Realme X2 Pro – Expectations and Disappointments?
Realme X2 Pro has been launched in India for a starting price of Rs 29,999. Realme is the fastest growing mobile brand in the world and especially in India. A spin-off from Oppo, Realme’s success can be attributed mainly to its killer price strategy. Every mobile they launched so far has been much cheaper than the competition with similar specs. When the X2 Pro price was announced, there was an uneasy silence in the crowd. Every single online comment wanted the X2 pro to be priced low. I am not sure if they understand what goes into the mobile, but invariably the crowd wanted it to be priced low.
This is not a healthy sign for any industry. I know that Realme created this image for themselves. They wanted to be known as a brand that can bring good specs at an affordable price, just like Redmi or Motorola. But the customers must also understand a bit of tech and the cost to get the tech implemented well. Now let us look at the Realme X2 Pro closely and understand the features that it brings to the table at the price of under Rs 30k.
Features that Excite
- Snapdragon 855 Plus – The latest and greatest processor from Snapdragon
- Cooling technology like copper chambers and graphite sheets
- Dual Linear Speakers with Dolby Atmos Sound
- Metal frame with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on both the sides
- 50W charger that can charge the mobile in under 30 minutes
- 90 Hz AMOLED display
- In-display fingerprint sensor
- A camera app that can talk to DJI Osmo gimbal
Features that matter, but does not excite me!
- 64 MP camera – More megapixels does not mean better picture quality. But Realme has put in a lot of effort in image processing.
- Quad Camera – More camera does not mean better images, but Realme has covered most of the imaging needs with these 4 cameras.
- 20X hybrid zoom – This is mostly image processing, but Realme has done it well.
- Smaller notch – Realme X had a pop-up camera that Realme has abandoned for notches. But the notch on X2 pro is small compared to the competition.
- 20:9 aspect ratio – This is wider than Realme XT by a tiny margin, but larger screen matters to many.
The 50W Super Vooc charge and the 20X hybrid zoom seems to have been a tech borrowed from Oppo. The 90 Hz display could be from Oneplus. But just look up for the price of Oppo Reno Series or Oneplus 7T. Realme X2 Pro is still priced much lower than these mobiles. The only disappointment which is valid could be the Color OS on the mobile. Realme X2 Pro has very good hardware but bundled with Color OS which comes along with a truckload of bloatware.
Realme X2 Pro is definitely a promising device and it is not overpriced, though it is roughly Rs 4k more than the China price. Considering the Indian business model, tax tariffs and conversion rates, Realme X2 Pro pricing is perfect to be called “Killer Price”.
Just because every Realme so far is priced around 10k and 15k, it does not mean that the X2 Pro must also get a sub 10k or 15k price and such an expectation is not lacks logic but also would harm the market. Mobile manufacturers may tend to launch high spec devices at a low price, but compromising on the quality. If your budget is not above 15k, then you can look at other devices from Realme, like XT or X. But it is not right to expect the Realme X2 Pro to be priced within your budget. Such expectations will only lead to disappointments.
And, Hey Realme, if you are reading this, please move away from Flash sale or Invite only sales model. This will gather nothing but hatred from the market. You have been doing well with your sales strategy so far and please continue. Do not get wavered by sales models which the competition have used in the past.
