The Realme Neo 7 SE is among the newest phones that Chinese tech company Realme has released, known to manufacture low-cost but highly featured smartphones. In this in-depth review, we will explore the Realme Neo 7 SE in great detail, ranging from design, display, performance, camera, and software to its overall worth. This review will attempt to offer more than a cursory look, read between the lines of the specs, features, and user interface of the phone.
Introduction
Realme, which is Oppo-owned, was founded in 2018 and became one of the major players in the smartphone industry. Realme has primarily been targeting the delivery of smartphones that offer premium features at a reasonable cost. The firm has, over the years, positioned itself as a smartphone company that offers smartphones with a blend of affordability, performance, and innovation.
The Realme Neo 7 SE is one of the firm’s attempts to meet the growing demand for mid-range smartphones with flagship specifications at comparatively low prices. Realme, through the Neo 7 SE, has attempted to include flagship specifications such as 5G connectivity, a powerful processor, and a flagship camera setup in a bid to make it a bestseller in various markets, especially markets in countries like India, where the firm is already a leading player in the mid-range and low-end market segments.
This is a mid-range phone that competes directly with other peers from Xiaomi, Vivo, and Samsung. Let us go through the features and specifications of the phone in detail to see where it stands in the market.
Realme Neo 7 SE: Specifications Summary
Design and Construction Quality
Realme Neo 7 SE has a sleek and new design that is both aesthetically pleasing and functional. The phone is built with high-quality materials and feels solid in hand. Some of the design elements are highlighted below:
- Dimensions: The Neo 7 SE features a thin profile of 162.3 x 75.4 x 8.5 mm and a weight of approximately 190 grams. This makes the phone relatively thin, given the huge battery capacity, and light enough for prolonged use.
- Material: The rear of the phone is made of plastic and glass material, which provides it with a premium finish. The plastic body is lightweight but does not compromise the strength of the phone.
- Colors: Realme Neo 7 SE comes in gorgeous color options that give the phone a vibrant look, including Starlight Black and Sunset Blue. The design of the phone includes a lightly reflective coat that helps give the phone a shiny look.
Realme has been minimalist in its design with regards to button and port placement. The power button is placed on the right-hand side, while the volume controls and SIM card tray are placed on the left-hand side. At the bottom are a USB Type-C charging port, a headphone jack, and a speaker grille. The fingerprint sensor is integrated into the power button, providing a smooth and fast unlock experience.
Display
The screen is likely the most important feature of any smartphone, and certainly in this budget, and Realme has taken extra attention to the Neo 7 SE’s screen. These are the nitty-gritty details of the screen:
- Size and Type: Realme Neo 7 SE supports a 6.5-inch Full HD+ IPS LCD touchscreen display, and it provides a screen resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels. This makes its pixel density stand around 405 PPI, providing clear-cut images.
- Refresh Rate: The display also features a 90Hz refresh rate, one step ahead of the usual 60Hz that budget smartphones usually have. The higher refresh rate translates to silky-smooth animations and scrolling and provides a more enhanced gaming and multimedia watching experience.
- Brightness and Contrast: The screen of the Neo 7 SE has a peak brightness of approximately 600 nits, which allows it to be used outdoors under sunlight. The contrast ratio is decent, delivering decent blacks and deep colors most of the time.
The screen is good for its class. The colors are accurate, and the brightness is adequate for everyday use. The IPS LCD screen, however, lacks the depth of blacks or contrast ratios that OLED screens have. For those who appreciate deep contrasts, this might be a drawback.
Read more:
Realme Neo 7 design revealed, launch date confirmed
Realme GT 7 Pro – High-end features, lightning-fast processor.
Performance
As for performance, the Realme Neo 7 SE is equipped with the MediaTek Dimensity 810, a chip that supports 5G and is targeted at mid-range smartphones. That is how the performance is distributed:
- Chipset: MediaTek Dimensity 810 is a 6nm process chipset with an octa-core CPU that includes two ARM Cortex-A76 cores operating at 2.4 GHz and six Cortex-A55 cores operating at 2.0 GHz. The chipset is the perfect blend of power efficiency and performance and is perfect for gaming, multitasking, and heavy loads.
- GPU: The Realme Neo 7 SE GPU is the Mali-G57 MC2, which can provide good mid-range gaming performance. It can run most contemporary games on medium, but it is unable to provide the same kind of top-end gaming experience as flagships.
- RAM and Storage: The phone is available in different models, including 6GB/128GB and 8GB/128GB. The storage can be added internally with a microSD card, and storage can be expanded up to 1TB by users, making it ideal for the user who needs extra space for media, apps, and games.
- Software: Realme Neo 7 SE runs on Realme UI 2.0, based on Android 10. Realme UI has a smooth user interface, is customizable, and includes features such as Dark Mode, App Drawer, and other system improvements. The performance of the software is smooth, and the phone receives timely updates, which makes for an excellent user experience in the long term.
Camera System
Realme has never compromised on camera performance, not even on its budget and mid-range phones, and the Neo 7 SE is no exception. The phone’s camera system is tuned to provide decent performance in a variety of light conditions, keeping it simple and versatile.
- Primary Camera: The Neo 7 SE boasts a 64MP primary sensor with an f/1.8 aperture. The sensor captures high-quality images with sharp details and accurate colors along with outstanding dynamic range. The 64MP sensor provides users with the ability to crop into images without sacrificing too much detail.
- Secondary Camera: The phone has an 8MP ultra-wide lens with a 119-degree field of view, and it is ideal for taking wide-angle shots, group selfies, and landscapes. The ultra-wide sensor can shoot okay-quality photos, but the edges of the photos would be warped.
- Macro Lens: A 2MP macro lens is used for close-up photography with a focus distance of approximately 4 cm. Although the lens is not powerful, it is suitable for getting close-up shots with details in well-lit environments.
- Selfie Camera: For selfies, the Realme Neo 7 SE comes equipped with a 16MP front camera that features an f/2.5 lens. The selfie camera captures very sharp and bright selfies with a lot of detail even in fairly low light.
- Camera Features: The camera app comes with features such as Super Nightscape, AI Mode, HDR, Panorama, Portrait Mode, and Time-lapse. The smartphone also has 4K video at 30fps and 1080p video at 30fps, which allows users to capture quality videos.
Battery and Charging
The Realme Neo 7 SE also comes with a 5000mAh battery, which is more than enough to get you through an entire day of regular use. The battery life is excellent, and it also supports 30W fast charging, which charges the phone from 0% to 50% in about 30 minutes.
This combination of large battery and quick charging makes the Neo 7 SE ideal for individuals with active lifestyles who need to quickly top off throughout the workday. The phone’s battery life and power-saving MediaTek Dimensity 810 processor keep it going through a workday or light media use and gaming.
5G Connectivity and Other Features
The Realme Neo 7 SE is 5G-capable, which means the phone will be future-proof. As 5G expands to more locations, it is a good idea for people who want to take advantage of faster internet speeds when 5G is more widespread.
Other notable features include:
Dual SIM feature: The device is dual SIM capable, and this is useful for someone who needs two numbers.
Fingerprint Scanner: The side-mounted fingerprint scanner built into the phone offers easy and secure access to the phone.
Face Unlock: The phone also has Face Unlock as an alternate method of unlocking the phone.
Audio: Realme Neo 7 SE boasts a single speaker that provides good audio output, although it is not the loudest nor the most audio-rich when it comes to audio output. The phone also comes equipped with the 3.5mm headphone jack, which has become the exception rather than the norm in most smartphones nowadays.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Appealing Design: The Neo 7 SE has a sleek, contemporary appearance with high-end materials and a striking range of colors.
- Good Display: For daily use and multimedia, the Full HD+ resolution and 90Hz refresh rate offer a fluid and colorful viewing experience.
- Strong Performance: For daily chores, multitasking, and gaming, the MediaTek Dimensity 810 chipset offers dependable performance.
- Outstanding Battery Life: The phone boasts a 5000mAh battery and 30W fast charging, which allows for great battery life and rapid recharging times.
- 5G Support: With 5G connectivity, the Neo 7 SE is prepared for the future and will be able to benefit from better network speeds as 5G infrastructure spreads.
- Versatile Camera System: The ultra-wide lens enhances the camera system’s adaptability, while the 64MP primary camera produces high-quality images in a range of lighting situations.
Cons
- Average Display: The IPS LCD panel lacks the contrast and vibrancy of AMOLED or OLED panels, despite being a respectable display for the price.
- Lack of OIS: Video stabilization and low-light performance could be enhanced in the lack of optical image stabilization (OIS).
- Mono Speaker: When compared to the stereo speakers featured in other mid-range phones, the single speaker could not offer the best sound quality.
Conclusion
Because of its well-balanced feature set, the Realme Neo 7 SE stands out in the mid-range smartphone market. It provides a terrific value proposition with its attractive design, powerful performance, adaptable camera system, and long battery life. It is future-proof thanks to its 5G connectivity, and the big display with a refresh rate of 90 Hz provides a fluid visual experience. The Realme Neo 7 SE effectively offers a good bundle for consumers searching for an inexpensive smartphone with high-end capabilities, even though it may not be perfect in every way. For consumers looking for a dependable phone without going over budget, it’s a fantastic choice.