Full review: realme 14 Pro 5G

realme’s strategy of hooking consumers with stunning, color-changing designs has proven to be a smart move. The tech brand does this with every iteration of the Number Series. The realme 14 Pro 5G is no exception. After weeks of testing, we can confidently say it has the looks to grab your attention and the features to keep you coming back. Read on to get to know the realme 14 Pro 5G.

Design and build

One thing’s for sure — realme has nailed it again on the design front. Personally, the cold-sensitive, color-changing design is my favorite one so far. But it has nothing to do with the theatrics of having a dynamic design, it’s more of the uniqueness of the Pearl White variant. 

No two designs are exactly alike, which adds a nice personal touch. The luscious feel, shimmering effect, and beautiful gold and white streaks all contribute to that wow factor.

Ergonomically, it doesn’t disappoint either. At just 179g and 7.55mm thick, the realme 14 Pro 5G is lightweight and slim, making it comfortable to grip even for long periods. Together with the curved body, comfort levels surely won’t drop.

Despite the delicate facade, it’s loaded with IP ratings — IP69, IP68, IP66, and IP6X ratings — to keep the device protected against dust and water. 

Display

The realme 14 Pro 5G houses a 6.77-inch OLED curved display with a 120Hz refresh rate and 4500nits peak brightness. All of this work together to deliver stunning visuals with beautiful colors and sharp details. I found myself relishing every moment while streaming my current favorite series, Running Point and When Life Gives You Tangerines.

It has a way of making visuals pop and come to life. Not to mention, the display remained smooth throughout. At the same time, no matter where I decided to watch — brightly lit outdoors or dim-lit rooms — the visibility was always on point. 

Camera 

Back at the rear, you’ll find the dual camera setup consisting of a 50MP (f/1.8) Sony IMX882 main sensor with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), and a 2MP (f/2.4) depth sensor replacing last year’s ultrawide camera.

Upon testing the main shooter in good lighting conditions, I was genuinely impressed by the results. Photos exhibited an incredible amount of detail, doing justice to every picturesque view I’ve seen. I found myself using the 2x zoom more often as it adds a unique vibe to the shots while maintaining the same good quality. Even the most mundane scenes came out stunning.

One thing that stood out was how well it handled backlit shots. Even while shooting a subject against a bright background, it managed to balance the highlights and shadows of the photo, exhibiting a good dynamic ratio. The subject stood out while the background looked clear and detailed — not washed out. 

In low-light scenarios, the device held its ground. The level of detail didn’t take a huge hit, and the photos appear adequately lit and detailed. You can take advantage of the MagicGlow triple flash when you’re out partying for that aesthetic flash photography. 

If you’re a beach lover, you can capture memories worry-free with its underwater shooting capabilities.

As for software features, AI Eraser 2.0 is a kind of a mixed bag. While it can remove unwanted objects and photo bombers, results vary depending on the complexity of the background. Some clean-ups look seamless, while others—not quite.

There’s also the AI Ultra Clarity at your disposal should you wish to enhance your shots and boost sharpness.

The front camera went down from 32MP last year to 16MP this year, but the quality still holds up despite the lower pixel count. You can still enjoy taking those golden hour selfies.

Performance

Under the hood, the realme 14 Pro 5G is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Energy processor, with a clock speed of up to 2.5GHz. Thanks to the performance improvements over its predecessor, I didn’t encounter any hiccups — no lags or frame drops — even with the highest graphical settings.

If you’re a regular user who multitasks and runs several apps at once, you can expect a consistently smooth experience. I can attest to this firsthand, and I also credit its 26GB of total RAM (12GB RAM + 14GB Dynamic RAM Expansion).

Battery and charging

As mentioned in my first impressions article, realme made a big jump in battery capacity from the 5200mAh of the predecessor to the 6000mAh of this new iteration. More impressively, it did so while keeping the lightweight build.

Powering up the device with the 45W SuperVOOC adapter took me a little over an hour, but that’s not a deal breaker at all given how rare you might have to juice up. 

Verdict

In my initial impressions, I commended realme for going all out with upgrades for the realme 14 Pro 5G. It’s not your typical modest, “wait until next for a real upgrade” kind of release. For this year’s model, I’d say it’s worth it.

All things considered, the realme 14 Pro 5G lives up to the hype with its beautiful and bright display, highly capable camera capabilities, AI features, reliable performance, and massive battery life. It truly impressed on all fronts. With the price of PHP21,999, you’re sure to get more than your money’s worth.