about the complete democratisation of the technologies factor it keeps speaking about in its advertising campaigns. As opposed to several rival phones, like these from sister brand OnePlus, 5G is not just an afterthought right here. The X7 Max supports as several as seven bands (5G NR N1/N28A/N40/N41/N77/N78/N79) and even though you might not be in a position to use them just however, it certainly assists with the peace of thoughts. Paired with NFC and Wi-Fi 6, this is definitely a future-prepared device. Hopefully, factors on the computer software front would get greater with time.

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As for the rest of the package, Realme does not genuinely make a lot of tall claims. It is what it is. If you are hunting for a larger and brighter screen, greater cameras, and quicker charging, you really should almost certainly be hunting at the X7 Pro. Or greater however, you really should be hunting at the iQOO 7. The Mi 11X is also a viable alternative if you are not especially hunting for class-top cameras.

Pros: Compact type element, Fast 120Hz show, Fast efficiency, Does not heat up when stressed, Good battery life

Cons: Derivative style, No HDR assistance, Cameras could be greater, Slow Android update rollout

Originally appeared on: TheSpuzz