How fast does the OnePlus 8T charge? This Android phone...

The Realme 7 and Realme 7 Pro are two new budget phones – the Realme 7 from 179 euros, the Realme 7 Pro 279 euros. However, both come with surprisingly high-end technology. The most exciting of these is the 7 Pro’s 65 watt charging capacity. And this fast charging system will serve as one of the main features of the upcoming OnePlus 8T.

Realme is one of the younger members of BBK Electronics, the parent company that owns OnePlus, Oppo, Vivo and several other Chinese phone manufacturers. The target market is younger users who want flagship-like features at a low price, and that is exactly what Realme 7 and Realme 7 Proare aim for. Both are available for pre-order now in the UK.

Test the Realme 7 Pro’s 65W charging

The Realme 7 Pro isn’t the first phone to use this charging system, as it first appeared on the Oppo Reno Ace last year. Still, it’s certainly one of the cheapest and, more importantly, unlike Oppo’s device available to UK customers. Americans will have to wait until the OnePlus 8T to achieve similar charging speeds, as Realme doesn’t sell its products west of the Atlantic.

After unpacking the Realme 7 Pro, of course, I wanted to test how fast it was charging with 65 W. After draining the phone’s 4,500mAh battery, I plugged the USB-C cable into the device, plugged the smart-looking Power Brick into the socket, and set a 10-minute timer. When I got back the Realme 7 Pro had a 38% charge – and my mind was overwhelmed.

After draining the battery again, I decided to test how much power a 30-minute charge would deliver. After half an hour, the Realme 7 Pro was 97% full. I was amazed once again.

To bring things back to earth, that’s actually a little slower than expected as Realme claims you can get 42% in 10 minutes and 100% in 30. But if you can forgive a small variation in battery status and test conditions, this is still the fastest I’ve ever seen.

OnePlus confirmed a few weeks ago that the OnePlus 8T will charge 65W when launched on October 14th. The 8T is a far more expensive phone than the Realme, but after spending time with the 7 Pro, I have high hopes for the OnePlus 8T when we get it to test.

This little experiment also gives a good impression of how valid OnePlus’ claims are, as the upcoming 8T will also include a 4,500 mAh battery in addition to the Realme 7 Pro in addition to its own 65 W adapter. OnePlus has stated that it takes the 8T only 10 minutes to reach 40% capacity from an empty state.

Sink with premium features

I also like other aspects of the Realme 7 Pro that go beyond charging performance. Like the cameras, for example, which are fully featured despite the phone’s low price.

The main lens uses a 64-megapixel sensor, which takes pictures at a much higher resolution than many phone cameras currently on the market and allows for better details. On the back there is an 8MP ultrawide camera, a 2MP macro sensor and a 2MP depth sensor. While there is no dedicated tele-optics, you can get a decent digital zoom thanks to the abundance of megapixels captured by the main camera. There’s also a 32-megapixel front shooter for high-resolution selfies.

The Realme 7 Pro has a large 6.4-inch Full HD display that should be the perfect size for the average phone user. What’s strange is that it’s a 60Hz panel while the cheaper Realme 7 gets a 6.5-inch 90 Hz display. This is the same refresh rate as on much more expensive phones like the Pixel 5 or OnePlus Nord. The only reason Realme decided to ditch the 7 Pro’s high refresh rate was to give it a brighter and more colorful AMOLED panel. The standard Realme 7 has to make do with a simple old LCD.

Audio is also a strength for the Realme 7 Pro. You get stereo speakers, which is a relative rarity at this price point, as well as a headphone jack, which is generally a rarity on modern smartphones. Whether you want to listen to music with wireless headphones, wired headphones, or without headphones, the Realme 7 Pro is capable of satisfying.

Where Realme cuts costs

However, Realme has made some compromises to get its low price point. The plastic backs on the 7 and 7 Pro seem to be the main ones, which feel much less premium than the glass-backed phones that become more common as your budget increases. It still looks great as both the Mirror Blue (pictured) and Mirror Silver colors have an attractive matte finish that is highlighted by a stripe on the left that provides a pleasant contrast.

Another place you can find cheaper parts is on the screen. The Realme 7’s display is made of Gorilla Glass 3, while the 7 Pro gets Gorilla Glass 3+. While these goggles are still pretty sturdy, they don’t prevent as much damage as the flagship Gorilla Glass 6 or the recently debuted Gorilla Glass Victus.

The basic Realme 7 doesn’t have the fast charging technology of the 7 Pro or the same cameras. Instead, this model focuses more on its game-oriented Helio G95 chipset, larger 5,000 mAh battery, and the aforementioned 90 Hz display.

However, Realme 7’s regular cameras are still quite effective. It only has a 48MP main rear sensor but uses the same 8MP / 2MP / 2MP ultrawide, macro and depth sensors, plus a 16MP sensor in the front camera notch. And while the Pro model’s 65W charger isn’t supported, the 30W charger that the Realme 7 has in the box is still more than fast enough.

Realme 7 and 7 Pro Outlook

The Realme 7 and Realme 7 Pro will launch in the UK on October 21 and 13, respectively, but are available for pre-order now. Phone buyers wanting a new device on a tight budget should obviously take a look, but even if you have more cash to play with, one of these phones could be your bargain price for some very impressive specs – depending on if you prefer one Fast charge battery or a large screen with a high refresh rate.