realme 14 Pro

Realme's "Pro" models' strength typically lies in the camera department, but that only seems to be the case with the 14 Pro+ variant in the current lineup. The Realme 14 Pro lacks an ultra-wide camera, which is unusual in this segment. The main attraction here is the 50MP primary camera leveraging the IMX882 sensor with f/1.8 aperture and OIS support. The front gets the same 16MP camera with only 1080p30fps recording support as the last iteration.With the primary 50MP camera, the Realme 14 Pro takes stunning photos in various lighting conditions. Its photos typically prioritise vibrant colours and a balanced contrast. Realme is known for brightening its photos, which is evident here, but it doesn't detract from the overall aesthetics. You may occasionally notice high saturation, although it doesn't make the images look too warm.The IMX882 sensor also excels at capturing finer details, while the software is well-optimised to deliver a balanced dynamic range. There's room for improvement in images with human subjects involved, as the Realme 14 Pro often fails to detect the accurate skin complexion. Even the portrait mode needs some improvement since the edge detection shows a few inconsistencies.

The Realme 14 Pro features MediaTek's Dimensity 7300 SoC, which powers several smartphones, like the budget-friendly Nothing CMF Phone 1 (review) or camera and AI-focused OPPO Reno12 Pro (review). The base variant has 128GB of UFS 3.1 storage (Rs 24,999), while the top model gets 256GB storage (Rs 26,999). Both options have 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM.While the Dimensity 7300 SoC isn't a powerhouse, at least in benchmarks, it offers sufficient juice for daily productivity, like browsing the internet, multi-media consumption, and social media. Combined with the 120Hz refresh rate, the scrolling experience remained smooth, and I did not notice major stutters or lags.The phone ships with Android 15-based Realme UI 6, which introduces new "anti-theft" features and Google's Circle to Search. The former includes "verify for power-off" and "location and network" settings, providing useful features to track the phone's location in case of theft.In my usage, I found existing AI-backed features like AI Clear Voice, (inspired by Apple's noise isolation feature to cut background noises during phone calls) and AI gestures more useful.However, Realme must consider improving the user interface by reducing pre-installed apps.SmartphonesPre-installed appsOS updates (Android + security)Realme 14 Pro642 years + 3 yearsOnePlus Nord 4484 years + 6 yearsPOCO X7 Pro643 years + 4 years

As mentioned, the key highlight here is the new 6,000mAh battery with 45W charging. Realme has also provided the charger in the box, which customers will appreciate. The Realme 14 Pro performed impressively in our synthetic benchmark on PCMark and real-life tests. With high settings, I easily got over a day's worth of backup on a single charge. The phone can even offer up to two days of backup with moderate usage. The gaming experience can be fine-tuned, as it consumed 19 percent of the battery in our 90-minute test, which involved playing BMGI, COD Mobile, and Real Racing 3. The POCO X7 Pro offered better performance by consuming 17 percent of the battery at the end of the round.On the other hand, its charging speed is decent, if not the best in the segment. The Realme 14 Pro utilises a single-cell battery with a 6,000mAh capacity, and it takes nearly an hour to go from 20 to 100 percent.SmartphonesBatteryCharging timeRealme 14 Pro (45W)6,000mAh57 minutesOnePlus Nord 4 (100W)5,500mAh23 minutesPOCO X7 Pro (90W)6,550mAh34 minutes