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Top-shelf phones are nice, but more often than not, a value smartphone suffices for most folks. It's nice to have an everyday driver that doesn't break the bank, and it makes it far easier for enthusiasts to taste every brand in the market with palatable price points and yet packs several must-have features. In this category, we look at handsets that offer a neat package with mid-range components, features, and mobile experience that most people can gladly consider as their primary phone.
Phones in this category will need to be a 2020 release with a price range of about S$500.
In a nutshell, the Realme 7 Pro had the strongest suite of practical features, with emphasis on quality hardware components over superfluous software enhancements. In a way, the Realme device is a right step towards what mid-range phones should bring to consumers - gone are the days where half-baked software tries to make up for raw power and quality.
Realme 7 Pro's appeal lies in the sum of its parts juxtaposed against its palatable sticker price. It packs a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display at Full HD+ resolution, which already makes the viewing experience almost on par with flagship phones like the regular Galaxy S21 and S21+ from Samsung. The under-display fingerprint sensor is so responsive that it makes other mid-range rivals' implementations (like the Sony Xperia 10 II's) feel behind the times. Realme 7 Pro also offered NFC, which is uncommon for a phone of its price tier, and an increasingly important feature for day-to-day cashless payments.
65W fast-charging is a standout feature for a phone of its price point (which includes an appropriate charger to boot), and the Realme 7 Pro still offers expandable storage (increasingly less common with newer devices). Perhaps the strongest draw is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G chipset, paired with its mind-blowing battery life. This isn't forgetting its quad rear camera setup with a very nice 64MP main camera that should suffice, even on a cloudy day out.
Yes, the Realme 7 Pro has a few ads in its stock apps, but they can be toggled off - so remember to do so when you pick this winner up for use.
Google Pixel 4a |
Huawei Nova 7 SE |
Realme 7 Pro |
Samsung Galaxy A42 |
Sony Xperia 10 II |
Vivo V19 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Design | 8.0 | 8.0 | 7.5 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 7.5 |
| Performance | 8.0 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8.0 | 5.0 | 8.0 |
| Features | 8.5 | 8.0 | 9.0 | 7.0 | 7.5 | 8.5 |
| User-friendliness | 8.5 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 6.5 | 8.5 |
| Value | 9.0 | 8.0 | 9.0 | 7.0 | 5.5 | 9.0 |
| Overall | 8.5 | 8.0 | 8.5 | 7.5 | 6.5 | 8.5 |
| Price | S$499 | S$528 | S$499 | S$498 | S$569 | S$599 |
*Note: Prices and ratings listed are accurate at the time of individual product evaluation.
For more information on how the nominees fared in detail and thus helping us pick our winner, check out the full reviews and articles listed in the References below.
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