realme 10 Pro+ 5G Review | Geek Lifestyle

When the topic of midrange mobile beasts enters the conversation, realme is usually one of the brands to take center stage. Its numbered series lineup has been quite the staple both in lifestyle and gaming circles, and its newest baby, the realme 10 Pro+ 5G is raising the stakes for its competition.

After giving our first impressions, we decided to tinker a bit more over the following days. Running more games, taking more photos, and draining the battery as a full-fledged daily driver. It’s safe to say that the 10 Pro+ 5G is one stealthy, yet powerful beast. So, let’s dig in.

Geek-sthetic

Dark matter black is the colorway of choice for our unit, and it is just so nice to have that sleek, matte finish. Fingerprints are a drag, and while oils from our hands aren’t a picnic either, they’re at least less conspicuous.

We’re once again greeted by that 6.7-inch, 2412 X 1080 resolution AMOLED display that is a pleasure both for viewing and gaming alike. In the past few days, the vibrancy of the colors coupled with a snappy 120hz refresh rate made going between apps quite the breeze. There was less squinting involved, is what I’m saying. Good stuff.

The two lenses on the phone’s posterior are indeed, eye-catching. They’re quite massive, and rightfully so, as they house some pretty powerful cameras. More on that later. 

Binge-Watching Factor

The 10 Pro+ 5G makes excellent use of its 6.7-inch screen. Having a curved display means less bezels. This also means more viewing real estate for your favorite shows. The AMOLED display makes all the colors pop, so if you’re watching anime with a lot of flashing lights–and you’re not prone to anything trigged by said flashing lights, then you’ll be enjoying yourself. A lot.

The dual speakers once cranked up to Ultra Volume Mode are ridiculously loud, but surprisingly crisp. Unfortunately, you get no 3.5mm headphone jack this time around. Yes, we missed that in the previous first impressions. There was too much excitement.

Should you desire to use some wired audio cans, the USB-C port combo-d with a separate adapter work just fine.

Gaming Prowess

Since this little beast is packed with a Dimensity 920 5G Chipset with a grand total of 16GB of RAM (via expansion), gaming is easy peasy. In all seriousness, we’ll soon be needing a more demanding mobile game to stress test any up-and-coming phones. Genshin Impact has set the standard for “will it run?” testing, and if you’re simply looking to run it, play it well, and not expect hyperrealistic graphics, then you’ll be more than satisfied.

Ay other game with less demanding requirements will run smoothly, albeit with a bit of loading time.

Medium settings with motion blur turned off may leave a bit to be desired for some players who want the most picturesque experience, but we’re just glad that there are little to no frame drops even when the action starts. Crank anything higher, and you’ll get a teensy bit of stuttering in the domains. I wouldn’t dare max things out.

Or would I? We’ll see.

Geek Photoshoot Capabilities

Now, let’s get into the meat and potatoes of the 10 Pro+ 5G. Those sweet, sexy shooters. The 108MP AI triple cameras deliver the clearest of photos on default settings. Switch on the AI, and you get something clearer. While there’s a bit of a yellow tinge in the brightness, it’s not too bothersome, and something that can be patched in a software update. 

Whether you switch on the 108MP lense or not, you’ll be getting quality photos, even in dimmer lighting. The macro lense delivers some nice bokeh, given you position your subject at a proper distance.

The “Street Settings” make use of its 16 (ultrawide), 23 (DIS assisted), and 50mm (Zoom) lenses add some nice versatility if you’re shooting outdoors. It’s a quick “loadout” which ensures you won’t fumbling through your camera’s UI.

One might expect more than a 16MP selfie camera, but it definitely holds its own. You might want to tinker a bit with the settings, as I look a bit too rosy-cheeked in the photo, but then again, I haven’t seen myself in the mirror for ages. Also, there’s no ultrawide.

For video, you get the standard, and honestly, very welcome 4K at 30fps, 1080p at 30/60/120fps. 4K shooting is always great.

Everyday Reliability

Now, the realme 10 Pro+ 5G might look like something rather pristine, but make no mistake, it’s a daily driver powerhouse. As mentioned earlier, the Mediatek Dimensity 920 chipset gives you all the efficiency you need on the daily. Since it also runs on Android 13 with the Realme UI 4.0 out of the box, you won’t be updating anytime soon. 

The 5000 mAh battery lasts for days. About three, to be exact, at least in my use case. This is with a bit of gaming, watching some videos online, and a bit of browsing. You can still get through an entire day if you decide to work the phone to its limit, though. Thankfully, you have 67 watts of charging to help get the 10 Pro+ 5G juiced up and good to go as you please.

Final Geek Lifestyle Verdict

We can’t deny how massive the midrange market has become in terms of mobile phones. About half a decade ago, there was a clear demarcation between budget, midrange, and flagship. Nowadays, we have an upper-midrange, which is where the Realme 10 Pro+ 5G lands on.

That being said, it deserves its spot there. You get a powerful chipset, a powerful battery, and an even bigger, AMOLED-equipped screen this time around. Those features alone are worth the price of admission, if we’re talking strictly about phones you’d need and not simply want.

Necessities aside, you do get spoiled with some nice aesthetics, some very powerful cameras, an easy-to-navigate UI, and a design that arguably punches above its weight class. Some very nice additions to an already solid lineup of features. While there are a few things I wish the phone had, like a more powerful front-facing camera with ultrawide, I believe that everything else makes this phone a compelling choice in its price range.

The realme 10 Pro 5G hits stores today with a starting SRP of PHP 16,999. This includes official stores and dealers nationwide including major eCommerce platforms. Likewise, the phone we reviewed, the realme 10 Pro+ 5G variant will be opening pre-orders soon, and is set for release this coming February 27 to March 10, 2023, for as low as P19,999 SRP via offline realme stores.

realme 10 Pro+ 5G specs: