realme 7 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy A71: Which daily driver should you get?

The trend for smartphones with AMOLED screens and rear quad cameras has been rampant this year. More brands are gearing up their mid-range smartphones’ performance to cater to the increasing demand of the market. Some of them are now equipped with faster charging capabilities and larger memory and storage capacities, just like the realme 7 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy A71. Which mid-ranger will give you the best value for money? Check our comparison review below to find out.

Here are the categories for this smartphone comparison:

Design and Build
Display
Camera
Processor
RAM
Storage
Battery Life
OS
Price

Design and Build

The realme 7 Pro’s back panel is made out of polycarbonate material with a matte finish. It has a mirror space design, which can be seen when the device is under the light and placed in different directions. The smartphones come in two colors — Mirror Silver and Mirror Blue. Our unit comes with the latter.

Meanwhile, the Samsung Galaxy A71 has a diamond design on the back, layered with a subtle linear pattern. It has rainbow hue streaks that show up when it catches the light. Samsung dubs it as the prism effect. The smartphone is offered in stylish colors of Prism Crush Black, Prism Crush White, Prism Crush Blue, and Prism Crush Pink. Unlike the realme Pro 7, it has a glossy finish that attracts more fingerprints.

Both smartphones feature a punch-hole cutout for its front cameras. Although both have slim side bezels, the realme 7 Pro has a thicker chin than the Samsung Galaxy A71. There’s also the call speakers of the smartphones on the upper middle of the screen. It is longer on the realme 7 Pro.

On its back lies the branding for both smartphones and the rear quad camera modules for both smartphones. The realme 7 Pro has its camera sensors arranged in an inverted-L position while the Samsung Galaxy A71 has its sensors arranged in an L-figure. Both have LED flash as well.

The button placements of the smartphones differ from one another. The realme 7 Pro has its volume rocker on the left side.

Meanwhile, the Samsung Galaxy A71 has its own on the right side. Below is the power button. The same goes for the realme 7 Pro in terms of the power button.

The SIM slots are both located on the right. The realme Pro 7 and the Samsung Galaxy A71 have dedicated microSD slots and dual nano-SIM trays.

The usual ports are also available at the smartphone’s bottom, including the 3.5mm headphone jack and USB-C port.  The microphone of the Samsung Galaxy A71 is located in between the USB C port and the single speakers while it is next to the USB-C and the 3.5mm audio jack for the realme 7 Pro.

In terms of weight, the realme 7 Pro is chunkier to hold. It is 1mm thicker and 3g heavier than the Samsung Galaxy A71. The edges on the front and back also are rounder when compared to the Samsung Galaxy A71. The latter provides a more comfortable grip even in one hand.

In this aspect, we’re going for the Samsung Galaxy A71.

Display

Both smartphones are equipped with a Super AMOLED display in FHD+ (1080 x 2400). However, the Samsung Galaxy A71 is bigger at 6.7-inch, while the realme 7 Pro comes at 6.4-inch. The latter also has a TÜV Rheinland certification, which lessens the blue light emission that causes eye strain when exposed for a longer time. This makes the realme 7 Pro’s display flicker-free and with reduced reflection.

realme 7 Pro (top), Samsung Galaxy A71 (bottom)

Equipped with high-resolution displays, smartphones are ideal for streaming online content. Both deliver vibrant colors and sharp details on the screen. However, the colors on the realme Pro 7 is warmer while the Samsung Galaxy A71 has cooler hues.  The thicker chin of the realme Pro 7 has a minimal effect on the viewing experience, although it may be a downside for nitpickers.

For this aspect, we give the point to the Samsung Galaxy A71.

Camera

The realme 7 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy A71 sport quad-rear cameras. However, smartphones differ on camera sensors. The realme Pro 7 has a 64MP Sony IMX682 main, 8MP ultra-wide, a macro, and B&W portrait sensors. Meanwhile, the Samsung Galaxy A71 has a 64MP main, 12MP ultra-wide, 5MP depth, and 5MP macro. For selfies, they both have 32MP shooters. However, the image quality is different on both devices.

When it comes to selfies, the realme 7 Pro produces sharper images and has a better focus than the Samsung Galaxy A71. The latter is quite muddy and has degraded details. However, the latter produces more accurate colors while the former has a warmer tone.

However, the Samsung Galaxy A71 has a better Beautifying feature. At maximum settings, realme 7 Pro looks more artificial and washed out. The Galaxy A71 selfies look more natural with the retained skin tone, observable eyebrows, and better color contrast.

Both devices perform well under low light environments. However, the Samsung Galaxy A71 performs better for selfies while the realme 7 Pro aces it for the rear cameras with better brightness and vibrant hues.

For outdoor shooting, the colors and contrast for realme 7 Pro are better. It is more vibrant than the Samsung Galaxy A71, with brighter greens and blues. However, the images from the Samsung Galaxy A71 are sharper and delivers more details. It also focuses faster compared to the realme 7 Pro, which struggles to focus on macro subjects.

Bokeh shots are easy to shoot for both smartphones. Just make sure to place it at the right angle to separate the foreground and the subject seamlessly.

In this case, we’re giving points on both devices. The realme 7 Pro wins for selfies while the Samsung Galaxy A71 gets the rear camera category.

Processor

The realme 7 Pro is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G chipset, while the Samsung Galaxy A71 has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G processor. Although both have Adreno 618 GPU, it’s worth noting that the SD720G is newer as it was announced earlier this year. Meanwhile, the SD730G was announced in 2019. Both were manufactured using the 8nm process.  The SD720G has a higher processor clock speed at 2.3GHz, while the SD730G remains at 2.2GHz.

For the GPU, the SD730G is said to perform 15% better with 4K HDR10 support. On the other hand, the SD720G supports HDR10.

Based on the numbers, we’re giving the point to the realme 7 Pro on the choice of the chipset.

RAM

Apart from the processor, RAM  plays a big role in the device’s overall performance. The realme 7 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy A71 has 8GB of RAM. The latter didn’t specify the type of memory it has, while the former has LPDDR4X. Both can handle multitasking smoothly, with multiple apps running in the background.

For the RAM department, we’re calling it a tie on the realme Pro 7 and Samsung Galaxy A71.

Storage

Both smartphones have 128GB of UFS 2.1 storage and dedicated microSD slots. However, the Samsung Galaxy A71 storage is expandable up to 512GB, while the realme 7 Pro only has up to 256GB of microSD support. As for the storage speeds, the realme 7 Pro offers faster reading and writing data.

The realme 7 Pro dominates this category.

Battery Life

The realme Pro 7 and the Samsung Galaxy A71 have batteries rated at 4,500mAh. Their only difference is the rating of their wired, fast charging capabilities. The realme 7 Pro has 65W SuperDart fast charging. This is much faster than the Samsung Galaxy A71 at 25W. Both devices have undergone our standard video loop test, with the realme 7 Pro 24 hours and 32 minutes of playback. The Samsung Galaxy A71 is not far behind, lasting a total of 21 hours and 22 minutes.

Based on our data, the realme 7 Pro aces the battery life category.

OS

Both smartphones run based on Android 10 with their respective custom skins. The realme 7 Pro has the realme UI  while the Samsung Galaxy A71 sports OneUI 2.1. Both operating systems support Google Mobile Services and have their distinct features to make the User Interface functional and exciting.

The Samsung Galaxy A71 is equipped with a defense-grade mobile security platform, Samsung Knox. Among its unique features include AR emoji, FHD/UHD video support at 60FPS, as well as Quick Share & Music Share for file sharing with nearby Samsung devices, and music sharing with friends while using a Bluetooth audio device. Meanwhile, the realme 7 Pro’s realme UI has a Random MAC address Generator that generates a random MAC address to avoid targeted ads and protect your privacy, realme Share for sharing files with OPPO, vivo, and Xiaomi devices; and Dual Mode Music Share in realme Lab.

We’ll give the point for Samsung Galaxy A71 in this aspect since it has its own mobile security solution.

Price

The realme 7 Pro in 8GB + 128GB retails for PHP 17,990USD 307INR 25,988EUR 292CNY 2,233 while the Samsung Galaxy A71 costs Samsung Galaxy A71 is priced at PHP 22,990USD 392INR 33,211EUR 373CNY 2,853 for the 8GB + 128GB variant. The former is more affordable by PHP 5,000USD 85INR 7,223EUR 81CNY 621, but you’re getting a slightly smaller display and lose a depth sensor, as well as a  higher resolution macro sensor for the rear cameras. This is an important factor to consider if you’re looking for a camera-centric smartphone.

Recap:

• Design and Build — Samsung Galaxy A71
• Display — Samsung Galaxy A71
• Camera — Samsung Galaxy A71 (for rear cameras),  realme 7 Pro (for selfies)
• Processor — realme 7 Pro
• RAM — realme 7 Pro, Samsung Galaxy A71
• Storage — realme 7 Pro
• Battery Life — realme 7 Pro
• OS — Samsung Galaxy A71
• Price — realme 7 Pro

Conclusion

The realme 7 Pro got six out of the nine categories based on the tally, while the Samsung Galaxy A71 got five out of nine. It is indeed a close fight between the two devices. The realme 7 Pro won in the battle with its better-performing processor, faster storage, and an efficient battery. Meanwhile, the Samsung Galaxy A71 is a commendable midrange device for having a better design and build, display, rear cameras, and OS. So, in terms of value, we recommend getting the realme 7 Pro.