As the battle for midrange smartphone dominance continues, we’re seeing manufacturers left and right come up with new spec bumps and gimmicks to give their devices an edge over competitors. Take for example Realme, which recently expanded its smartphone offerings with the launch of the Realme 16. And yes, we’ll say it right away—it looks terribly familiar if we’re being honest, right down to the marketing lingo.
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Realme says that the base model 16 sets itself apart from its Pro counterparts via the “Air Design” which is the company’s take at riding the current trend of slimmed-down smartphones. The Google and Apple design influences are inherently obvious especially when you look at the device from the rear, where the camera module stretches across the upper half to mimic the camera islands seen on the iPhone Air and Pixel series phones, for example.
Unlike Apple and google’s flagship phones however, the Realme 16 doesn’t skimp out on battery life and instead features a 7,000mAh battery, which supports 60W fast charging. As it is a silicon-carbon battery, the phone keeps a sleek profile at just 8.1mm thick and weighs just 183 grams. In front, the phone features a 6.57-inch AMOLED display with a smooth 120Hz refresh rate, FHD+ resolution, and a peak brightness of 4,500 nits, which should keeps things perfectly visible even under direct sunlight.
Inside, the phone comes with a MediaTek Dimensity 6400 Turbo chipset paired with 8GB of RAM and storage options at 128GB or 256GB. Of course, Android in this case is layered under Realme’s custom skin, which includes pre-installed apps and services. For cameras, you’re getting a 50MP main camera with a Sony IMX852 sensor, in addition to a 2MP monochrome lens. Meanwhile, selfies are handled by a high-resolution 50MP front-facing camera, and the back panel includes a “selfie mirror” to help users frame shots when using the primary rear sensor.
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As for pricing and availability, the Realme 16 5G is currently available in White Swan and Black Cloud colorways. Pricing for the 8GB RAM and 256GB storage configuration is set at around $443.
