Realme has launched two new affordable phones and the latest - like all of Realme's phones - promise higher performance and capabilities than their modest price tags might suggest they would. 

Historically, Realme uses a lot of the same technology as Oppo and OnePlus - being part of the same family of companies - but brings them to a much lower cost, with money saved on build costs and quality components. 

To that end, Realme has now launched the Realme 7 and Realme 7 Pro, both of which sit comfortably below the £300 mark. But exactly what is the difference between the two phones in the series? Dive in to find out. 

Realme 7 Pro Dual-SIM 128GB ROM 8GB RAM GSM Only No CDMA Factory Unlocked 4G LTE Smartphone Blue - International Version

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Design

  • Realme 7: 162.3 x 75.4 x 9.4 mm (196.5g)
  • Realme 7 Pro: 160.9 x 74.3 x 8.7 mm (182g)
  • Realme 7: Physical fingerprint sensor on the side
  • Realme 7 Pro: In-display fingerprint sensor
  • Realme 7: Mirror White and Mirror Blue colours 
  • Realme 7 Pro: Mist White and Mist Blue colours 

Being in the same series means the two phones do feature a similar design, with the same port layout on the bottom edge, with volume buttons on the right and a similar frosted finish on the back. But, there are some key differences. 

The Realme 7 is ever-so-slightly longer, wider and thicker than the Pro and is also a little heavier. The reasons why become clear when we look at hardware a bit further down this feature (spoiler: bigger battery). 

Other differences include the fact that the Realme 7 has a physical fingerprint sensor built into the power button on the right edge of the phone. The Pro model uses an in-display optical sensor. 

While similar, the design of the camera housing on the back is different too. The Realme 7 has all four sensors in a column, making the protruding rectangle longer and slimmer than the Pro's, which puts one of the low-resolution cameras adjacent to one of the two main cameras instead. 

There are two different colours available for each model. Pro comes in a dark Mist Blue and a Mist White, while the Realme 7 comes in Mirror Blue and Mirror White. 

Display

  • Realme 7: 6.5-inch 90Hz LCD display
  • Realme 7 Pro: 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display
  • Both: Full HD+ 2400 x 1080 resolution
  • Both: Single hole-punch camera cutout

Both phones have a completely flat screen on the front featuring a single hole-punch camera cutout for the selfie camera in the top left corner. They're both full HD+ resolution too, but that's pretty much where the similarity ends. 

The larger 6.5-inch display on the regular Realme 7 uses LCD technology to save on costs (and explains the lack of the in-display fingerprint sensor). It's also a higher refresh rate 90Hz panel. 

As for the Realme 7 Pro, that uses an AMOLED panel supplied by Samsung, which means it's brighter and more vivid, plus features deeper blacks. It's smaller - at 6.4-inches - and 'only' has 60Hz refresh rate, but does make up for it with a 180Hz touch sampling rate. That should still mean swift responses to touch input and gestures. 

Performance and hardware

  • Realme 7: MediaTek Helio G95 processor
  • Realme 7 Pro: Snapdragon 720G processor
  • Realme 7: 4GB/64GB, 6GB/64GB and 8GB/128GB variants
  • Realme 7 Pro: 8GB/128GB memory and storage
  • Realme 7: 5000mAh battery and 30W Dart Charge
  • Realme 7 Pro: 4500mAh battery and 65W SuperDart Charge

It's in the power and hardware department that really sets these two phones apart. The Pro model is definitely living up to its name here. 

While the lower end Realme 7 uses a cheaper MediaTek Helio G95 processor, the Pro model uses a relatively powerful Snapdragon 720G processor. And, while its 4,500mAh battery is a lower capacity than the standard Realme 7, it's equipped with the super-fast 65W SuperDart Charge technology which is - essentially - a rebadged version of Oppo's SuperVOOC 2.0. That means you get a full charge in under 40 minutes. 

The 5,000mAh battery on the Realme 7 should mean you get really solid all-day performance (and perhaps even two days of use) from a full charge, and the 30W Dart Charge will still give you a full day's worth of power from 30 minutes plugged into the charger. 

Realme 7 has three storage and RAM variants detailed above in the bullets, while the Pro only comes as the 8GB/128GB variant. 

Camera

  • Realme 7: Quad camera system
    • 48MP f/1.8 primary camera (Samsung S5KGM1ST)
    • 8MP f/2.3 119-degree ultra-wide
    • 2MP B+W f/2.4 portrait sensor
    • 2MP f/2.4 macro sensor
  • Realme 7 Pro: Quad camera system
    • 64MP f/1.8 primary camera (Sony IMX682)
    • 8MP f/2.3 119-degree ultra-wide
    • 2MP B+W f/2.4 portrait sensor
    • 2MP f/2.4 macro sensor
  • Realme 7: 16MP 79-degree selfie camera
  • Realme 7 Pro: 32MP 85-degree selfie camera

Interestingly, the broad strokes of the camera systems are pretty similar. Both feature a quad-camera system with an ultra-wide and primary camera placed alongside a low-resolution macro sensor and monochrome depth sensor. 

The exact specifics are a little different, however. The Pro model has a higher resolution Sony sensor, while the regular Realme 7 uses a 48-megapixel Samsung sensor. That should mean better images from the Pro, not necessarily because of the higher pixel count, but because Sony seems to be the go-to for image quality these days. 

Both feature the same ultra-wide camera with an 8-megapixel sensor and 119-degree field of view. On the front, the Realme Pro has a wider 85-degree field of view from the selfie camera, which also has double the number of megapixels 

Realme 7 Dual-SIM 64GB ROM 6GB RAM GSM Only No CDMA Factory Unlocked 4G LTE Smartphone Blue - International Version

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Price and availability

  • Realme 7 - £179/£199/£239, available from 21 October
  • Realme 7 Pro - £279, available from 13 October

Realme 7 Pro goes on sale first in the UK, and is available from 13 October 2020 with a single RAM/storage model for £279. 

Realme 7 will be available from 21 October and come in three different RAM/storage variants. The lowest tier 4GB/64GB version will be £179, with the 6GB/64GB and 8GB/128GB models costing £199 and £239 respectively. 

Conclusion

In the end, it's clear why the Pro model is more expensive than the regular and could be worth spending the extra if it's within your budget. In fact, it's an easy recommendation if you were considering the highest storage/RAM capacity model in the non-Pro version. 

The Pro has a better display, better camera, processor and faster charging, and all of those things will improve the experience. 

However, given the specs and especially considering that huge 5,000mAh battery, at £179 the regular Realme 7 looks to be a bit of a bargain.