Realme 9 vs Realme 8i

61 out of 100

58 out of 100

Here we compared two mid-range smartphones: the 6.4-inch Realme 9 (with Qualcomm Snapdragon 680) that was released on April 12, 2022, against the Realme 8i, which is powered by MediaTek Helio G96 and came out 7 months before. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the devices.

Differences
Review
Specs
Benchmarks
Battery life
Camera
Comments

Key differences

An overview of the main advantages of each smartphone

Reasons to consider the Realme 9

Water-resistant body (IP54 classification)
Shows 19% longer battery life (42:59 vs 36:01 hours)
More energy-efficient CPU – Snapdragon 680
Delivers 20% higher peak brightness (652 against 542 nits)
Has an ultra-wide angle camera lens
Super AMOLED display (versus competitor''s IPS LCD)
Supports higher wattage charging (33W versus 18W)
Faster storage type - UFS 2.2 versus UFS 2.1
Weighs 16 grams less
The phone is 7-months newer

Reasons to consider the Realme 8i

Higher display refresh rate – 120 Hz
30% better performance in AnTuTu Benchmark (383K versus 295K)
32% faster in single-core GeekBench 6 test: 732 and 555 points

Review

Evaluation of Realme 9 and Realme 8i crucial features

Display

Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness

Realme 9

Realme 8i

Camera

Photo and video recording quality

Realme 9

Realme 8i

Performance

CPU and memory performance (apps, system)

Realme 9

Realme 8i

Gaming

Capabilities for playing modern games

Realme 9

Realme 8i

Battery

Battery life, charging type and speed

Realme 9

Realme 8i

Connectivity

Networks, ports, data transmission

Realme 9

Realme 8i

NanoReview Score

Final comparison evaluation

Realme 9

Realme 8i

Value for money

Tests and specifications

Comparison table of technical specifications and tests

Phone:

Realme 9

Realme 8i

Display

Type	Super AMOLED	IPS LCD
Size	6.4 inches	6.6 inches
Resolution	1080 x 2400 pixels	1080 x 2412 pixels
Aspect ratio	20:9	20:9
PPI	411 ppi	401 ppi
Refresh rate	90 Hz	120 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate	No	No
Max rated brightness	430 nits	600 nits
HDR support	No	No
Screen protection	Corning Gorilla Glass 5	Tempered glass
Screen-to-body ratio	84.2%	84.6%
Display features	- DCI-P3 - Always-On Display	- DCI-P3

Peak brightness test (auto)

Realme 9 +20%

652 nits

Realme 8i

542 nits

Design and build

Height	160.2 mm (6.31 inches)	164.1 mm (6.46 inches)
Width	73.3 mm (2.89 inches)	75.5 mm (2.97 inches)
Thickness	7.99 mm (0.31 inches)	8.5 mm (0.33 inches)
Weight	178 g (6.28 oz)	194 g (6.84 oz)
Waterproof	IP54	No
Rear material	Plastic	Plastic
Frame material	Plastic	Plastic
Colors	White, Black, Gold	Black, Purple
Fingerprint scanner	Yes, in-display	Yes, in-button

Screen-to-body ratio

Realme 9

84.2%

Realme 8i

84.6%

Performance

Tests of Realme 9 and Realme 8i in the benchmarks

SoC
Chipset	Qualcomm Snapdragon 680	MediaTek Helio G96
Max clock	2400 MHz	2050 MHz
CPU cores	8 (4 + 4)	8 (2 + 6)
Architecture	- 4 cores at 1.9 GHz: Kryo 265 Silver (Cortex-A53) - 4 cores at 2.4 GHz: Kryo 265 Gold (Cortex-A73)	- 6 cores at 2 GHz: Cortex-A55 - 2 cores at 2.05 GHz: Cortex-A76
Lithography process	6 nanometers	12 nanometers
Graphics	Adreno 610	Mali-G57 MP2
GPU shading units	128	128
GPU clock	1110 MHz	950 MHz
FLOPS	~284 GFLOPS	~243 GFLOPS

Benchmarks

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Realme 9

555

Realme 8i +32%

732

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

Realme 9

1608

Realme 8i +18%

1900

AnTuTu Benchmark 10

Realme 9

295754

Realme 8i +30%

383971

CPU	89040	120137
GPU	40224	70045
Memory	91543	86735
UX	72436	103255
Total score	295754	383971

3DMark Wild Life Performance

Realme 9

446

Realme 8i +145%

1091

Stability	99%	98%
Graphics test	2 FPS	6 FPS
Graphics score	446	1091

PCMark 3.0

Realme 9

8028

Realme 8i +19%

9521

Web score	7442	7661
Video editing	4277	5364
Photo editing	17555	26253
Data manipulation	5892	6468
Writing score	10096	11370

Memory

RAM
RAM size	6, 8 GB	4, 6 GB
Memory type	LPDDR4X	LPDDR4X
Memory clock	2133 MHz	2133 MHz
Channels	2	2

Storage
Storage size	128 GB	64, 128 GB
Storage type	UFS 2.2	UFS 2.1
Memory card	MicroSD	MicroSD
Memory card max size	Up to 256 GB	Up to 512 GB

Software

Operating system	Android 12 (Can be upgraded to Android 13)	Android 11 (Can be upgraded to Android 13)
ROM	Realme UI 4.0	Realme UI 4.0

Battery

Capacity	5000 mAh	5000 mAh
Max charge power	33 W	18 W
Battery type	Li-Po	Li-Po
Replaceable	No	No
Wireless charging	No	No
Reverse charging	No	No
Fast charging	Yes (50% in 30 min)	Yes (30% in 30 min)
Full charging time	1:16 hr	2:21 hr

Battery life tests
Web browsing	15:18 hr	13:02 hr
Watching video	18:35 hr	10:59 hr
Gaming	07:31 hr	06:12 hr
Standby	139 hr	142 hr

General battery life

Realme 9 +19%

42:59 hr

Realme 8i

36:01 hr

Camera

Specs and camera test of smartphones

Main camera
Matrix	108 megapixels	50 megapixels
Image resolution	12000 x 9000	8700 x 5800
Zoom	Digital	Digital
Flash	LED	LED
Stabilization	Digital	Digital
8K video recording	No	No
4K video recording	No	No
1080p video recording	Up to 30FPS	Up to 30FPS
Slow motion	120 FPS (720p)	120 FPS (720p)
Angle of widest lens	120°	-
Lenses	3 (108 MP + 8 MP + 2 MP)	3 (50 MP + 2 MP + 2 MP)
Wide (main) lens	- 108 MP - Aperture: f/1.8 - Pixel size: 0.64 micron - Sensor: 1/1.67", Samsung HM6 (ISOCELL Plus CMOS) - Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel)	- 50 MP - Aperture: f/1.8 - Pixel size: 0.64 micron - Sensor: 1/2.76", Samsung S5KJN1 (ISOCELL CMOS) - Phase autofocus
Ultra-wide lens	- 8 MP - Aperture: f/2.2 - Pixel size: 1.12 micron - Sensor: 1/4", OmniVision OV08D10 (CMOS)	-
Macro lens	- 2 MP - Aperture: f/2.5 - Pixel size: 1.75 micron - Sensor: 1/5", GalaxyCore GC02M1 (CMOS)	- 2 MP - Aperture: f/2.4 - Pixel size: 1.75 micron - Sensor: 1/5", GalaxyCore GC02M1 (CMOS)
Depth lens	-	- 2 MP - Aperture: f/2.4 - Pixel size: 1.75 micron - Sensor: 1/5", Omnivision OV02B10 (CMOS)
Camera features	- Bokeh mode - Pro mode	- Bokeh mode - Pro mode

Selfie camera
Megapixels	16 megapixels	16 megapixels
Image resolution	4920 x 3264	4920 x 3264
Aperture	f/2.1	f/2.1
Pixel size	1 microns	1 microns
Sensor type	Exmor-RS CMOS	CMOS
Sensor size	1/3.13"	1/3.0"
Video resolution	1080p (Full HD) at 30 FPS	1080p (Full HD) at 30 FPS

Connectivity

Wi-Fi standard	Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac)	Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac)
Wi-Fi features	- Dual Band - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display	- Dual Band - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display
Bluetooth version	5.1	5.1
Bluetooth features	LE, A2DP	LE, A2DP
USB type	USB Type-C	USB Type-C
USB version	2	2
USB features	- Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG	- Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG
GPS	GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo	GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, NAVIC
NFC *	Depends on the region	Depends on the region
Infrared port	No	No

Network
Number of SIM *	2	2
Type of SIM card	Nano	Nano
Multi SIM mode	Standby	Standby
eSIM support *	No	No
Hybrid slot	No	No
LTE Cat *	-	13
5G support	No	No

Sound

Speakers	Mono	Mono
Headphone audio jack	Yes	Yes
FM radio	No	No
Dolby Atmos	-	No

Other

Category	Mid-range	Mid-range
Announced	April 2022	September 2021
Release date	April 2022	September 2021
Sensors	- Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint	- Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint
Bundled charger	Yes, 33 W	-

* Disclaimer! NFC, GSM network support, and some other specs can be different depending on the country.

Conclusion

If the battery life and design are more important to you, then choose the Realme 9 . But if the performance and gaming are more of a priority – go for the Realme 8i .