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realme 8 Pro Unboxing, First Impressions, 108MP camera samples!

OPPO
Infinix
After several teasers, realme today confirmed that the realme 8 Pro is coming to the Philippines.
Meet realme 8 Pro

For starters, realme 8 Pro features a massive 108MP Samsung HM2 main camera with a 3x lossless zoom, 6.4-inch FHD+ AMOLED screen, Ultra-fast In-Display fingerprint sensor, 4,500mAh battery capacity, and the new realme UI 2.0 skin based on Android 11 OS.

It also goes with a new Infinite Bold Design with AG-Crystal Process that is just 8.1 mm slim and 176 grams light.

We have the said device and let's unbox it. Here's our review part 1, unboxing and first impressions.

Unboxing/Accessories

The box

Similar to its predecessors, the realme 8 Pro arrived in bright yellow packaging with the model number/name of the device in the middle and the realme logo in the lower middle portion in the front.
What's inside the box

Inside, you will immediately see the handset itself along with the accessories and paper documents. The accessories include a 65W power brick, USB-A to USB-C data/charging cable, translucent TPU clear case, and a SIM ejector tool. Upon close inspection, its display has an extra layer of plastic protection.

This is a near-complete package. But as expected, there are no earphones with a mic inside. At least realme didn't remove the charger.

Build Quality/Design

Matte Back Design
Matte Back Design

The new realme 8 Pro is made out of a polycarbonate unibody back and frame and a 2.5D curved glass in front. There's no mention of glass protection unlike the realme 6 Pro and 7 Pro last year. There's no rubber ring in the triple slot tray for some sort of water resistance as well.

Overall build still feels quite durable. But to be honest, the 6 Pro from last year is still technically better.

In terms of design, this is where it gets interesting. realme adopted the "Infinite Bold Design" with the love-it-or-hate-it "Dare to Leap" big print and a smaller realme logo print.

Anti-fingerprint and grippy back design!

It also uses a new AG-Crystal Process with a glittery-matte finish that is still smooth enough while being grippy in the hands. The best part? It isn't prone to fingerprint smudges and hairline scratches. This is the type of body that you can flaunt without worrying that it will get damaged easily without a case.

realme also said that it has a Special Fluorescent Material around the camera module and the "DARE TO LEAP" slogan which can absorb light and then glow automatically in the dark. realme calls this "Illuminating Yellow".
108MP quad-cam setup
108MP quad-cam setup

It also highlights a rectangular camera hump for the four cameras including the 108MP main shooter. Surprisingly, despite its 1/1.52 inch sensor size (even if it is smaller than the 1/1.33 of other 108MP shooters), the camera bump is not that thick. It isn't super wobbly when placed on a flat surface unless you tap the upper-left corner of the display as well.
6.4-inch punch-hole AMOLED!
6.4-inch punch-hole AMOLED!

In front, the handset has the same 6.4-inch AMOLED display. It is a nice type of screen despite not having a high refresh rate. It has a punch-hole on the upper left corner to house the 16MP selfie camera. Bezels on top and sides are slim. The chin bezel is a little thicker. The total screen-to-body ratio is 90.8 percent.

On top of the screen is an earspeaker. But, unlike the realme 7 Pro, it doesn't double as a secondary speaker anymore.
Top, bottom
Top, bottom

The frame has a nice chamfered finish for an even better grip. On top, you'll see a single microphone hole. Below, you will find that it has a 3.5mm headphone slot along with the microphone holes, USB-C port, and the single down-firing speaker grill.
Left, right
Left, right

On left, you'll find the triple slot tray (dual nano-SIM + microSD card). On right, you will see the power key and the volume rocker.

The other highlight of this phone is its size and weight. It measures 160.6 x 73.9 x 8.1 mm and weighs 176 grams making it one of the slimmest and lightest in its class.

First Camera Samples

Daylight
Daylight
Daylight ultra-wide
Daylight ultra-wide
Normal vs 3x lossless zoom
Normal vs 3x lossless zoom
Ultra-wide vs 20x zoom
Ultra-wide vs 20x zoom
Indoor
Indoor
Indoor ultra-wide
Indoor ultra-wide
Indoor close-up
Indoor close-up
Low light
Low light
Low light ultra-wide
Low light ultra-wide
5x zoom moon shot (ISO 100, 1/75s)
5x zoom moon shot (ISO 100, 1/75s)
Well-lit selfie!
Well-lit selfie!

At the back, this uses a 108MP f/1.88 Samsung HM2 w/ PDAF + 8MP f/2.25 119-degree ultra-wide-angle + 2MP f/2.4 macro + 2MP f/2.4 B&W + dual LED flash. In front, there's a 16MP f/2.45 Sony IMX471.

realme's most affordable 108MP camera phone soon!

On our first try, we think that that realme did a pretty nice job with the cameras of this device, especially with its 108MP main shooter. If you won't turn on AI scene detection, you will be able to get images with close to accurate colors. 

We also like that it has a good dynamic range, shadows, and of course there's plenty of details. We also noticed that the focus, shutter, and photo saving speed of its 108MP main camera is faster than the 108MP HM1 sensor found on first-gen 108MP camera phones even if some of them have high-end chips.

The HM2 also fixed the focusing problem from other 108MP cameras in close-up images and its 3x lossless zoom is quite impressive. Also, its low light performance even on point and shoot mode is respectable.

The 8MP ultra-wide-cam has lesser details, but it isn't that distorted, unlike other ultra-wide cameras. The picture quality it delivers in most lighting conditions is decent as well.

We have yet to try its other camera sensors like the Macro and B&W for bokeh. The selfie cam looks alright in daylight, but from memory, the 32MP from the realme 7 Pro is still more detailed and better overall.

realme is also boasting that this device has plenty of camera modes like the new Ultra-clear 108MP mode, Super Nightscape, New Starry mode, world's first Starry Time-lapse Video, Tilt-shift, the world's first Tilt-shift Time-lapse Video, Trendy Portrait, Dual-vide Video, and Ultra Nightscape Video.

We will check all of these camera modes for our full review.

realme 8 Pro Specs

Display: 6.4-inch 2.5D curved Super AMOLED screen w/ 60Hz refresh rate, 180Hz touch sampling rate, FHD+ 2400 x 1080 resolution at 411 ppi
CPU: 2.0GHz 8nm Snapdragon 720G octa-core processor
GPU: Adreno 618
RAM: 8GB LPDDR4X
ROM: 128GB UFS 2.1 expandable via microSD card slot up to 256GB (dedicated)
Back Camera: 108MP f/1.88 Samsung HM2 w/ PDAF + 8MP f/2.25 119-degree ultra-wide-angle + 2MP f/2.4 4cm macro + 2MP f/2.4 B&W + dual LED flash
Selfie Camera: 16MP f/2.45 Sony IMX471
Battery: 4,500mAh w/ 50W VOOC SuperDart Charge
OS: Android 11 w/ realme UI 2.0
Connectivity: WiFi 802.11 b/g/n/ac (2.4GHz/5GHz), 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.0, OTG, FM Radio, GPS, A-GPS,  dual SIM
Sensors: Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, sound, magnetic
Others: In-Display fingerprint sensor, face unlock, Hi-Res Audio, Dolby Atmos, dual-mic, dual-mic, USB-C, Colors: Infinite Blue, Infinite Black
Dimensions: 160.6 x 73.9 x 8.1 mm
Weight: 176 g
Price: PHP 16,990

As of the moment

The realme 8 Pro is looking to be a pretty good contender in the mid-range segment if you are looking for a stylish camera-centric device. The back design of the phone is neat and the 108MP camera of this handset is impressive. Also, the In-Display fingerprint reader of this handset is FAST.

We also like that it retained the AMOLED 1080p panel, 8GB RAM, 128GB expandable storage, 4,500mAh battery, and Hi-Res Audio certification. This runs with the newer and smoother realme UI 2.0 skin based on Android 11 OS too.

This device is also using the proven and tested Snapdragon 720G chip based on the 8nm manufacturing process. However, we will be lying if we didn't wish for it to have an upgraded chipset—a 5G-ready one to be exact. SD720G is the same chip that realme used on the 6 Pro and 7 Pro.

We are also a bit disappointed that realme dropped the secondary speaker of the phone to achieve stereo sound, downgraded the fast charging tech to 50W (50W is still super-fast though), and replaced the 32MP selfie snapper with a 16MP sensor.

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