Taking the red pill: is the Realme Neo 7 a flagship killer or it’s not The One?

Why not all of the above, and more?

That’s called a flagship: the best there is commercially available. It’s chock-full of premium features, top-notch hardware, and the latest software. It comes in a sleek, premium body and screams: “I’m expensive”. And you can bet your bottom dollar that it is.

However, “the best” for me, some years ago, was not a flagship. It was something pretty far from the flagship concept: the Pixel 3a. A budget-friendly device I got on a Black Friday discount – no Snapdragon 8 Elite, no 120Hz refresh rate, no 200 MP cameras, no lots of things.

Why the sudden trip down the memory lane? Why are we defining what’s a flagship and who needs what?

You’ll have to thank my colleague Cosmin and his latest article for that:

Let’s check it out!

“Wake up, Neo…”

It’s white, it’s big, it’s a big white dream come true. | Image credit – Realme

We shouldn’t let a good opportunity pass by without taking advantage of it, so we can’t be possibly discussing the Realme Neo 7 without making a The Matrix (1999) reference or two.

What comes to mind is, of course, the scene where Morpheus presents two pills in his outstretched hands: a red pill to reveal the truth about reality and a blue pill to return to the illusion of the Matrix.

– The Matrix, 1999

Let’s do what Neo did and take the red pill. Let’s choose the truth.

“There is no spoon”, but there are monstrous specs

Image credit – MediaTek

There’s no way around this: the Realme Neo 7 sounds amazing on paper:

• Dimensity 9300+ chipset
• 6.78-inch super bright display
• 50MP main camera
• 7,000 mAh mind-boggling battery (with fast charging)
• Laughable $300 price that takes my breath away

I know, I know: everybody these days is obsessed with the Snapdragon 8 Elite, but MediaTek’s Dimensity 9300+ chipset is among the best pieces of silicon one can get. It offers Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 levels of performance here, give or take. That means one thing: power!Next, the 7,000 mAh capacity battery is like a dream come true. I get the bad vibes when I recall my Pixel 3a’s 3,000 mAh cell. The Realme’s battery puts to shame everything else on the market. Also, it comes with 80W wired charging. Once you enter the fast charging speeds realm, there’s no coming back.

The LTPO OLED display is large and bright at the same time at 6.78 inches and up to 6,000 nits brightness. Of course, the claimed 6,000 nits are not emitted all the time – but still, it should be pretty bright.

And then, there’s the ~$300 starting price for the 12/256 GB variant. It’s a deal, it’s a steal, it’s the sale of the century. Right?

Android 15 out of the box, IP69-rated dust and water protection (that’s pretty high!), what else to ask for?

There is a thing, actually.

This phone says: “I know kung fu”, but I need a better camera

The Galaxy S24 Ultra has a better camera, but starts at $1,299.99. The Neo 7 starts at ~$300. Keep that in mind. | Image credit – PhoneArena

Realme’s latest phone features a dual-camera setup. It comes with a 50-megapixel main camera equipped with a Sony IMX882 sensor and optical image stabilization (OIS), alongside an 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera.

That’s great and all, but I find it simply not good enough in two ways:

• No dedicated telephoto unit
• The 8MP ultra-wide unit just doesn’t instill confidence

I know, I know: for $300 one is getting so much bang for their buck, that it’s straightforwardly rude to whine and act out.However, I think that the true flagship killer – The One, if you will – should match the big flagship bosses it goes against in every possible way. Even if it costs more.

That being said, I don’t mind paying more, let’s say ~$600 for a true flagship killer. That’s twice the price of the Realme Neo 7’s ~$300 tag, but still: way, way cheaper than the “celebrity” flagships out there (costing $1000 and much more).

Is there such a flagship killer, though?

“Don’t think you are. Know you are!”: Realme does have a proper flagship killer

The Realme GT 7 Pro also looks great. | Image credit – Realme

A month ago, Realme unveiled another phone: the ~$600 Realme GT 7 Pro.

This bad boy stands out with its Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, outperforming rivals like the Galaxy S24 Ultra and iPhone 16 Pro Max in benchmarks. Its 120Hz display delivers exceptional brightness at 2,000 nits, surpassing competitors.

The phone boasts a 50MP periscope zoom camera with advanced optical and lossless zoom capabilities, paired with a larger sensor for superior detail. A massive 6,500 mAh battery with 120W fast charging and IP69 water resistance (allowing even underwater photography), and the list goes on.

Also, the OnePlus 12 is an amazing option, if you can find it around the $650 mark. There are top-notch Oppo phones as well. But I digress.

At the end of the day, remember this: there’s no need to pay top dollar to get a proper flagship experience. Step out of the Matrix. Wake up, Neo…Taking the red pill: is the Realme Neo 7 a flagship killer, or it’s not The One?