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realme Pad X Review - A worthy tablet for under PHP 16K!

OPPO
Infinix
We had the pleasure of testing the realme Pad X for a bit now after its August PH release. It is currently the company's top tablet in the market.
realme Pad X Review - A worthy tablet for under PHP 16K!
realme Pad X Review

After more than a month of using it, we will share how it fared during our tests. Read on!

Unboxing/Accessories

This is what the box looks like!
This is what the box looks like!

The realme Pad X came with a white box with the photo of the tablet plastered on its cover. It has the usual branding and tablet name plastered across the cover. The certification and regulations and key specs can be found at the bottom of the box.
What's in the box?
What's in the box?

Inside the box, you are greeted by the realme Pad X. Underneath, you can find the USB-C cable, the 33W Dart Charge wall adapter, documentation, and the SIM card eject tool. There are no included earphones or complimentary protective case inside.

Build Quality/Design

It has a metal and glass build!
It has a metal and glass build!

The realme Pad X feels really premium out of the box. It sports a metal chassis with glass on top of the LCD screen. The bezels are pretty typical sized for a tablet with the selfie camera found on the right side (portrait) or top side (landscape).

The back design is what makes it feel more premium for a sub-PHP 16K device. The cold feel of the metal plus the matte finish makes it comfortable to hold. In addition, the sheen it has was achieved through a 9-layer color process.

There is a rectangular camera island housing the 13MP camera at the back. Other than that, there’s just an NTC sticker that you can remove and minimal realme branding.

It measures 256.5 x 161.1 x 7.1 mm and weighs only 506 grams. The heft is heavy enough to feel substantial but not too much to feel cumbersome after long usage. However, your mileage may vary because some may find it heavier.
The top of the device
The top of the device
The bottom of the device
The bottom of the device

On the top of the device, we have two speaker grilles and a power button. At the bottom, there are two more speaker grilles and a USB-C charging port.
The right side
The left side
The left side

On the right side of the device, we have the volume rocker. The left side has the SIM card tray.

Overall, we are impressed by how ergonomic and premium the realme Pad X feels. Either in portrait or landscape mode, we can honestly say that it is one of the better-looking and better-built tablets in the under PHP 16K market.

Multimedia Experience

It has a 10.95-inch 2K screen!
It has a 10.95-inch 2K screen!

In front, the realme Pad X features a 10.95-inch LCD screen with 2000 x 1200 WXGA resolution, a 60Hz refresh rate, and a 213 ppi pixel density. As you can see, with the 60Hz refresh rate, it won't be as smooth as other high-refresh-rate screens.
The O1 Ultra Vision Engine enhances the multimedia experience
The O1 Ultra Vision Engine enhances the multimedia experience

In fact, the O1 Ultra Vision Engine with Video Color Enhancer doubles down on its multimedia capabilities since it can enhance non-HDR content to HDR-level dynamic range. This tech widens the color gamut of the screen to make it more vibrant and immersive.

It has 450 nits peak brightness with DC Dimming. The TÜV Rheinland certification makes it safe for the eyes even for an extended period of time due to its low blue light emission. It also has an 82.5 percent screen-to-body ratio for an immersive experience.

In terms of social media and web browsing, we found it very usable in portrait mode. The text comes out sharp and is easy to read. If you do use it for reading, we recommend you turn Reading Mode or Eye Comfort Mode on. Reading Mode turns the screen monochromatic so that it can be less distracting when reading. Eye Comfort Mode turns the screen into a warmer orange tone to lessen eye strain. We found ourselves opting for the Eye Comfort option more often because we still want to enjoy the photos of what we are viewing.

The display also has 10 points of touch in total and a 180Hz touch sampling rate making it usable even if you play games. It also has support for the realme Pencil but we haven’t tested that aspect since our unit did not come with one.

Overall, the screen will be great for multimedia and creative activities, especially with its color as well as the support for realme Pencil.

The realme Pad X features a quad-speaker setup that is a stereo setup when used in landscape mode. It is also backed by Dolby Atmos, Hi-Res audio certification, and Smart PA. With this setup, the realme Pad X can emulate a pseudo-cinematic experience. It can get loud even at 60 percent volume. The thing is, even when holding it with both hands, it is hard to cover all of the speakers. So you will not have trouble with muffled audio while watching.

Sadly, it has no 3.5mm headphone jack for your favorite wired can or buds. So, you may need to use good quality TWS wireless buds or headphones to enjoy listening on the tablet without disturbing others.

I personally enjoyed "The Redeem Team" on Netflix with realme Pad X and I enjoyed the experience because of the vibrant colors, ample brightness, great screen-to-body ratio, and great audio. Even YouTube was enhanced by the O1 Ultra Vision Engine too!

Camera

realme Pad X has a 13MP camera
realme Pad X has a 13MP camera

In terms of cameras, the realme Pad X features a single 13MP f/2.2 sensor. We all know tablets are not known for their photography features. It features a 33.7mm focal length and a 5P lens. The camera app is a bit bare bones as well with modes like Photo, Video, Time-lapse, and Slow-Mo. It also has HDR, AI, Beauty mode, and color filters as well.
The 8MP selfie camera has a 105-degree FOV
The 8MP selfie camera has a 105-degree FOV

The selfie camera, it has an 8MP f/2.2 selfie camera with a 5P lens and a 105-degree FOV. For video calls, you can use the new Limelight features that use a machine learning algorithm to track the position and movement of one or more people in real time during a conference/video call.

This feature is currently only compatible with Google Duo, Google Meet, and Zoom.

Rear Camera Samples

Daylight shot
Daylight shot
Lowlight shot
Lowlight shot

The 13MP main camera takes decent daylight shots with good colors, decent exposure, as well as good enough details. In low light and night situations, it struggles to determine the correct exposure to use. In addition, there's no dedicated night mode included so you have to keep your realme Pad X steady after the shot to avoid blurry shots.

Selfie Camera Samples

Daylight selfie
Daylight selfie
Lowlight selfie with a bit of ambient light
Lowlight selfie with a bit of ambient light
Lowlight selfie with no ambient light
Lowlight selfie with no ambient light

As you can see, the selfies you can take with the 8MP camera are decent if you have good lighting. The 105-degree FOV makes it ideal for group selfies as well without straining to stretch your arm like a selfie stick.

Not bad for a tablet camera!

In low light and night situations, it struggles though. Colors will become washed out and noise will become visible as well. It actually states in the camera app that you should only shoot in places with good lighting to get good results. 

It will also take a good 1 to 2 seconds to process the low-light shot. I did get a couple of blurry shots just because I did not hold the tablet in place after the shot.

Just like most tablets, you should only use the rear and selfie cameras for photography if you really have to. The realme Pad X is not made for that task. The selfie camera is great for video calls though.

Performance

AnTuTu and 3DMark Wild Life scores
AnTuTu and 3DMark Wild Life scores

The realme Pad X features the 6nm 2.2GHz Snapdragon 695 octa-core processor, Adreno 619L GPU, 6GB RAM, and 128GB expandable storage. The RAM can be extended to 11GB with 5GB of additional Dynamic RAM.
Geekbench scores
Geekbench scores

The Snapdragon 695 processor is a decent performer. It is a chipset usually found in mid-range smartphones which means it can handle multitasking and gaming.

realme Pad X benchmark scores:

1. AnTuTu – 400,477
2. Geekbench - 692 (Single-Core), 2,012 (Multi-core), 1,398 (OpenCL)
3. PCMark Work 3.0 performance – 9,746
4. 3DMark Wild Life – 1,218 and average 7.30 fps
5. AI Benchmark – Crashed
6. CPDT – 175.07 MB/s (Sequential write speed), 338.65 MB/s (Sequential read speed)

The realme Pad X was also paired with 6GB RAM with up to 5GB of Dynamic RAM for a total of 11GB usable RAM. It also has 128GB expandable storage.

During our tests, the majority of the apps we use for work and social media operate without a hitch. There is no lag whatsoever, even during split screen and switching between apps. Just keep in mind that your internal storage will be used up by the expanded RAM feature. This makes it a little easier for users to multitask by enabling them to run more apps in the background. The gaming experience won’t be improved by the extended RAM though.

Good speed for the price!

Although you can game with the realme Pad X, we mainly focused on the multitasking and multimedia part of things. This is due to the fact that when playing esports titles such as Mobile Legends, Apex Legends: Mobile, or COD: Mobile, you will want a higher refresh rate screen. In addition, for high-paced games, the realme Pad X is a bit on the big and heavy side as well.

In terms of thermals, even when we used them for an extended period of time for our daily workload and continuous video streaming, we did not experience any uncomfortable heating issues. Yes, it got warm but not to the point that it was alarming. The all-metal chassis may be the main factor in this good cooling performance.

We never experienced any connectivity problems with its WiFi. As long as there is a signal in your location, 5G functions well for its 5G variant. realme also boasts that it has a 5G Wrap-around antenna design that enables it to get better reception even when the realme Pencil or magnetic keyboard is attached. The 4G signal is also robust. Bluetooth 5.1 was also stable during our testing.
Work 3.0 battery benchmark results
Work 3.0 battery benchmark results

For the battery, it comes with an 8,340mAh with 33W Dart Charge and Reverse Charging. Magnetic Wireless Charging is also available for the realme Pencil as well. During our PCMark Work 3.0 battery benchmark, it was able to squeeze out 23 hours and 38 mins. In real-life situations, we were able to do around 10 hours during our Netflix binge-watching session over one weekend. That is with 100 percent brightness, WiFi, and 80 percent speaker volume.

From 10 percent to 100 percent, the 33W Dart Charge was able to recharge the battery in just around 1 hour. Moreover, it comes with a 33W wall charger out of the box too.

Let's talk UI. It features the realme UI 3.0 for tablets out of the box. It has circular icons, robust Google integration, and smooth animations/transitions. You get the usual stuff on the lock screen such as the clock, date, notifications, battery levels, and camera shortcut.

Unlike other devices, when you swipe on either side of the status bar, you get both the notification panel and quick toggles. You get circular icons for the quick toggles as well with Blue accents for those that are active.

Fortunately, realme UI 3.0 did not come with bloatware. There's the Kids Space, Clone Tablet, and Tablet Manager included but nothing that could be bothersome. It also comes with essential Google apps such as Gmail, Keep Notes, Maps, Meet, and Drive.

Pros - Premium and stylish build, amazing display, strong performance, battery beast, fast charging, great quad speakers
Cons - Bezels could be better, the front camera could be better

realme Pad X Specs

Display: 10.95-inch LCD screen w/ WUXGA+ 2000 x 1200 resolution at 213 ppi
CPU: 2.2GHz 6nm Snapdragon 695 octa-core processor
GPU: Adreno 619L
RAM: 6GB
ROM: 128GB expandable via microSD card slot up to 512TB
Back Camera: 13MP f/2.2
Selfie Camera: 8MP 105-degree ultra-wide
Battery: 8,340mAh w/ 33W Dart Charge, Reverse Charging, Magnetic Wireless Charging (for realme Pencil)
OS: Android 12 w/ realme UI 3.0 for Pad
Connectivity: WiFi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz/5GHz), 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, SIM
Sensors: Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, sound, magnetic
Others: 4x speakers, Hi-Res Audio, Dolby Atmos, 2x microphones, USB-C, Colors: Glowing Grey, Glacier Blue
Dimensions: 256.5 x 161.1 x 7.1 mm
Weight: 506 g
Price: PHP 15,999

Verdict

So, is it good for PHP 15,999?
So, is it good for PHP 15,999?

For PHP 15,999, the realme Pad X is a solid tablet choice. It has a premium build with metal and glass. In addition, the 2K screen, even if it is not OLED still looks amazing and is fairly large at 10.95-inches

With what you will use this for, the Snapdragon 695 and Adreno 619L will run the apps you need. Multitasking and storing files will be a breeze with the 6GB RAM and the 128GB expandable storage.

One of the biggest sellers here is the 8,340mAh battery that is able to last more than 13 hours of usage on a single charge with our normal usage. The inclusion of 33W Dart Charge is also a plus for quick charges within the day. 

We definitely recommend the realme Pad X!

What do you think guys?

Build/Design - 4.5
Multimedia Experience - 4.25
Cameras - 4
Performance - 4.25
Average - 4.25/5

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