realme is joining the plethora of tech brands with a ‘Note’ series but what makes its new lineup noteworthy is the almost unbelievable affordable price. The local rollout of the realme Note 50 proves that the brand exerts effort in its budget segment just as much as for its flagship offerings.
For a smartphone that costs less than P5,000, the realme Note 50 brings bang-for-the-buck realness. Here are our thoughts about this device.
DESIGN:
realme never fails to bring out a sweet surprise from its bright yellow package. What’s initially noticeable once you put out the realme Note 50 from its box is its slim and sleek profile – as if it’s priced more than an entry-level device.
While other budget smartphones have a monotonous design for its rear, realme opted to have a two-toned look that’s accentuated by different textures. The upper back of the realme Note 50 is a shiny plate that highlights its camera setup that will remind you of a Pro model of an iPhone, while the rest is a matte slate.
Whether you get the Sky Blue or the Midnight Black variant, the realme Note 50 is undeniably among the best-looking devices in its segment.
realme was also generous to include a side-mounted fingerprint scanner on the realme Note 50, a feature that’s commonly found on mid-range devices and up. The device also has a USB-C port and an IP54 rating – two of the many things that make the realme Note 50 worth more than its retail price.
Its package contents are complete for a budget buy, too. You get a free jelly case, a SIM ejector tool, a USB-C cable. There’s also a free 10W charger – a considerate move for realme especially in the advent of more brands with pricier offerings already eliminating a free charging brick in their packages.
The realme Note 50 is easy in the hands. Its plastic feel is pretty noticeable but it doesn’t lack that sturdy feel.
DISPLAY:
As a multimedia device, the realme Note 50 does a decent job with its 6.74-inch HD+ LCD panel. There’s an outdated water-drop notch that houses its front camera but it’s something that’s overshadowed by more good things about the device, like the inclusion of a 90Hz refresh rate for smooth scrolling and a peak brightness of up to 560 nits that keeps the screen visible enough even when used outdoors.
Plus, the waterdrop notch disappears when the Mini Capsule is activated. Basically, it’s similar to the iPhone’s Dynamic Island. Again, that’s realme bringing in flagship features to a budget offering. The Mini Capsule displays notifications and alerts and serves as a status indicator. Screen bezels on the realme Note 50 are prominent, especially on the chin.
PERFORMANCE:
Running on a Unisoc T612 with 4GB native RAM, 4GB virtual RAM, and 64GB of storage expandable up to 2TB, the realme Note 50 delivered what’s expected.
While it can definitely handle multitasking and switching from one app to another, there are isolated incidents of hiccups and stutters, especially when it comes to gaming. But, nothing that can’t be resolved by just tweaking your game settings to low settings.
Its UI is straightforward and intuitive. There’s bloatware, though, so be ready to go on an uninstall spree to remove pre-installed apps that you won’t be using.
CAMERA:
For a budget device with a 13-megapixel main lens and a mono camera, the realme Note 50 plays well in the photography department. In well-lit areas, photos appear acceptable with just the right bits of color vividness and detail sharpness. As expected, taking images in low-lit environments and indoor spaces is a challenge for the realme Note 50.
The realme Note 50’s 5-megapixel selfie camera takes respectable images but don’t expect a smooth background blurring effect.
BATTERY:
Power users on a budget will surely appreciate the realme Note 50 with its 5,000mAh battery. Thanks to this, the smartphone is able to last a day of moderate usage on a single charge. This is a good barter for the longer charging time that the realme Note 50 requires. With its 10W charger, going from 20% to 100% took us around two hours and 50 minutes.
CONCLUSION:
The best thing about the realme Note 50 is its price. For only P3,599, you’ll get a good deal – a beautiful design, solid battery life, and a nice display with realme’s Mini Capsule.
With the realme Note 50, the brand did a good job in offering a smartphone for the masses without compromising too much of the features essential to daily functions. The realme Note 50 is like realme telling other brands to take note of what it means to give a good budget device.
