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Realme 6 test, review and price

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Published on: 07-04-2020 / Modified: 31-01-2026
Realme is a new Chinese smartphone manufacturer, the company was founded in 2018 by a former Oppo executive.

Realme launched its first smartphones in Europe in 2019 and the overall feedback was quite positive for such a young brand.

Realme is often compared to Xiaomi because its positioning is very similar, offering high-performance phones at an attractive price. With the imminent launch of the next Xiaomi blockbuster (Redmi Note 9), it was for me the opportunity to finally test a Realme smartphone.

Manufacturer web site:
https://www.realme.com/eu/

Structure of my tests

I test the phones according to a pre-established structure (see below) to provide you with as much information as possible. Unfortunately, this takes a long time. Some tests like network performance tests take several days and for photo tests I sometimes have to wait until the weather is suitable to take pictures in good conditions. I am therefore obliged to publish the tests step by step, so I invite you to come back if the test is not complete at the time of your visit.

Price Realme 6

The list below shows the prices for the Realme 6 from more than 50 sites around the world. If you are not satisfied with any price, you can subscribe to a price alert to be the first to be notified when the price drops.

Timeline

31/03/2020 Purchase of Realme 6 on the official website of Realme Europe
06/04/2020 Phone reception and unpacking

Why this phone?

I mainly buy smartphones between €150 and €250 that meet a number of criteria. Xiaomi is very present in this price range, so I tested several models of this brand but more and more Chinese manufacturers are trying to occupy this price territory and Realme is one of them.

Why Realme? The opinions on the first models are very positive and this is very rare for such a young brand, so I was curious to see if Realme had succeeded in the incredible challenge of competing with Xiaomi in only 2 years of existence.

Unpacking

The startup procedure for the Realme 6 is very similar to what is used on other Android phones, but it takes a different direction from the configuration of the fingerprint sensor. The Realme 6 uses a fingerprint sensor located on the power button, I think it's a great idea but on the other hand the configuration of this type of fingerprint sensor is less intuitive, you have to find the ideal position of the thumb. From the fingerprint, you enter an interface designed by Realme but Realme doesn't try to register you to all kinds of services, you just have to choose if you want to activate the assistant.

First configuration

The Realme 6 comes in a large yellow box, it's a very unusual color but it probably corresponds to a desire to stand out in a world where all smartphones look the same. The box is almost twice as high as the other smartphones I bought at the same time. Why is this box so big? Probably because of the charger and the USB cable, both are very thick. The phone comes with a protective case but it is packed separately, this probably also explains why the box is so big.

The box contains the phone, a soft and transparent protective shell, a wall charger, a USB cable, a pocket with the manual and the needle to open the SIM drawer.

Finish

I had never tested a Realme phone before, I had no point of comparison or expectation in particular. In this price range, my reference is the Redmi Note 8 Pro. I was positively surprised by this Realme 6, it offers a very good level of finish and it gives a good impression of quality. All this is of course subjective but it plays a role on the perception that one can have of a phone. The materials chosen are smooth and uniform, they don't deform to the touch and the phone is quite elegant.

The Realme is about the same size as the Redmi Note 8 Pro but is thicker. The thickness is often justified by a larger battery but this is not the case here, the battery offers 4300 mAh, this is good but not exceptional. The Realme offers a screen diagonal of 6.5 inches like the Redmi Note 8 pro and it also offers an 84% occupancy of the surface. These two devices are therefore very similar in their format.


The Realme is perfectly smooth on top, like the Umidigi F2, not even a small hole to capture sound. The loudspeaker is very thin but quite wide, I will have to check in use if it is easy to position the ear correctly. The contrast between the black part and the blue part of the phone is very uniform, it gives the impression that the phone is made of two different pieces. The whole is quite elegant.


At the bottom, the Realme 6 has a grid for a loudspeaker, a USB type C port, an audio jack connector and two holes that are probably used to capture sound.


For the sides, Realme has decided to make the same bet as Samsung on some of its models. The volume buttons are located on the left side of the device with the SIM drawer. On the right you have the power button with its integrated fingerprint sensor. As most phones have volume buttons on the right, you really have to get used to using your phone differently with the Realme 6. I had already had this problem with the Samsung Galaxy S10+ and since I don't use the phones for more than a month or two, I don't really have time to get used to a layout like this, I always have the reflex to go for the volume on the left. This positioning is also problematic for the use with one hand because a priori if you are right-handed, you will have your thumb on the right, you'll need a large hand to be able to manipulate the volume on the other side, it is not impossible but it is not practical.


Xiaomi regularly uses colors with a gradient on the back of their phones, sometimes it looks good result, sometimes it doesn't and in the end it's also a matter of taste. Realme has chosen a slightly milky blue gradient that loses intensity on the vertical axis and ends with metallic grey. The camera is located at the top left and is composed of 4 sensors that stand out quite strongly from the back of the phone despite its already thick. The protective cover supplied with the phone helps to attenuate this effect.


The 6.5 inch screen occupies 84% of the front of the phone, which is a good score. The front camera is positioned in the screen like some Samsung or Huawei, the sensor is quite discreet and well integrated. The borders are visible but thin enough not to notice them, the Realme does not distinguish itself from the competition at this level.

Specifications

The information below comes from the Device Info HW application. The application provides detailed technical information about the tested phone.The Realme 6 is similar to the Redmi Note 8 Pro in many ways, what distinguishes it from the Redmi is its screen refresh rate, it is the only phone in this price range to offer a 90hz refresh rate. What does this mean concretely? The screen will display the images with a higher frequency, this has the effect of making the movements more fluid.

CPU / GPU Performance

The Realme 6 is equipped with a MediaTek Helio G90T processor and a Mali G76 graphics processor, this is exactly the same configuration as the Redmi Note 8 Pro, this shows the willingness of Realme to compete with this Xiaomi. This combination offers a good performance at all levels that will allow a huge majority of users to find their happiness. Only demanding gamers will go for a more powerful model but in this price range, the Redmi Note 8 Pro and Realme 6 are probably the best.

Benchmark Antutu/3DMark

With Antutu I got a score of 287165 points, which is much higher than the score I got with Redmi Note 8 Pro which uses the same components. Realme has probably managed to better optimize the use of these components, so Realme offers a better performance than Redmi.



With 3DMark I got a score very similar to the one obtained with the Redmi Note 8 Pro. With such a score, you won't have any problem with most of the games.




Gaming

To test the performance in game, I download the mobile PUBG game and evaluate the in-game experience, graphics level and depth of vision. This game is quite demanding and should help you evaluating the performance of a phone.The Realme 6 scores almost 300,000 points on Antutu and until a year ago, this kind of score was reserved for high-end phones. Today for just over €200 you can get phones like the Realme 6, Redmi Note 8 Pro or Redmi Note 9s that offer very good performance for an affordable price. With this kind of performance, you'll be able to play without any problem a very large majority of games, even 3D FPS like PUBG Mobile below.



PUBG Mobile is perfectly smooth, the level of detail is high and the depth of vision is maximum. Even when several players are present in the same area, the game remains overall very smooth.

Network performance

The Realme 6 covers most 3G and 4G frequencies used in Europe, so you should be able to use it everywhere even on Free and Bouygues networks in France thanks to the support of the B28 / 700 Mhz frequency.


Signal 4G (before december 2020)

The ability to pick up the network correctly is an essential element for a phone but it is only very rarely measured. To measure a phone's ability to pick up the network, I perform a large number of measurements on the same cells to be able to compare phones under similar conditions. The signal is measured in dBm, a value of -90dBm indicates a worse signal than -70dBm. These measurements are therefore taken under real conditions and not in a laboratory, they are not scientific but give a good indication of performance.


If there is one domain where the Realme 6 really outperforms the Redmi Note 9s it is the network performance. On more than 2000 measurements, the Realme 6 scores above average where the Redmi Note 9s is below average.

Signal 4G (from December 2020)

I decided to change the methodology for measuring the network because I noticed that the configuration of the mobile network changes over time. This makes it more difficult to compare phones because the conditions are no longer exactly the same.

To overcome this problem, I set up a device that captures 24 hours a day about ten parameters from the mobile network (ex: cell id, rssi, rsrq, snr, frequency,...). I then place the phone next to the device for 24 to 48 hours taking the same measurements so that I can compare them.

Overview of the phones tested with this methodology



Download/Upload speed

To test the download speed, I have identified some 4G cells offering good performance where I test all my devices several times to see what download and upload speed they can achieve.

The Realme 6 got a good score for signal quality in 4G and I was expecting a good score in download speed but it's not the case. I got a download speed fluctuating around 60 Mbps and an upload speed fluctuating in the same area. That's half of what I got with a Redmi Note 9s in exactly the same conditions.

These speeds are more than enough for streaming or downloading but if speed is important to you, the Redmi does much better.

Wifi performance

To test a phone's ability to receive the network properly, I take measurements near my router and then remotely (and always at the same place). This gives me an average in dBm where a value of -90 dBm indicates poorer performance than a value at -30 dBm.


Wifi signal

The Realme 6 is in the middle range with a signal near -29 dBm and a remote signal of -73 dBm. Most of the phones I test are in this zone, only the Redmi Note 8 pro manages to outperform everyone with -19 dBm near the router.




Download/Upload speed

To test the speed in Wifi, I connect to my router in 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz (if available) and use the Ookla application to measure the speed.I measured a download speed of almost 200 Mbps in download and 20 in upload (upload limited by my provider). With such a speed you can use the Realme 6 for streaming without any problem.

Here too the Redmi Note 8 Pro does much better with more than 300 Mbps download speed.

GPS performance

To test the quality of the GPS signal I use the Offline Maps application and I make the same train trip in pedestrian mode. Why? In pedestrian mode, the GPS does not artificially correct the signal to stick to the road, it has no markings, so you can see the actual position. I then use an application to measure the accuracy of the signal.


The Realme 6 gets a very good accuracy score on the GPS. After a few seconds, the accuracy stabilizes at 1 meter. It picks up about 40 satellites and almost 30 of them are used for positioning.



On a road course without any difficulties (trees, tunnels,...), the Realme positions my car correctly on the road with sometimes a small deviation completely negligible. I had tested other devices at the same time and some of them placed my car off the road.

Battery range

[battery product="realme-6" capa="5150" lg="en"]
The Realme 6 offers a battery capacity in the average phone in the same price range.

It took 162 minutes to fully charge the battery. Charging is linear up to about 90%, the remaining 10% charges more slowly. The Realme 6 offers an above-average charging speed.

It took me 704 minutes to completely drain the battery. While this score is good, the Realme 6 has a lower than average energy efficiency, other phones with equivalent capacity will offer longer battery life.

The battery life is quite linear, I don't see any weakening as is often the case during this kind of measurement. The Realme 6 can recover some autonomy by switching on the energy saving mode (from 20%).

With this score the Realme 6 should give you an autonomy between 2 and 3 days under normal conditions of use.

Photo camera test

To test the quality of photos produced by a phone, I do a technical test (resolution, sharpness, chromatic aberration,...) in studio (identical conditions) to evaluate the technical part objectively. From the second half of 2020, I built my own laboratory to take completely objective technical measurements. I then take pictures in real conditions to see how the camera performs. I then evaluate these photos according to my criteria but I publish the photos so that you can evaluate the result according to your criteria.

Hardware

The Realme 6 is equipped with 4 sensors at the rear with the usual combination of a main sensor (64 Mp) accompanied by a wide angle (8 Mp), a macro sensor and a black and white depth sensor.

Realme has chosen the Samsung Bright S5KGW1 as the main sensor, this is the same sensor as the Redmi Note 8 Pro. I had tested this sensor on the Redmi and the strength of this sensor was in the sharpness of the images. The Redmi on the other hand had a tendency to make the pictures too cold, you will see that with this Realme it's the opposite.

Default app

It's the first time I've tested a Realme, so I was curious to see how Realme would try to be different from Xiaomi.

The default photo application looks pretty much like what Xiaomi does, Realme chose to use text instead of icons, that's a good thing, it doesn't leave room for interpretation. The application's settings are quite similar.

The application allows you to zoom up to 5x in the photo, this kind of possibility is not common and at 5x you have to hold the phone well to avoid blurred photos.

The application also detects the type of scene to adapt the settings, it will for example distinguish a landscape from a character or make the difference between the grass and the sky. It's very well designed (and very fast), I've already seen it on other phones, it's just a question of whether the Realme will be able to make the right decisions according to the situation.

Realme also offers time lapses and slow motion (120 fps and 240 fps).

Photo quality

Photo test / studio

First example: ƒ/1.8 1/142 5.58 mm 100 ISO

Exposure: slightly underexposed
Sharpness: good
Colours: slightly too dark
Depth of field: good
Distortion: none
Chromatic aberration: none
Vignetting: none
Digital noise: none

For this first studio test, I see that the Realme falls into the same trap as many telephones and produces underexposed photos. The Realme doesn't do too badly in the end because I've seen much worse results. The underexposure has an effect on the colors but the sharpness seems quite good, this is one of the strength of the Samsung sensor, it was the same with the Redmi Note 8 Pro.

Second example: ƒ/1.8 1/142 5.58 mm 100 ISO

Exposure: slightly underexposed
Sharpness: good
Colours: slightly too dark
Depth of field: good
Distortion: none
Chromatic aberration: none
Vignetting: none
Digital noise: none

The X2 zoom uses the same sensor, it is a digital zoom based on a high-resolution image in which the camera zooms in artificially. To avoid too much pixelization, the Realme applies a sharpness processing that works quite well. You can clearly see the details of the car's grid as well as the Ford logo on the front grid.

Third example: ƒ/1.8 1/142 5.58 mm 100 ISO

Exposure: slightly underexposed
Sharpness: good
Colours: slightly too dark
Depth of field: good
Distortion: none
Chromatic aberration: none
Vignetting: none
Digital noise: none

As I mentioned above, Realme offers an X5 zoom in the default application. This zoom also applies a sharpness treatment that works quite well but be careful, this picture was taken with a support, so I didn't tremble. If you take freehand pictures, you'll have to make sure you don't move around too much because if there's not enough light, you might get a blurry picture.

Fourth example: ƒ/2.3 1/253 1.64 mm ISO 112

Exposure: underexposed
Sharpness: good
Colours: too dark
Depth of field: good
Distortion: none
Chromatic aberration: none
Vignetting: none
Digital noise: none

The focal length of the wide angle is short, so you can capture an image with a very wide angle. The disadvantage of this kind of sensor is that it lets in less light, so the pictures are darker. I often remind it during my tests, wide angles should only be used when the light is good. On the other hand, the sharpness here is quite good, wide angles are generally less good in this area. I don't see any distortion but no object is in the periphery, so I can't see if there is any distortion.

Photo test / sunny

First example: ƒ/1.8 1/776 5.58 mm 101 ISO

Exposure: good
Sharpness: very good
Colours: too warm
Depth of field: good
Distortion: none
Chromatic aberration: none
Vignetting: none
Digital noise: none

I took this picture at the end of the afternoon, the light was really nice and highlighted the landscape well. The Realme judged that it was necessary to add a little bit more warmth resulting in too warm colours. It looks like a yellow filter was applied to the photo. The sharpness on the other hand is very good and apart from this problem of color temperature, the photo is quite nice. On the Redmi Note 8 Pro, the photos were too cold and on the Realme 6 the photos are too warm even though it is the same sensor. Treatment plays a big role in the final result. I had noticed while testing the photo application that the application was able to detect the type of scene and that it adapted the processing of the photo according to the type of scene, I have here an example that shows that this kind of adaptation does not always give a good result.

I took about the same picture at the same time with a Redmi Note 9s:

Redmi Note 9s also increases the color temperature, but at a lower level. This is a personal choice but I prefer the Redmi treatment.

Second example: ƒ/2,3 1/828 1,64 mm 113 ISO

Exposure: good
Sharpness: good
Colors: a little too saturated
Depth of field: good
Distortion: none
Chromatic aberration: none
Vignetting: none
Digital noise: none

The color processing of the wide-angle sensor is completely different from that of the main sensor. The picture looks much greener and more saturated. Even if the colors are a bit exaggerated, I prefer the wide angle processing. On the pictures that will follow you will be able to distinguish very clearly the pictures taken by the wide angle sensor because they follow the same trend. The sharpness of the wide angle is really good, it's quite rare.

With the Redmi Note 9s, the wide angle also produces good results:

The picture is much more neutral than the one taken with the Realme 6. The saturated photo of the Realme 6 is "prettier" but less correct in terms of colours.

Third example: ƒ/1,8 1/839 5,58 mm 101 ISO

Exposure: good
Sharpness: good
Colours: too warm
Depth of field: good
Distortion: none
Chromatic aberration: none
Vignetting: none
Digital noise: none

The x2 zoom uses the main sensor, so it takes over the defects of the main sensor. The colors are here too warm but the sharpness is good even if we lose a little precision compared to the image in full format.

Fourth example: ƒ/1.8 1/899 5.58 mm 100 ISO

Exposure: good
Sharpness: bad
Colours: too warm
Depth of field: good
Distortion: none
Chromatic aberration: none
Vignetting: none
Digital noise: none

As I wrote above, the x5 zoom is a digital zoom and with a simple division, you can quickly understand why this picture is bad. The Realme 6 is able to take pictures in 64 Mp pixels. If you use the x2 zoom, you divide the number of pixels by two and you always stay in a comfortable resolution that still doesn't affect the pixel accuracy too much. If, on the other hand, you use the x5 zoom, you divide the 64Mp by 5 and all image optimization processes lose their effectiveness. This x5 zoom should therefore only be used in good conditions and with subjects that do not require too much precision, such as the toys in my studio photos.

Does the Realme 6 produce good pictures? Yes it is capable of taking good pictures but the artificial treatment of the pictures can lead the phone to make bad choices. Samsung has a much better mastery of artificial photo processing, this is not yet the case for Realme. To avoid this kind of problem, the best solution would be to disable image processing.



Photo test / cloudy

First example: ƒ/1.8 1/1136 5.58 mm 100 ISO


Exposure: slightly underexposed
Sharpness: good
Colours: slightly too dark
Depth of field: good
Distortion: none
Chromatic aberration: none
Vignetting: none
Digital noise: none

When the light is less favorable, the Realme 6 produces photos that are slightly too dark like most other phones in this price category. The exposure time could have been a little longer and the picture would have been much better. Leaving aside the exposure problem, the technical quality of the photo is rather good, the sharpness is good even far into the picture without any negative effect on the contours of the objects.

Second example: ƒ/2.3 1/2660 1.64 mm ISO 115


Exposure: underexposed
Sharpness: good
Colours: slightly too dark
Depth of field: good
Distortion: none
Chromatic aberration: none
Vignetting: none
Digital noise: none

The picture taken by the wide angle is too dark and it doesn't make sense because there is a margin in the shutter speed to get a picture with the correct exposure. Most phones react in the same way whereas it would be enough to open the shutter longer, with 1/2660 the camera could easily go below 1/1000 without risking blur. It's a shame because as in the previous example, the picture has a nice potential, the level of detail in the clouds is really good.

Third example: ƒ/1.8 1/1229 5.58 mm 103 ISO


Exposure: slightly underexposed
Sharpness: good
Colours: slightly too dark
Depth of field: good
Distortion: none
Chromatic aberration: none
Vignetting: none
Digital noise: none

This picture has the same qualities and defects as the first example because it is the same sensor that uses a digital zoom to get closer to the subject.

The Realme 6 is capable of producing good pictures but it makes the wrong choices in terms of exposure. This is a recurring problem on many smartphones. If you have a little patience, you could correct the problem by using the "expert" mode which allows you to increase the exposure time and adapt the color temperature.



Test photo / night

First example: ƒ/1.8 1/13 5.58 mm 7918 ISO


Exposure: correct
Sharpness: bad
Colors: bad
Depth of field: good
Distortion: none
Chromatic aberration: none
Vignetting: none
Digital noise: highly visible

The Realme 6 is clearly bad for night shots, I didn't expect such a bad result for a phone that competes with the Redmi range. The digital noise is huge, the colors are not good, the halos of light go through the picture, only the exposure is more or less correct. The Realme 6 however has a night mode but the result is not good.

Second example: ƒ/2,3 1/10 1,64 mm 2361 ISO


Exposure: slightly under-exposed
Sharpness: medium
Colours: slightly too dark
Depth of field: good
Distortion: none
Chromatic aberration: none
Vignetting: none
Digital noise: visible

Wide-angle produces better night-time photos than the main sensor, it is usually the opposite. However, the picture quality is not good enough to compete with the Redmi range.

Here are some other photos taken in the same conditions, the result is not very good and the Realme will therefore rank below the Redmi Note 9s for the photo part.

Video quality

Stabilisation



The Realme 6 does not offer very effective stabilisation, the jolts caused by walking are clearly visible whereas walking should not be a problem for a device in this price range.

Video normale conditions


The Realme 6 is capable of filming at 4k and 30 fps like most phones in this price range. Video taken in daylight is of good quality when you don't move around too much but as soon as you move, the focus is not fast enough to keep the image sharp. As with the camera, the colors are slightly too warm.

The microphone seems very sensitive to wind. There was indeed wind on the day I made the video but the wind was not very strong, yet you can hear the wind quite strongly in the video.

Overall, the result is correct but other phones like the Redmi Note 9s produce a better result.

Video low light



The night video with the Realme 6 is frankly very bad and in this price range it's unacceptable. The Realme is positioned as a competitor of the Redmi Note 9s, it is more expensive but at night it offers a performance far below average. The video shows a lot of digital noise, the colors are not good and the focus is not able to focus properly.

Audio quality

To test the quality of the phone's audio output, I connect the device's audio output to a measuring tool, then play sounds on all frequencies and measure the differences between the original sound and the sound produced by the phone. In this way I measure the phone's ability to correctly reproduce all sounds.
The Realme 6 is equipped with a unique speaker for music, so it doesn't offer stereo sound like a Motorola G8 Power. The sound delivered by this loudspeaker can be very high in volume and this is done at the expense of sound quality. If you reduce the volume to more or less 70-80%, the volume is still powerful and the sound quality is not too distorted. When listening subjectively, I found that the high frequencies lack a bit of finesse, the bass sounds are quite powerful but are probably limited by the size of the speaker, this problem should disappear with the test with headphones below.

Frequency Response

This test is intended to test the device's ability to correctly reproduce all frequencies. The white line in the middle of the graph is the ideal situation and the other colors come from tests on different phones. A deviation from the reference line indicates a deviation from the ideal situation. To see good sound at all frequencies, it is therefore necessary to get as close as possible to the reference line.
When I do my technical test, I do a first test with the volume at maximum and if the result is bad, I try to find an ideal volume level to get a readable measurement on a graph. I had noticed when listening subjectively that the volume of the Realme 6 was very high, this is also the case with headphones. At maximum volume, the measurements are very bad, the frequencies go off in all directions, I've never had such an irregular graph. I tried to do the same test at 50% of the volume but I get the same result. I contacted Realme to try to figure out what the problem was but I never got an answer.

If I keep the volume at around 70%, contrary to the technical measurement, the sound is quite good.

Dynamic Range

This test is designed to test a phone's ability to play sounds at different volume levels. Here too, the phones must be as close as possible to the reference.
I compared the Realme 6 with the Redmi Note 8 Pro and here we notice a big difference between the white curve and the blue one, this difference comes from the volume level. I had to lower the volume level on the Realme to not get unreadable curves like on the previous test. This graph shows that at this volume level, the sound follows a normal curve on all frequencies, this means that the sound quality remains more or less constant and is similar to the Redmi Note 8 Pro. If you haven't read the Redmi test, you should know that the Redmi offers good sound if you choose the right volume level, it's exactly the same with the Realme 6.

Noise Level

This test aims to identify if the device under test is able to reproduce sounds without too much noise. A high score indicates a low parasite rate, a lower score indicates a higher presence of parasites.

This latest technical test confirms what other tests have already shown, namely that if the volume is good, the Realme 6 produces a good sound without too much interference.

The Realme offers an average performance with the loudspeaker, with headphones the sound is much better and reaches a very good level that will appeal to a very large majority of users. You will just have to find the right volume so that you don't blow your ears and keep a correct sound quality. For more demanding music lovers, I recommend instead to go to some models from Samsung.

Screen quality

To test the screen, I use a colorimetric probe that measures the color accuracy of a screen, as well as other parameters to see if a screen is able to correctly reproduce an image. I also test the brightness level to determine if the screen will be able to display an image in full sunlight.

Colorimetry


The Realme 6 is equipped with an IPS LCD screen like most phones in this price range. I got a dE of 4.4 with the color probe, this is a pretty average result as I got a much better score with the Redmi Note 8 Pro. Fortunately the color differences are not very important and instead of having a color that pulls the results down, most colors have a similar difference.

You can lower the dE below 4 by choosing the "warm colors" option in the phone settings. This will allow you to correct the white significantly, the other colors do not vary much.



Brightness / Contrast

I was very surprised by the results of the brightness measurement, I made many measurements and each time I obtained a very low level of brightness. As I didn't find this normal, I contacted Realme but after a week I still had no answer, I found the solution by myself. The Realme was in power saving mode and in this mode the screen lighting is completely locked and you can't go above 100 cd/m².

The power save mode exists on other devices as well but I hadn't yet had the case of a lock on the brightness.

Without the power save mode, the screen produces a brightness of 410 cd/m², it's a good score but it's not the strongest in its category, the Redmi Note 9s goes up to almost 600 in full sunlight. With 410 cd/m², you will be able to read your screen in full sunlight but be aware that if this is an important criteria for you, there are better screens out there.

I measured a contrast ratio of 1285:1, this score puts it in the middle of the IPS screens, so the Realme 6 is neither good nor bad.

Biometry

The Realme 6 can be unlocked by facial recognition or a fingerprint sensor on the side of the phone.

Facial recognition is very weak because if I point the phone at the ceiling without my face visible, the phone still unlocks. However, I did recognize my face when I first set up the phone.

The fingerprint sensor on the side is less effective than a fingerprint sensor on the back, you have to find the right position to unlock the device. The idea of putting a fingerprint sensor at this location is good but still very effective.

Operating system

Realme is a fairly recent brand but their operating system based on Android is really successful. Overall, it looks very much like what Xiaomi is doing with MIUI.

Realme UI offers an application drawer and all the application shortcuts on the right, so Realme combines the best of both worlds. The search engine can't be moved (it's stuck at the bottom of the screen) which can sometimes be annoying with an accidental click.

The settings menu contains many options as on most Android phones, so sometimes you have to search a bit to find what you need. The search engine allows you to avoid searching for an item manually, but you must use the exact keyword because the system will not try to interpret what you are looking for.

The system is stable, I didn't encounter any problems. I just regret that Realme remained on a customization screen on the left of the main screen. Xiaomi had also made that choice and then went back to an information flow.

Realme UI is therefore a great success for such a young brand.

Encoutered bugs

Not yet available / tested

Accessories Realme 6

Compare Realme 6 with the others

Test / Review conclusion

I hadn't tested any Realme before testing the Realme 6 but all the reviews I had read about the previous models were pretty positive for such a young brand. Realme walks in the footsteps of Xiaomi, so the comparison is inevitable. In the end the Realme is a good surprise, it's a phone with many qualities such as performance, a 90hz screen, a good battery life, an excellent network performance. The Redmi Note 9s still gets a better overall score but the Realme represents a good alternative on some points. Choosing one or the other is a luxury issue because they are two good phones with strengths and weaknesses.

I had contacted Realme before buying because I couldn't register on their site. I received an answer the very next day, so I was positively surprised. On the other hand I contacted them twice after I bought to ask them questions about the phone because I had doubts about the screen and the sound, I got absolutely no answer! I have received a few testimonials to the same effect and I find it deplorable. I contacted Xiaomi France several times to ask them questions, I received an answer to each question and sometimes I even received an answer within an hour of the request. It has nothing to do with the quality of the phone but maybe you should buy a Realme where you'll get better support like Amazon rather than on their site.

Strengths

Screen 90hz
Network performance
Performance gaming
GPS Performance

Weaknesses

Catastrophic night-time photo quality
Colours for daytime photos

Alternatives to this product

The most direct competitor to Realme 6 is the Redmi Note 9s (and maybe the Redmi Note 9 Pro when it is released). The Redmi Note 9s scores slightly higher than the Realme but the choice between the two is difficult because the strengths and weaknesses are different. In order to make the right choice, you have to compare the score for the criteria that are most important to you such as network performance or the Realme is much better than the Redmi, but for example on the photo part, the Redmi scores better.

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