realme 10 Pro 5G Review – An Improved Version of its Predecessor

We previously published our first impressions of the realme 10 Pro 5G and it has now officially been launched. And yes, we can now finally talk more about this smartphone. Along with the realme 10 Pro 5G, realme has also launched the realme 10 Pro+. Here is our review.

realme 10 Pro 5G Specifications

OS:realme UI 4.0 – Android 13
Processor:Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G
Display: 6.7-inch 120Hz FHD+ LCD Display
Wireless Connections:5G, Bluetooth 5.1, WiFi, GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO,
Memory:8GB + 256GB
Connectors:USB Type-C, OTG
Cameras:Rear Camera
Main – 108MP, f/1.8
Depth – 2MP, f/2.4

Front Camera
16MP, f/2.2
SIM Card Slots:Dual SIM (Nano-Sim), shared SIM slot
Battery:5000 mAh, 33W Wired Charging
SRP:Php 16,999

The Design

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The realme 10 Pro 5G comes with its flat boxy design which is great to hold as it is much more secure to the hands compared to the rounded edge. Also, it borrows the same design of its non-pro counterpart. In line with the trend nowadays, we can see that many brands are launching this kind of design. 

Even if it is big having a 6.72-inch display, it only weighs 190g and has a thinner body having only 8.1mm. 

Our realme 10 Pro 5G comes in a Dark Matter color which has a grainy design on its back plate and is smooth. It is minimalistic as it only has its realme logo on the lower left side. There are other options for its colors. You can choose from their Nebula Blue or Hyperspace Gold. It also has two cameras that are sticking out separately from each other.

The right part of the smartphone is where you can find the power button. It is also works as fingerprint reader and above that is the volume rocker. You can easily identify the power button as it is submerged compared to the volume rocker. The left part of the smartphone is where the SIM tray is placed. It can accommodate two nano SIM cards and you can place an SD card on the one side. At the bottom, you can find the 3.5mm audio jack, microphone, USB type-C port, and speaker grill.

The Display and Speaker

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The display of the realme 10 Pro 5G is a 6.7-inch 120Hz LCD with a resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels. Yet, despite the display of having only an LCD compared to its non-pro version that uses a Super AMOLED display, it is already using a 120Hz refresh rate and the bezels are impressively thin even on its bottom chin. There also is a punch hole at the top center of the display.

The quality of the smartphone LCD display is alright. You can see its difference from an OLED display as it does not have deeper black. However, it still has decent vibrance colors and it is bright that you can use it under the sun.

As for the refresh rate settings, you can toggle to Auto Select, High, and Standard. Be reminded that using a High refresh rate can drain your battery faster. So, if you want to conserve some battery life, you can go for Auto Select wherein the system will automatically choose the best refresh rate, or set it to Standard where it will run only at 60Hz.

It has stereo speakers which are great to see as many smartphones in this price range use only down-firing speakers. The volume and the sound quality are alright, but the earpiece side is not that loud and is not having quite the same sound signature compared to the bottom speaker. The volume can be set to 200% but it is somehow tinny with this level of volume.

The Performance

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The realme 10 Pro 5G features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G chipset, which is an octa-core processor with a clock speed of 2.2GHz and an Adreno 619 GPU. The review unit we have has 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage, but this configuration will not be available for purchase. The only available configuration in the market will be 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage.

Here are the benchmark scores that we got for realme 10 Pro 5G:

It runs realme UI 4.0 which is based on Android 13. This is already a great news because even if it is just a mid-range smartphone it is already running the latest Android version out of the box. It included some bloatware apps that you can easily uninstall. The user interface is fast and smooth, and we didn’t experience any issues.

In terms of gaming performance, the realme 10 Pro 5G can handle low-demand games such as Mobile Legends without any problem. It can also run high-graphic games like Genshin Impact decently well. We played Genshin Impact with medium settings and observed minimal stuttering that was barely noticeable.

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The thermal performance of the device was satisfactory as it didn’t become hot to the touch during our play session. We also conducted a stress test to determine its performance under heavy usage and found that after 15 minutes, it was able to maintain 92% of its maximum performance.

For security, the realme 10 Pro 5G features fingerprint and face unlock. The fingerprint reader is located on the power button. Although it is not as fast as the other smartphones for its price range, it scans at an acceptable speed. The face unlock function works well and is a convenient option.

The Camera

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The realme 10 Pro 5G has two cameras. Yet, you can only use one because the other is a depth sensor. The Main camera is a 108MP f/1.8 and uses Samsung HM6 Sensor while the depth sensor is 2MP. As for the front camera, it is a 16MP camera.

When taking pictures with the rear main camera, it pixel-binned to 12MP. The quality of the pictures when shooting in daylight is good. The colors, contrast, and sharpness of the images we got are all decent. The dynamic range is decently wide. Taking pictures in a low-light environment is also pretty well good. It is best to use the night mode in the camera app when taking low-light environments to have better contrast and dynamic range.

The selfie camera on the flip side is quite disappointing. It captures inconsistent pictures. We didn’t like how the colors sometimes are different. The sharpness sometimes is soft. In portrait mode, it performs decently as it is able to detect the subject and able to apply the bokeh properly.

The realme 10 Pro 5G is able to record videos up to 1080p@60fps. There is also a feature that you can turn on the Ultra Steady Mode and once enabled, it can stabilize your videos but will slightly be zoomed in. The video quality is in the middle of the road, it has soft side details but the colors and dynamic range are good for its price point.

The Battery

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The realme 10 Pro 5G has a 5,000 mAh battery, similar to that of the realme 9 Pro. Our usage tests showed that the battery can last for around 12 hours with moderate usage, including scrolling through social media, browsing the internet with mobile data on, taking pictures, and listening to music. At the end of the day, we still had 15% battery remaining.

Like the realme 9 Pro, it still supports 33W DartCharging technology which is provided in the box. We tested its charging capabilities and after 30 minutes of charging from 5%, it was able to charge up to 55% battery capacity while to be able to fully charge it took us 1 hour and 11 minutes.

realme 10 Pro 5G Verdict

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The realme 10 Pro 5G is a well-improved version of its previous model. They made the right steps of improving more on the camera, slightly upgrading the display, and adding stereo speakers. Additionally, it comes with the latest Android OS right out of the box. However, if you are already using the realme 9 Pro 5G, you might consider skipping this iteration or opting for the Plus version as the upgrades are not as significant with performance and its battery life is staying the same.

But, if you are in the market for a new smartphone and you are currently using an entry-level or older mid-range smartphone. It is great to say that the performance is decent with its price range and the camera is excellent.

The realme 10 Pro 5G is priced at Php 16,999 for the 8GB + 256GB configuration and is available for purchase on Lazada and Shopee.

8.8 Total Score
realme 10 Pro 5G

The realme 10 Pro 5G is a well-improved version of its previous model. They made the right steps of improving more on the camera, slightly upgrading the display, and adding stereo speakers. Additionally, it comes with the latest Android OS right out of the box. However, if you are already using the realme 9 Pro 5G, you might consider skipping this iteration or opting for the Plus version as the upgrades are not as significant with performance and its battery life is staying the same. But, if you are in the market for a new smartphone and you are currently using an entry-level or older mid-range smartphone. It is great say that the performance is decent with its price range and the camera is excellent.

Design
9
Performance
8.5
Display
8.5
Camera
9
Software
9
Battery Life
9
Price
8.5
PROS
  • Great design
  • Super thin side bezels
  • Long-lasting battery life
  • Already has the latest Android out of the box
CONS
  • It uses an LCD display
  • Only 1080p video recording
  • Same chipset from the previous generation
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