realme 10 Pro 5G Review

The realme 10 Pro 5G is finally here in the Philippines, and we’ve been using it for some time now. Unlike its predecessor, the realme 9 Pro 5G, the company made several changes to this new smartphone inside and out.

It now sports a redesigned body with flat sides instead of a curved body and screen. Under the hood, the realme 10 Pro 5G is now powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G chipset coupled with an Adreno 619 GPU, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. The 108MP camera also makes a comeback, and the software now runs on realme UI 4.0 based on Android 13.

But is it worth it to upgrade to this new model? Find out in this review.

Design and Construction

Let’s start with the phone’s design. If you’re not a fan of smartphones with curved screens, then the realme 10 Pro 5G will be something you’ll enjoy using. The company ditched the curved design in favor of a more traditional flat screen. As a result, it is easier to hold too.

The color of the phone is great too. The unit we have is in Nebula Blue which changes color to a yellow-orange hue depending on how the light hits it.

If this color is too loud for you, realme also offer the phone in Dark Matter color, which is black. There’s also an even brighter Hyperspace color if you’re into that. As their names suggest, they are inspired by outer space.

At the back, realme has ditched the camera housing, instead there are now two protruding lenses along with the flash on the side. The backside itself is plasticky, but it doesn’t feel cheap. Thanks to the textured and frosted finish, it doesn’t leave any nasty fingerprints either.

For buttons and ports, you get the volume and power button, which doubles as a fingerprint scanner on the right side, while the dual-sim card slot and microSD card slot are found on the left.

Up top, we have a microphone, while down at the bottom are the 3.5mm audio jack, main microphone, USB-C port, and loudspeaker.

The metallic frame with flat sides feels nice to hold, since you do have a better grip, and makes the phone feel quite premium.  The buttons are also easily accessible, making the phone easy to use with just one hand.

As for the screen, realme has slimmed down the bezels even further. This gives us a nearly borderless display apart from the bottom portion of the display, which has a rather thick black bezel.

Overall, the realme 10 Pro 5G is quite a big phone but is easy to fit in your pocket and nice to the touch. It’s relatively light too, weighing only 190g. Personally, we wouldn’t use a protective case with this phone.

Display and Multimedia

The display of the realme 10 Pro 5G received a big upgrade as compared to its predecessor. It now features a larger 6.72-inch screen which now boasts a 2400×1080 FHD+ resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. You can opt to choose the refresh rate or have it on auto-select to balance battery life and performance.

Other features you can tweak on the display include the color temperature and whether you want more vivid colors. There’s also a video color enhancer that works with several apps.

Though it’s a bit hard to tell, the phone also comes preinstalled with a screen protector.

The display quality is really nice, with vibrant colors and deep blacks. As a result, watching HD videos or playing games on the screen is great. Not to mention the 120Hz refresh rate helps a lot.

As for the speaker, it does sound average at best. But it’s good enough when watching with friends. However, you can take advantage of the 3.5mm audio jack for a more immersive experience. Whether it’s into a speaker or a pair of headphones, we leave that to you.

Cameras

The realme 10 Pro 5G comes with only a dual rear camera system. However, the main lens does shoot at a maximum of 108MP using a Samusung HM6 lens, and it’s paired with a 2MP lens for depth.

As with most android phones, the camera shoots really well, especially in daylight and well-lit environments. The colors are crisp and there’s great contrast too. Realme’s built-in UI has made the photos a bit too vivid, but it’s not unnatural. As a result, little to no post-processing is needed.

However, the only downside is when shooting in low-light to no-light conditions. The photos do end up a bit too filtered for our liking and the details aren’t as distinct. Still, this is not bad for a phone camera.

If you’re someone who likes taking selfies, there is a 16MP front camera. The photos are social media ready even without the use of the beauty mode, and the details are quite nice.

As for the video, it records at a maximum of 1080p @ 60fps. Niticeable enough, there doesn’t seem to be stabilization as the video is a bit shaky when shooting in handheld.

OS, UI, and Apps

Software-wise, the realme 10 Pro 5G runs on realme UI 4.0, based on Android 13. If you’ve ever used any realme or OPPO models, then you should have a good idea of the features and functions this phone has since it’s more or less the same.

As for memory, this particular model comes with 128GB of storage. However, there are some pre-installed apps that you can uninstall if you won’t be using them. Some of these apps include the usual Google suite of apps along with Facebook, Tiktok, Instagram, and the like.

Performance and Benchmarks

Under the hood, the realme 10 Pro 5G is powered by a Snapdragon 695 5G Chipset with an Adreno 619 GPU. As for RAM it comes standard with 8GB but can be virtually expandable by an additional 8GB.

As a result, it’s great for everyday use, whether it’s for browsing the social media, the internet or even playing games. It can run popular titles without any issues in their default settings including Mobile Legends, CoD:Mobile, Blue Archive, and Genshin Impact.

To give you a better idea, check out the benchmark scores below:
Antutu – 403,531
3DMark Wild Life – 1211
PCMark Work 3.0 – 10,069
GeekBench 5 Single – 658
GeekBench 5 Multi – 1,975
GeekBench Vulkan – 1,371

Connectivity and Battery Life

The realme 10 Pro 5G comes with most of the usual connectivity features you would find on most smartphones today. These include WiFi 5 and even Bluetooth 5.1. As the name of the phone suggests, the device also supports 5G connectivity.

A 5000mAh battery keeps the phone running, and it now includes 33W fast charging. It’s interesting because the 9 Pro did come with 60W fast charging. Whatever the reason for dropping to a 33W fast charge, the battery is enough to last throughout the day even with constant use. Based on the PCMark Battery Test, the realme 10 Pro lasted 18 hours and 52 minutes.

Conclusion

All things considered, the realme 10 Pro 5G is priced at PHP 16,999 which makes it relatively affordable. It also looks great, features a large and beautiful display, comes with excellent cameras, and performs well whether it’s gaming or for everyday use. Not to mention you get a 5000mAh battery with 33W fast charging.

The overall leap isn’t that big in comparison to realme 9 Pro 5G, so if you’re using that now you might not want to upgrade just yet. But if you want a better camera, a larger screen, and a non-curved phone then why not.

realme 10 Pro 5G specs:
6.7-inch FHD+ (2400 x 1080) IPS LCD, 391ppi
120Hz refresh rate
Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G SoC
Adreno 619 GPU
6GB, 8GB RAM (additional 8GB Dynamic RAM)
128GB or 256GB storage
microSD card slot (hybrid)
Dual-rear cameras:
• 108MP Samsung HM6 main
• 2MP depth
16MP front camera
Dual-SIM
5G, 4G LTE
WiFi 6
Bluetooth 5.1
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS
NFC
USB-C
Fingerprint scanner (side-mounted)
Stereo speakers
realme UI 4.0 (Android 13)
5,000mAh battery w/ 33W SUPERVOOC Charge
163.7 x 74.2 x 8.1 mm (dimensions)
190 grams (weight)
Colors: Hyperspace, Dark Matter, Nebula Blue