Realme is expanding its lineup again, and the first example of this new range is the Realme U1 – which the company is touting as its first ‘Selfie Pro’ smartphone. As we have seen earlier, Oppo’s F series has more or less received a warm welcome, therefore, it will come as no surprise that what was once a sub-brand of Oppo is following this line. Other than offering a high-resolution front camera, Realme U1 price is one of the first phones to come with MediaTek Helio P70 SoC that the company claims is much better in efficiency and power compared to the Helio P60 SoC.
Realme U1 Summary
The Realme U1 comes with a plastic body that has a laminated back panel which gives the smartphone a very classy look. The slim side edges also perform a peculiar ‘dewdrop’ notch at the top. FM radio is missing but you get Dual 4G VoLTE and there is a dedicated slot for microSD card. The power used by the phone is the MediaTek Helio P70 SoC which I found to offer very good application and gaming performance. ColorOS 5. 2 also has two new applications known as ORoaming and Smart Scan and these are convenient. On the front lays a rather sharp 25-megapixel camera that is best suited for daytime selfies than in the night. The same is more or less true of the rear camera as well. Battery backup is satisfactory to the extent that, the 3500mAh battery easily runs for a whole day on a single charge.
Realme U1 Full Specifications
General
| Brand | Realme |
| Model | U1 |
| Price in India | ₹9,490 |
| Release date | November 2018 |
| Launched in India | Yes |
| Form factor | Touchscreen |
| Dimensions (mm) | 157.00 x 74.00 x 8.00 |
| Weight (g) | 168.00 |
| Battery capacity (mAh) | 3500 |
| Removable battery | No |
| Wireless charging | No |
| Colours | Ambitious Black, Brave Blue, Fiery Gold |
| SAR value | 1.31 |
Display
| Screen size (inches) | 6.30 |
| Touchscreen | Yes |
| Resolution | 1080×2340 pixels |
| Protection type | Gorilla Glass |
| Aspect ratio | 19.5:9 |
| Pixels per inch (PPI) | 409 |
Hardware
| Processor | 2.1GHz octa-core |
| Processor make | MediaTek Helio P70 |
| RAM | 3GB |
| Internal storage | 32GB |
| Expandable storage | Yes |
| Expandable storage type | microSD |
| Expandable storage up to (GB) | 256 |
| Dedicated microSD slot | Yes |
Camera
| Rear camera | 13-megapixel (f/2.2) + 2-megapixel (f/2.4) |
| Rear flash | LED |
| Front camera | 25-megapixel (f/2.0) |
Connectivity
| Wi-Fi | Yes |
| Wi-Fi standards supported | 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac |
| GPS | Yes |
| Bluetooth | Yes, v 4.20 |
| USB OTG | Yes |
| Micro-USB | Yes |
| Headphones | 3.5mm |
| FM | Yes |
| Number of SIMs | 2 |
| Active 4G on both SIM cards | Yes |
Realme U1 Price in India
Product Name |
Price in India |
| Realme U1 (3GB RAM, 32GB) – Ambitious Black | ₹ 9,490 |
| Realme U1 (4GB RAM, 64GB) – Brave Blue | ₹ 10,490 |
| Realme U1 (3GB RAM, 64GB) – Brave Blue | ₹ 8,999 |
| Realme U1 (3GB RAM, 32GB) – Brave Blue | ₹ 9,999 |
| Realme U1 (4GB RAM, 64GB) – Ambitious Black | ₹ 9,999 |
| Realme U1 (3GB RAM, 64GB) – Ambitious Black | ₹ 11,990 |
Verdict
For the price they are asking for the Realme U1, this is one of the most balanced smartphones on the market. It meets most of what I consider important and has no major cons, apart from ColorOS which I don’t particularly enjoy. Not surprisingly, Realme is marketing the U1 as a direct rival to Xiaomi Redmi Y2 (review). Other contenders are the Honor 8C that we have provided first impressions of, ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M1 which was reviewed and Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro which was also reviewed. Even if you would select a different phone out of sheer brand loyalty, if it’s a good selfie camera you’re after, the Realme U1 is your best bet.