realme has just announced the X2 Pro, the company’s first flagship-class device, in the local market. This is quite the departure for the company, which had traditionally always made waves in the mid-range. Naturally, this calls for a quick first impression of the phone, which is also the most affordable phone with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8855 Plus chipset.
The first thing you’ll notice about the realme X2 Pro is the way it looks. Like other flagship phone makers, the X2 Pro comes with a very curved 3D glass back. This leaves the aluminium frame sandwiched between two pieces of glass, which is the stereotypical flagship look these days.
While we’re here, the company has also to go the less conventional route with its branding. Rather than putting it at the centre below the cameras, it’s now slightly towards the right side instead. It does give it a unique look, which helps it stand out among so many others that have the same look.
Befitting the image change, the X2 pro also feels very different in hand. Where the 5 Pro felt like you could trust it to not break if you were to drop it, the X2 Pro compels you to be a lot more careful with it, befitting its glass back. Like other flagships that have been around, it has a certain heft to it despite the sense of fragility it gives.
Then there’s the 90Hz refresh rate on the 6.5-inch Full HD+ display. It does feel smoother than the standard 60Hz displays, but it’s not as immediately obvious as, say, the Razer Phone 2. The improvement is still appreciated, and would be most noticeable if you need to do a lot of scrolling.
The rest of the phone is as you’d expect it. It’s got its power button by on the right side, the volume rocker on the left, and the USB-C charging port at the bottom. It also still comes with a 3.5mm audio jack, which is a massive bonus. Not only is this getting increasingly rare, it’s especially the case with flagship devices.
Also at the bottom, you see a speaker grille. This may give the impression that the X2 Pro only has a mono speaker. Surprisingly, that’s not the case, as the earpiece also doubles as another set of speakers. But because the orientation of both speakers are a little different, chances are you could experience issues when consuming content that needs audio accuracy.
Easily the most highlighted feature of the realme X2 pro, though, is the camera. With a quad-camera lineup headed by a 64MP unit, there’s a lot of flexibility to be had. The 13MP telephoto unit helps with the zoom, and the 8MP wide-angle lens does exactly as advertised. And the 2MP portrait lens is there for when you need protrait shots with blurred backgrounds. Images in general are good, but the event venue didn’t exactly allow for deeper examination.
All in all, the realme X2 pro is one of the most affordable flagship devices out there. At a glance, it does look like it’s very well worth its asking price. And it’s likely an in-depth review will tell the same story.
