realme has just launched the Narzo 50i Prime in India under the Narzo 50 Series and it’s the latest smartphone from realme. The realme Narzo 50i Prime is an entry-level affordable smartphone featuring an 8.5 mm slim design, a 6.5-inch display, a 1.82 GHz octa-core Unisoc processor, and a 5,000 mAh battery. Here’s our hands-on with the realme Narzo 50i Prime.
realme Narzo 50i Specifications
- Display: 6.5-inch IPS display, HD+ resolution (1600 x 720 pixels), 60 Hz refresh rate, 400 nits brightness, 88.7% screen-to-body ratio
- Software: realme UI R Edition, Android 11
- CPU: 12nm Unisoc Tiger T612 octa-core SoC clocked at 1.82 GHz
- GPU: Mali-G57
- Memory: 3 GB OR 4 GB RAM
- Storage: 32 GB OR 64 GB UFS 2.2 internal storage, microSD card slot up to 1 TB (dedicated)
- Main Camera: 8 MP camera, single LED flash
- Selfie Camera: 5 MP
- Others: No fingerprint scanner
- Cellular: 4G network, dual SIM, dual 4G standby support
- Battery: 5,000 mAh battery, 10W (5V, 2A) charging
- Charging: 10W standard charging
- Colors: Dark Blue and Mint Green
- Thickness & Weight: 8.5 mm, 182 grams
- Price: ₹7,999 (3 GB + 32 GB), ₹8,999 (4 GB + 64 GB)
- Availability: 22nd & 23rd September 2022, realme.com, Amazon India, and other retail stores
The Narzo 50i Prime flaunts a slim design (8.5 mm), it resembles the Narzo 50A Prime aesthetics, you can see the flattened edges, and the huge camera module, although it comes with a single camera, the overall design looks great. The backside has Stage Light Design with ridged textures and it weighs around 182 grams. The Narzo 50i Prime comes in two color variants – Dark Blue and Mint Green, we got the Dark Blue color variant as you can see in the images below.
The front side has a 6.5-inch IPS display with an HD+ resolution (1600 x 720 pixels) and a standard 60 Hz refresh rate. The phone has a screen-to-body ratio of 88.7% and comes with 400 nits brightness. The front side has a notch-style selfie camera of 5 MP and an 8 MP Ai single-camera setup on the rear side that records 1080p at 30fps videos. The camera package is just basic, you don’t see dual or triple cameras on the phone.
Unlike the Narzo 50A Prime which comes with a fingerprint scanner on the side, you don’t get any fingerprint scanner on the Narzo 50i Prime. You get the phone, a micro USB cable, SIM ejector, and user manuals in the box, but no protective case.
Moving to the bottom side, you see an old micro USB port and not the modern Type-C port, it can be a letdown for some users due to its old USB interface. The bottom also holds a 3.5 mm audio jack, a microphone, and loudspeakers (mono). The right side has a power key and volume controls, but no fingerprint scanner.
On the left side, you will see a triple slot SIM tray with dual slots for 4G SIM cards and a dedicated microSD card slot with up to 1 TB of expansion. You get a 5,000 mAh battery with standard charging (10W – 5V/2A), this can be slow for some users, at least you should expect an 18W charger. realme says the battery can continuously play audio for 102 hours and last for 45 days on standby.
The realme Narzo 50i Prime equips an entry-level octa-core CPU, the Unisoc Tiger T612 SoC clocked at 1.82 GHz (Cortex-A75). The performance of the chipset is suitable for daily use, you can expect a performance equivalent to Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 which is equipped in some phones in this price range. The AnTuTu benchmark scored 209,832 points as per realme.
It comes in two variants, 3 GB RAM and 32 GB storage as the base variant while the top variant is 4 GB RAM and 64 GB storage, the storage is a UFS 2.2 type, faster than eMMC 5.1, and can be expanded via a microSD card on both variants. The price for the base variant 3 GB RAM and 32 GB storage is ₹7,999 and the price for the top variant 4 GB RAM and 64 GB storage is ₹8,999.
About the software, the Narzo 50i Prime runs on the latest Android 12 operating system with realme UI R Edition on top, a customized interface from realme with a security patch dated 5th June 2022. The realme UI R Edition is based on Android 11 and is designed for budget smartphones with a stock Android look. It’s similar to the realme UI 3.0 which is a more advanced Android update compared to the R Edition, however, you will find more features in the realme UI 3.0.
Early Verdict – realme Narzo 50i Prime
The realme Narzo 50i is the latest affordable smartphone under Narzo 50 Series, it comes with an 8.5 mm slim design, a decent octa-core Unisoc T612 CPU, a large 5,000 mAh battery, and a 6.5-inch display. Aside from these, it also packs the realme UI R Edition operating system, but it’s based on Android 11. The phone lacks a fingerprint scanner, offers only a single camera, and comes with 10W standard charging. At the price of ₹7,999, you also get a good-looking design, a decent processor, and a big battery, the smartphone has the most basic features you need for an entry-level smartphone.
