Realme 9i launch in India

The Realme 9i was revealed in Vietnam only a few days after being announced last week. Under the Realme 9i series, the company offers yet another affordable phone. The Realme 9i replaces the Realme 8i that was launched in India last year. Realme 9i’s highlights include its Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, a display with a 90Hz refresh rate, and a battery of 5000mAh capacity – all making it an interesting phone under 20,000 rupees.

Realme’s 9i is Oppo’s new budget phone in India. It follows the Realme 8i. With the 9i, you get a faster processor, an updated design, and faster charging. Additionally, it comes with dual speakers, something that was lacking in the 8i. In terms of pricing, the 9i costs about Rs 15,000.

Realme 9i comes with a brand-new design. The back panel has this layered look that glistens when light strikes it from different angles. Realme calls it a stereo prism. 

A sleek and light budget phone, the Realme 9i is a good choice. It weighs 190g and measures 8.4mm thick. It is lighter and thinner than the Redmi Note 10S, but you wouldn’t notice the difference. In its favor, Redmi provides proper IP53 splash resistance.

As with the 8i, the Realme 9i has a similar-sized display. The screen measures 6.6 inches. There is also a similar resolution. It is 1080p. Although the panel is once again an IPS LCD, it tops out at 90Hz. As a result, the 8i only comes with a 120Hz refresh rate. In addition to the lower brightness, the 9i isn’t as bright as the 8i. 

The cameras are the same as the 8i. With the Realme 9i, you get a 50MP main camera (Samsung JN1), a 2MP depth camera, and another 2MP macro camera on its back. There is a 16MP camera on the front, just like the 8i. OnePlus’ 9RT, a phone that costs upwards of Rs 40,000, uses the same Sony IMX471 sensor as Realme.

Realme says the 9i uses Dragon Trail Pro glass. Comparatively, the Redmi Note 10S comes with an AMOLED display.

The fingerprint scanner is mounted on the side of the device. It is relatively fast and reliable. This phone also has dual speakers. The earpiece also serves as the secondary speaker.

In this price range, most budget phones come with 5,000mAh batteries. Likewise, the 8i had a 5,000mAh battery, but instead of 18W fast charging, the 9i supports 33W. In the box, Realme includes a compatible charger. Apart from fast charging, the 9i is a great battery performer. 

In general, the Realme 9i is an attractive budget phone with a good design and good hardware. As it turns out, there was still scope for making the already excellent (8i) even better. Its display seems to be its only weakness.

Otherwise, the deal appears solid. A version of the Realme 9i with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage starts at Rs 13,999 in India. With 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, you’ll have to pay Rs 15,999. The phone will be available on January 25.