Realme, sub-brand of Oppo, has offered some of the gorgeous looking budget smartphones in the recent past. With this, it not only captured a decent amount of share in the Indian market but also dented sales of other mobile manufacturers in the last six months. Having fared decently in the affordable segment, it now wants to target the premium segment where OnePlus appeared to one and all the undisputed king, before Asus brought its ROG Phone 2 to grab even more eyeballs.

Realme’s latest offering or I should say first offering, in the premium segment is the Realme X2 Pro, labeled as “India’s fastest charging flagship”. The smartphone appears to be a strong contender to the likes of the Xiaomi K20 Pro, Oppo Reno, OnePlus 7T and Asus ROG Phone 2, but it isn’t all roses and there are thorns too. So, let’s quickly find out at how the Realme X2 Pro stacks up against the hottest devices from other smartphone manufacturers in the premium segment.

Design: It’s undoubtedly the best-looking device that Realme has ever made. It looks attractive, feels near-premium but if you compare the Realme X2 Pro with the OnePlus 7T or Asus ROG Phone 2, the smartphone lacks that "aura.  It has a glossy finish and Gorilla Glass protection at the back but with matte-finish, the OnePlus 7T looks much more attractive than the Realme flagship. Even the ROG Phone 2 feels more premium to hold than the X2 Pro. To me, the Realme device is on par with Xiaomi’s K20 Pro in terms of design. It may be that I am not a big fan of glossy finishes, something smartphone manufacturers have moved on to just to let devices shine more and more. First, it serves as a fingerprint magnet on the rear panel, and second it, at times, attract dust particles.

Display: This is one department where the Realme X2 Pro actually competes with the OnePlus’ latest device in the premium segment. Realme climbed mountains to offer a display with 90Hz refresh rate, its first, and it looks bright. Every multimedia content played on it comes out sharp and immersive with good viewing angles. To compete with other players in this segment, Realme had to improve upon its panel and it tried to do the same. However, when put against the OnePlus 7T, which has 90Hz display refresh rate, and the Asus ROG Phone 2 with 120Hz display refresh rate, the X2 Pro comes out a distant third. Both Realme X2 Pro and OnePlus 7T feature large 6.5-inch Full HD+ AMOLED 90Hz panels, while the ROG Phone 2 gets a 6.59-inch screen. If I would have to choose one, I’d go for the OnePlus 7T, simply because it offers a brighter display than the X2 Pro. I may ignore the ROG Phone 2 for thick bezels it has at the front, but if you are into gaming or want a superior lag-free experience, the Asus flagship stands tall.

Camera: What’s a premium segment smartphone, if it doesn't offer impressive optics? To be fair, I could not test Realme X2’s camera for long. A few shots here and there, ranging from wide-angle to macro, in different lighting conditions is all I could manage. But having reviewed most of the smartphone launched in the last five years, I can definitely say that the X2 Pro’s camera seeks attention. It sports a 64MP quad rear camera setup, second for Realme, which includes a 13MP telephoto lens, 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 2MP depth sensor. Results are good but not revolutionary as details are there but exposure is not up to the mark. Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 8 Pro, priced at Rs. 14,999, offers similar results.

Performance: What more do you want if you are getting the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ processor and Adreno 640 GPU in Rs. 29,999? This is where Realme takes the cake along with the toppings. The OnePlus 7T offers almost similar, or a slightly faster, performance at Rs. 37,999. So, spending Rs. 8,000 extra may not be a wise decision if only the powerful 855+ is your hill to die on.

Battery: So, Realme demonstrated in their launch event how fast its 50w charger can power the X2 Pro’s cell in comparison to other flagship smartphones. They had placed on the left side of the stage: the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+, Huawei P30 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max and Realme X2 Pro, sitting on a yellow table. But if I could see properly, which I think I can, all the other phones were on working mode save the X2 Pro, which was on flight mode. This is how the battery test was conducted. And in 33 minutes, the Real X2 Pro with 4,000mAh was charged 100 per cent, the Note 10+ with a 4,300 mAh battery was fuelled 70 per cent, the P30 Pro with a 4,200 mAh cell was at 78 per cent, and the 11 Pro Max with a 3989mAh battery stood at 55 per cent. Realme calls its X2 Pro “India’s fastest charging flagship” and it actually is the fastest charging smartphone, thanks to the SuperVOOC Flash Charge technology.

Conclusion: The Realme X2 Pro is certainly a good smartphone, a great effort I must say. But can it compete with the likes of OnePlus 7T and Asus ROG Phone 2? I think it’s a tough task for the newly launched phone. It may have all the specs one wants in a premium device but that premium aura and feel is missing somewhere. If you’re on a tight budget, the X2 Pro is good enough for you but if you can spend a bit more, says Rs. 4,000-Rs. 8000, OnePlus 7T and ROG phone 2 offer better value for your money. Realme may have been there for a while now in the budget and mid-range segment, but its major challenge in the coming days would be to convince customers to consider it as a new player in the premium segment.