So I just upgraded my realme 5 to the brand’s newest mid-range smartphone line called realme 6i in blue soda.

Launched in the Philippines last May 13, realme 6i carries the world’s first MediaTek Helio G80 SoC processor and initially came out with two color variants – White Milk and Green Tea. The Blue Soda variant came out weeks after its sold out launch and was made available to consumers on June 4.

realme 6i

Here’s a rundown of the unique features of the new realme 6i:

  • MediaTek Helio G80 SoC
  • 48MP AI Quad Camera with 119° Ultra Wide-Angle Lens
  • 5000mAh Battery
  • 16MP Super Clear Selfie AI Beauty
  • realme UI Based on Android 10
  • 18W Quick Charge
  • Classic Design Inspired by renowned Japanese designer Naoto Fukasawa
  • USB Type-C

realme 6i Blue Soda is super cool and perfect for the bike that I just bought which is also in blue – must be serendipity because I got the bike before the launch of the 6i phones and even way before they handed out to me their new Blue Soda variant for a test run.

DESIGN AND DISPLAY

Inspired by renowned Japanese industrial designer Naoto Fukasawa, the realme 6i phones maintain a classic masterpiece design. It has adopted the rare spray coating process, and the phone has been polished hundreds of times to achieve its extra smooth and almost holographic finished.

realme 6i

The box contains the following items:

  • realme 6i Blue Soda with a pre-installed screen protector film
  • 18w Quick Charger and USB Type-C cable
  • Protector Jelly Case
  • SIM Tray Ejector Pin
  • Warranty Card
  • Quick Guide
realme 6i
realme 6i
realme 6i
realme 6i

The unit is almost the same size as the 5 but it’s actually a bit smaller, thinner (164.40 x 75.40 x 9.00) and a lot lighter at only 199 grams.

realme 6i is also equipped with a 16.5cm (6.5”) mini-drop full screen at 89.8% screen-to-body ratio, giving users an immersive experience when watching videos or playing games. The over-all design makes the phone slimmer and more information-loaded. Eye Care mode is also available on realme 6i.

realme 6i
realme 6i

The realme 6i is designed with the future in mind. Simple, but not boring, inspired by the everyday lifestyle of the young generation.

REALME UI

This 2020, ColorOS is replaced with the new realme UI, a light, fast, and provincial system based on Android 10. The new system is said to speed up application startup by 25%. The global fluency is increased by 20%, the battery life is increased by 10%, the night standby consumption is reduced by 35%, the touch response time is reduced by 35%, and the game performance is increased by up to 20%.

In terms of colors, realme UI uses high-saturation and high-brightness colors to construct an authentic color scheme, bringing a sense of vitality and freshness.

realme UI also introduced the icon customization function. Users can not only change the shape and size of the icons but can change the internal graphic size of the icons. To match the vibrant app icons, realme UI also brings in 11 new wallpapers inspired by natural elements.

I also love the available free-to-use themes and have downloaded “Chamber of Secrets” as my default.

realme 6i
realme 6i
realme 6i

In terms of system animation, realme UI is equipped with the latest quantum animation engine, which improves the screen fluency – my favorite right now is roll.

ENGINE MIGHT

I am loving how the 6i feels at the touch and how it looks on the outside but what really matters really is what’s on the inside.

The realme 6i is packed with the world’s first Helio G80 chipset, delivering astonishing power and speed. The octa-core CPU has a main frequency of up to 2.0GHz, offering 35% better single-core performance and 17% better multi-core performance than the previous generation. The Mali G52 1000MHz GPU also delivers 25% better performance. The result is greater image quality and a more stable frame rate with almost zero lag and crash experiences.

My realme 6i Blue Soda is also equipped with an awesome combination of 4GB worth of RAM and 128GB of Internal Storage. Imagine the possibilities! But for those who don’t require much of memory – you opt also for the 3GB + 64GB or 4GB + 64GB variants which costs lower.

The phone is also equipped with a 3-card slots for two SIM cards and one SD card (up to 256GB).

CAMERA

Now it can’t be denied that most smartphone users based their upgrades on camera capabilities – if the camera don’t feel right then it’s a no sale!

realme 6i is a big YES SALE primarily because of its 16MP ultra-clear selfie camera. And thanks to its intelligent 4-in-1 pixel technology my pores are much visible now hahaha – but it’s a good thing that it’s also equipped with the exclusive AI Beauty algorithm which can smartly regognize faces and customize beauty effects that is appropriate, natural, and definitely beautiful for every user. So yeah, invisible pores! 🙂

realme 6i

I am not much of a selfie type of person so what really got me very excited in the new realme 6i camera is its 48MP AI Rear Quad Camera technology that enhances the resolution and quality of images taken even in low-light settings.

The Quad Camera also has a 119° ultra wide-angle lens with an f/2.25 aperture, 8MP resolution.  You don’t need to lean back to capture the perfect shot thanks to this ultra wide-angle lens.

I also tested the realme 6i 4cm ultra macro lens and it did awesome under normal light conditions.

The new color filter system of the realme 6i also enables the portrait lens to detect a wider array of light, assisting the main lens to capture light better, enhance image contrast, create retro-style images, and add texture to portraits.

realme 6i

I have not tried its video capabilities at 1080 and 60fps yet but it has the following special modes to choose from like Slo-mo and Time Lapse.

BATTERY AND CHARGING

Another wonderful improvement with the 6i is its enormous 5000mAH long-life battery featuring the triple safety protection. The safety test covers every piece of the interior of the battery and charger.

It’s paired with the 18W Quick Charge and a 9V/2A charging kit which further raised the charging speed and reduce the over-all charging time. I just plug it in at almost 0% and in 2 to 3 hours you’re good to go again for another 10 hours or more.

Oh and realme 6i now uses USB Type C, so what I did is I purchased a Type C adapter online so I can use my old OTG on the new phone.

realme 6i

OTHER FEATURES

There are also other cool features built-in on the 6i that will surely get you more excited.

Dual Mode Music Share

Dual Mode Music Share is extremely useful if two users are trying to enjoy the same video or song at the same time from the same device. You can now connect a pair of wireless earbuds and a wired earphone simultaneously, so you both can listen to the same song played from the same realme smartphone. This feature is supported if one user is listening to music in Bluetooth and wired headphones simultaneously. Also, if one user is on call through bluetooth and the other is listening to music through the wired device.

Focus Mode

Turning on the “Focus Mode” can help users isolate themselves from the outside world, and the system will simultaneously play some relaxing music. This will turn on DND (Do Not Disturb), prevent new notifications from swarming in, and you can choose one of the four built-in tunes to further soothe your nerves.

3-Finger Selected Screenshot

All you have to do is to use 3 fingers, press and hold on your screen, then swipe to capture the selected part of the screen. No more cropping is needed, and taking a partial screenshot is done with just one step.

Personal Information Protection

By turning on “Personal Information Protection” in realme UI, the system will provide empty information pages when the apps are requesting to access the user’s personal information. This ensures your call history, contacts and messages stay private, and prevents any information leak.

Dark Mode

The built-in Dark Mode is beautifully integrated in realme UI. It is optimized to work with more third-party apps, the app drawer background shifts from light to dark when the Dark Mode turned on.  It also enables you to set the Dark Mode to automatically turn off at sunrise and turn on at sunset.

Cool right? Okay now let’s talk about the price.

PRICE

The realme 6i Blue Soda is priced at 7,990 Pesos for the 3GB RAM + 64GB storage variant and 9,990 Pesos for the 4GB RAM + 128GB. The realme 6i is absolutely awesome for phone that’s under the 10k mark!

It is available in the official realme stores on both Lazada and Shopee and people may also avail of Blue Soda variant in all realme stores and kiosks nationwide.

realme 6i

Here are the complete phone specs:

COLOR

  • White Milk
  • Green Tea
  • Soda Blue

SIZE & WEIGHT

  • 164.4mm*75.4mm*9.0mm
  • 199g

DISPLAY

  • 16.5cm (6.5”) Mini-Drop Fullscreen
  • Resolution: 1600*720 HD+
  • Protection: 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass

CAMERA

  • 48MP AI Quad Camera
  • Normal + Wide-Angle + Macro + Portrait

Main Camera

  • 48MP – 4 in 1 Pixels
  • 26mm, FOV 79°, f/1.8 Aperture, 6P lens

Macro

  • 2MP
  • f/2.4 Aperture
  • 4cm Focus Distance
  • 3P lens

Wide-Angle

  • 8MP
  • f/2.25 Aperture
  • FOV 119°
  • 5P lens

Portrait

  • 2MP
  • f/2.4 Aperture
  • Portrait Mode
  • 3P lens

Front Camera

  • 16M
  • f/2.0 Aperture
  • FOV 80°
  • 5P lens

Video

  • Front Camera:
  • 1080P & 720P/30fps Video Recording

Rear Camera:

  • 1080P/30fps Video Recording

FEATURES

  • MediaTek Helio G80 SoC
  • Octa-core, Up to 2.05GHz
    • 3GB RAM + 64GB storage
    • 4GB RAM + 64GB storage
    • 4GB RAM + 128GB storage
  • Storage expandable up to 256GB

CONNECTIVITY

  • SIM Card Type: Dual nano-sim cards,
  • MicroSD Expansion/Triple Slots
  • Wireless
  • Supports 2.4G Wi-Fi
  • Supports Bluetooth 5.0

BATTERY

  • 18W Quick Charge
  • 5000mAh
  • Includes 9V/2A charger & cable
  • USB Type-C port

SENSORS

  • Magnetic Induction Sensor
  • Light Sensor
  • Proximity Sensor
  • Gyro-meter
  • Acceleration Sensor

SYSTEM

  • realme UI based on Android 10