Realme 16 5G is a new mid-range smartphone from the brand and visually it looks fresh but very similar to its predecessor. With a new camera bar on the back and a flat display, it looked like a serious contender in the field, but once I started using it on a daily basis, the compromises became apparent.
The Realme 16 doesn’t completely disappoint you, but it doesn’t quite live up to expectations in its price range either.
Realme 16 5G: fresh packaging
Realme 16 offers a completely new look among similar mid-range smartphones in the market. The pixel-style camera bar on the back is a welcome design upgrade from the previous generation. It comes with a polycarbonate back and frame, but it’s not expensive. Still, the phone feels great in the hand, and its lightweight design makes it comfortable to hold.
To make up for the lack of polycarbonate material, Realme offers IP68 and IP69 water and dust resistance, which is most common on flagship smartphones. This adds a layer of durability that other brands don’t offer in this price range. If you care about long-term reliability, this immediately becomes a major advantage in day-to-day use.
Realme, meanwhile, has done something truly impressive by offering IP68 and IP69 water and dust resistance. This is proper flagship-level protection, and adds durability that most competitors in this segment simply don’t offer. For anyone concerned about long-term reliability and protection, this becomes a major advantage in everyday use.
Realme 16 5G: Display
The display is the highlight of the Realme 16 5G. It’s bright, vibrant and easy to use even in direct sunlight. Outdoor visibility is excellent, and that alone makes a big difference in day-to-day use. Watch videos, infinite scroll or browse the web, everything is smooth with the 120Hz refresh rate. Some users may find the departure from a curved display a bit disappointing, but it’s something you have to live with since most smartphone brands are doing it.
Uniform bezels around the display give it a balanced and polished look, and there’s a punch-hole in the center for the selfie camera. The 120Hz refresh rate is variable, automatically adjusting between 60Hz, 90Hz, and 120Hz based on what you do on the phone. This keeps things smooth while saving battery.
Color reproduction is excellent and everything looks vibrant but not overly so. The only thing missing here is HDR support, which would have made content consumption better. This isn’t a huge issue, but if you’re used to HDR displays, you’ll notice it.
Having said that, the display on the Realme 16 is actually a downgrade from the Realme 15’s 144Hz display (with a peak brightness of 6,500 nits). But these changes aren’t noticeable and won’t even affect your day-to-day experience.
Realme 16 5G camera: Corners have been cut
The camera system is where the Realme 16 starts to showcase the compromises the brand has made and the features it has removed. Let’s start with what Realme did right this year in terms of cameras. The 50MP main sensor on the back is a Sony sensor, accompanied by a 2MP monochrome sensor and a depth sensor. The front houses another 50MP sensor for selfies and video calls.
Pictures are vivid and detailed. Dynamic range is not bad, but for everyday photography the results are more than satisfactory. When I tested the camera, I encountered the first limitation of this camera system – the lack of an ultra-wide-angle sensor. So you’re stuck with a 50MP sensor for everything.
The front camera is equally impressive. The 50MP sensor captures clear, detailed, and natural-looking selfies. One thing that’s immediately noticeable is that beautification is disabled by default, which results in more realistic photos without unnecessary smoothing.
The rear camera mirror is a nice addition, but since the front camera is powerful enough, I never thought about using the rear camera for selfies. Another limitation or downgrade I found when recording video is the lack of 4K video option. You can record videos up to 1080p at 60 fps through the front and rear cameras.
Artificial Intelligence Features
Now talking about the AI features, this is where Realme has done really impressive job. The photo editing section is full of useful AI tools that actually add value and are not just for marketing. Features like AI Recomposer, AI Ultra Clarity, and AI Edit Genie make editing quick and easy.
AI Edit Genie is particularly interesting because it works similarly to the AI Create mode on flagship devices. You can give it commands via text or voice and it will edit your image accordingly. I tried converting scenes shot during the day into night scenes and it worked surprisingly well.
However, camera systems are not without limitations. You’ll quickly notice there’s no ultrawide sensor. It limits flexibility and makes the setup feel incomplete. On top of that, video recording is capped at 1080p, which is pretty disappointing at this price point.
Realme 16 5G: Performance and software
Realme 16 5G’s performance is decent, but doesn’t live up to expectations in this price range. MediaTek 6400 Turbo is a budget chipset that comes with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage. For daily use, the phone ran smoothly with no major issues. Apps open quickly, multitasking is done well, and general use feels responsive.
There’s also a GT mode designed to improve gaming performance, but in actual use the difference is barely noticeable. Even the benchmark results didn’t show any significant improvements after enabling this mode.
Gaming performance is generally good. Heavy games like Genshin Impact and Zenless Zone Zero run better at lower graphics settings for a smoother experience, while BGMI performs well at 60fps on high settings, which is great news for the average gamer.
Realme UI 7 offers a lot of customization options, which is undoubtedly one of its strongest aspects. You can tweak almost everything to your liking, which makes the phone feel more personal.
At the same time, the existence of bloatware cannot be ignored. Apps like Hot Games and other pre-installed content cannot be removed or disabled, which slightly affects the overall experience. While you can get around this by customizing the interface, it still doesn’t feel necessary.
Realme 16 5G: Battery is still the strongest package
Finally, the battery is where the Realme 16 5G really stands out. The 7000mAh battery is huge, and what’s even more impressive is that the phone remains slim and lightweight. At about 8mm thick and weighing 183 grams, the balance is truly surprising.
In real-world use, battery performance is excellent. It easily lasts more than a whole day and is not too sparing to use. And the 60W SuperVOOC charging speed is super fast, charging your mobile phone quickly.
Realme 16 5G pros and cons
advantage
- Despite its large battery capacity, it is still thin and light
- Flagship waterproof and dustproof
- Bright AMOLED display
- Stable camera performance
- Marathon battery, 80W charger in box
shortcoming
- Camera lacks ultra-wide-angle lens
- Does not support 4K video recording
- Not suitable for gamers
Realme 16 5G: My thoughts
In the end, the Realme 16 5G feels like a phone that does a lot of important things right but misses out on a few key details. The display is great, the battery life is great, and the AI features add a modern touch. At the same time, the build feels average for the price, the camera lacks versatility, and the performance, while decent, isn’t the best in its class.
