realme NARZO 50 5G REVIEW
In a historical moment like this that we are experiencing where the innovations in the smartphone sector can be counted on the fingertips, it is worth considering devices that belong to a past generation. The current mid-range is offered with decidedly higher prices than a few months ago, in addition to the fact that we often find "old" components, but then why not buy an "old" but unknown smartphone, because VIP Youtubers are too focused on bringing on their channels only products that collect views. So I'll take care of it, with a terminal that does justice to the mid-range, or realme NARZO 50 5G which beats it with many other models that offer similar performance and price but after testing it in depth I can tell you that he is the best choice you can do it if you have a limited budget under 200 euros, and now I'll tell you about it in this review.
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On offer on Amazon
unboxing
As always, let's start from the sales package, which in the case of the realme-branded device comes with a very colorful light blue sky, the color adopted by the brand for the NARZO series, which contains the following equipment:
- realm NARZO 50 5G;
- USB Type-C cable for charging and data transfer;
- Power supply with European wall socket, with maximum output of 33W;
- Transparent soft TPU cover;
- Plastic protective film for the screen already pre-applied;
- Pin for removing the SIM tray;
- Instruction manual;
DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION AND MATERIALS
The company has staked everything on the concreteness for this realme NARZO 50 5G, without renouncing an aesthetic pleasure, which although it is not distinguished by originality, still manages to assert itself net of the materials used, both for the back cover and for the frame that runs along the perimeter of the smartphone, in polycarbonate. Specifically on the rear we find a texture that seems to shine if hit by direct light, giving that fashion touch that never hurts, but apart from that what we like is the smooth design of the rear that is interrupted as well as for the printing of the series name of the phone also due to the presence of the photographic sector, a rectangle that houses 2 optics and a double LED flash.
The edges are flat, brick-style and in their own way facilitate the handling of the device, although we are not talking about a compact, due to the dimensions equal to 163,8 x 75,1 x 8,1 mm and a weight of 190 grams, all justified by the presence of a 5000 mAh battery, which I will tell you about later as regards autonomy. The upper profile houses the second microphone for noise reduction in calls while specularly we find the 3,5 mm jack input, main microphone, Type-C input for charging with OTG support, but no video output and the system speaker of the stereo type, which offers a good listening volume, without ever distorting the sound at maximum listening level, resulting quite efficient even in expressing low tones. The stereo sound is released by the speaker just mentioned and by the ear capsule, which seems aligned in volume with the speaker, something not so obvious. As far as the audio quality in call is concerned, nothing negative to bring to your attention, since the yield has always been excellent. In any case, the possibility of using wired headphones will make the multimedia experience even more pleasant. As far as the maximum volume is concerned, this goes up to a value of 200%, a sort of Booster to be exploited in conditions where the ambient noise is decidedly high.
On the left profile of realme NARZO 50 5G there is the volume rocker and the SIM tray capable of hosting 2 in nano format or by renouncing the Dual SIM function you can expand the internal memory by means of a micro SD with support up to 1 TB. Connectivity, as the name suggests, goes up to 5G on both slots but personally using the Very Mobile operator I have not been able to test its potential, but on the other hand I have always benefited from the 4G+ signal, with excellent performance in navigation and speed noteworthy.
The right profile instead gives us the presence of the power button inserted in a groove, since it also offers the integration of the fingerprint sensor. A good choice, first of all because the appearance of the phone is even more premium but then also due to the fact that the position of the same has been specifically designed to ensure that the right thumb or the index finger of the left hand coincide perfectly with this sensor , which therefore proved to be quick and reliable in unlocking.
DISPLAY
On the front of realme Narzo 50 5G stands out a beautiful display that covers 90,7% of the available surface, interrupting its look due to the drop notch positioned above, in which the selfie camera has been inserted. We are talking about a 6,6-inch IPS panel with Full HD + resolution (2480 x 1080 pixels), but above all that boasts a 90 Hz refresh rate, 180 Hz touch sampling rate and Widevine L1 DRM support, allowing therefore the viewing of content on streaming platforms such as Netflix, but also Amazon Prime Video, in high definition, while HDR content is absent.
The value of the refresh rate can be chosen in the settings, ranging between fixed values such as 60 or 90 Hz or let the system better adapt the refresh rate based on the contents shown on the screen. Moreover, still at the software level, we can also adjust the color temperature and enable or disable the OSIE visual effect, which allows us to improve the contrasts of the images. Other software goodies are the ability to wake up or turn off the display with a double tap, or turn it back on by simply lifting the phone.
And having made the pippone of the specifications, I just have to comment on the quality of this display, which is also very bright, also offering excellent readability in direct sunlight. The colors returned overall are pleasant and quite faithful to reality, the white balance is excellent as well as rather deep blacks even at different inclinations. In short, realme NARZO 50 5G enjoys one of the most performing panels that I have been able to appreciate in the mid-range of the market, standing out on an aesthetic level also due to the rather contained, albeit not symmetrical, frames, where at the top we find the ear capsule and the proximity sensors (physical and not software) and brightness that work perfectly, in the various scenarios, while the absence of a notification LED should be underlined.
The navigation buttons are of course virtual and inserted on the display, but if necessary we can take advantage of the comfortable navigation gestures in full screen, as well as being able to take advantage of a sidebar that allows some quick functions as well as the recall of certain applications and if really we are addicted to gestures, we can exploit them even when the screen is off, by drawing a specific letter to activate or recall functions and applications.
SOFTWARE
In short, the fact is taking shape that realme has not left anything to chance at the software level, which is based on the factory version 12 of Android, considering the official release of this device in March 2022. At the time of our tests, the The company has released an update to Android 50 for NARZO 5 13G with the May 2023 patch and realme UI 4.0 custom interface. The firmware is full of features and not at all annoying in terms of design, indeed the same is very accurate in terms of graphics. In short, the company is keeping the promises made for this terminal, supporting it with constant updates and improvements over time.
HARDWARE AND CONNECTIVITY
Ok all very nice, but how does this realme NARZO 50 5G run, because I'm sure someone will turn up their nose at the presence of a solution provided by MediaTek at the processor level. Well, they're wrong because this smartphone does not give up on performance and reliability thanks to the Mediatek Dimensity 810 5G SoC, a chipset that is based on an octa-core structure with a maximum clock of 2.4 GHz and a 6nm production process which joins for the graphics part the ARM Mali-G57 MC2 GPU. Therefore excellent performance even in more complex conditions such as gaming, allowing you to start applications such as Call of Duty Mobile, Asphalt 9, Genshin Impact etc .. at the best of the gaming experience, even if the graphic details are not always at their best, but that what matters is that you never notice drops in frame rates and above all overheating.
For the rest of the daily operations we can then count on the presence of an LPDDR4X type RAM memory with cuts of 4/6 GB (virtually expandable) LPDDR4X, while the internal memory (expandable) is of the UFS 2.2 type with cuts of 64 or 128 GB (expandable via micro SD), therefore not of the latest generation but rather fast to cover every task you are going to perform with the phone, also enjoying good and always responsive multitasking management.
The rest of the specifications see the presence of a dual-band WiFi, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS / AGPS / Beidou / Glonass / Galileo but also NFC for mobile payments with full support for Google Pay, while the FM radio is absent.
AUTONOMY
Everything works wonderfully and overall the optimization of the software towards the hardware also has a positive effect on the battery life, which I repeat is expressed with 5000 mAh and relative support for 33W fast charging, which allows in just 25 minutes to recharge your smartphone by 50%, while with poco less than an hour we get full energy. Of course, the actual yield depends on how you use a phone, but as a general rule, I personally have always brought my day to an end, getting to almost 7 hours of active screen with still 20% of residual charge, nothing really bad!!!
PHOTO AND VIDEO
In my reviews I almost always leave the photography and video chapter for last, perhaps one of the most important for a smartphone, so much so that some users ask the first thing they ask is just how a phone shoots without even thinking about the rest of the specifications. On this device, the company has gone straight to the point, without inserting cameras that are only used for marketing, but focusing only on two optics, of which the main one (on the rear) is 48 MP, f/1.79 6P lenses and a secondary sensor for B/W portraits. On the front we find an 8 MP selfie camera, f / 2.0 aperture.
Over time I have to appreciate that realme has made significant progress in the photographic field and I especially like the color profile it has included in the software of this NARZO 50 5G. The photos are very full of color, but without pastels or exaggerations, resulting decidedly suggestive and cinematic. Excellent shots, with a good collection of details, well-balanced colors and dynamic range that amazes for the price range to which the terminal is offered.
Even the "portrait" shots are not "degraded" in terms of color, but above all the bokeh effect is natural and not at all artificial. In night mode I must say that the shots that the smartphone takes out are quite valid, at least for scenarios in which there are no moving subjects.
The night mode is also available for the selfie camera as well as the automatic HDR and overall the software is quite complete and full of functions, while the performance of the selfie lens is just as valid as described for the other lenses. Unfortunately the videos can only be recorded in 1080p at 30 fps to take advantage of an EIS stabilization which works well but not very well. In this area, more could have been done but I am confident in a software update that will reverse the situation. On the other hand, the capture of the audio by the microphone is excellent and overall the photographic sector is better than many other rivals, often even with higher costs.
On offer on Amazon
PROJECTED IMPACT
realme Narzo 50 5G starts from a base price of 180 euros for the less "pumped" variant, even reaching 230 euros for the one we are testing, or the 6/128 GB which is the one I recommend. You have to keep an eye on this phone because it often goes on offer or you could find real bargains in the Secondhand section of Amazon. In fact, I bought this splendid smartphone for only 130 euros, with conditions like new, but I noticed that the other day the terminal was on offer for 180 euros. But apart from that, the smartphone is the perfect balance in terms of quality / price ratio, with excellent performance, truly excellent autonomy, good photographic shots and therefore unless you are a professional who needs who knows what specification, realme NARZO 50 5G it is the smartphone to bet on especially if you have a limited budget but don't want to give up almost anything. If you are really looking for an alternative, you could stay in the realme house with the realme 10, which offers 8 GB of RAM and AMOLED display, generally available for 190 euros.
