Realme 5i vs Realme 5 vs Realme 5 Pro: Which one to buy?

Realme is making a name in the smartphone world for its budget-friendly yet capable smartphones. In 2019, the brand launched its affordable entry-level Realme 5 and the under PHP15K mid-ranger, the Realme 5 Pro. Recently, the smartphone brand launched another of its entry-level devices, the Realme 5i, in the Philippines. With all these offerings, we’re pretty sure some of you are asking yourselves, which Realme smartphone should you get? In this article, we’re throwing in all three devices up against each other to help you decide. Read on!

Note: Specs below are based on models released in the Philippines.

Advantages of each smartphone:

Realme 5i

• Display size
• Large battery capacity
• 64GB storage
• Affordable price

Realme 5

• More RAM and storage options
• Corning Gorilla Glass 3+
• Higher front camera resolution
• Large battery capacity with 10W fast charging

Realme 5 Pro

• More powerful chipset
• Up to 8GB RAM
• Higher front camera resolution
• Higher main camera resolution
• VOOC 3.0 flash charge support (20W)
• USB Type-C port

In terms of display, the 5i and 5 have the same size, measuring at 6.5-inches, while the 5 Pro has a slightly smaller one at 6.2-inches. Despite being the smallest out of the three smartphones, the 5 Pro has the highest resolution, coming in with a 2340 x 1080 FHD+ panel. The three devices also have a drop notch, housing their respective front cameras. All smartphones are equipped with Corning Gorilla Glass protection; the 5i has Gorilla Glass 3, while the 5 and 5 Pro have 3+.

Under the hood, the 5i and 5 both have a Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 chipset, while the 5 Pro comes equipped with a Snapdragon 712 processor. Between the two processors, the SD712 is the newer and better one. When it comes to RAM and storage configurations, the 5 Pro has options of 4GB or 8GB RAM and can be paired with either 64GB or 128GB storage. As for the Realme 5, it’s available in 3GB or 4GB RAM, with storage variants of 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB. Last but not least, the Realme 5i only has one configuration available in the Philippines in the form of 3GB RAM and 64GB storage. All the handsets have expandable storage up to 256GB via microSD.

When it comes to cameras, the 5i, 5, and 5 Pro all have quadruple-rear camera setups. The 5i and 5 both have cameras consisting of a 12MP primary, 8MP ultra-wide, 2MP portrait, and a 2MP macro snapper. On the other hand, the 5 Pro sports a 48MP primary shooter, an 8MP ultra-wide, 2MP portrait, and a 2MP macro lens. As for the front camera, the three smartphones employ different lenses: the 5i has an 8MP shooter, the 5 comes with a 13MP one, while the 5 Pro has a 16MP camera.

Battery-wise, the 5i and 5 have a 5,000mAh cell, while the 5 Pro possesses a 4,035mAh battery. Despite sharing the same battery capacity, the 5i doesn’t have any form of fast charging support, while the 5 has 10W charging. As for the 5 Pro, it supports 20W VOOC 3.0 flash charging. When it comes to charging ports, the 5i and 5 employ an outdated micro USB port, compared to the 5 Pro that has a USB Type-C one.

As for features, all three devices have a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner and face unlock capabilities. Wired headphones users can also rejoice as all three devices have a 3.5mm audio jack. The three handsets all run on Android 9 Pie, with the ColorOS6 skin on top of it.

Here are the prices of each smartphone:

Realme 5i

• 3GB + 64GB – PHP 6,990USD 119INR 10,098EUR 113CNY 867

Realme 5

• 3GB + 32GB – PHP 6,990USD 119INR 10,098EUR 113CNY 867
• 3GB + 64GB – PHP 7,990USD 136INR 11,542EUR 130CNY 992
• 4GB + 128GB – PHP 9,990USD 170INR 14,432EUR 162CNY 1,240

Realme 5 Pro

• 4GB + 128GB – PHP 11,990USD 204INR 17,321EUR 195CNY 1,488
• 8GB + 128GB – PHP 13,990USD 238INR 20,210EUR 227CNY 1,736

If you’re under a tight budget but would like to have quadruple cameras, you could go for the 5i and the lowest configuration the 5. Between the two, however, if larger storage capacity is in your interest, we suggest that you purchase the 5i. Comparing the 5i to the second variant of the Realme 5 though, the Realme 5 (3GB + 64GB) has 10W fast charging support and a front camera with a higher resolution. If you can stretch your budget a little further, you might want to cop that instead.

If you have a little more room in your budget, the Realme 5 (4GB + 128GB) doesn’t cross the PHP10K line and is a good value-for-money entry-level device. On the other hand, however, the base variant of the Realme 5 Pro shares the same configuration as the Realme 5’s highest variant. If the slightly smaller battery capacity isn’t an issue for you and if you’d like a better processor, higher primary camera resolution, higher front camera resolution, and a USB-C port, then the Realme 5 Pro’s base configuration might interest you.

However, if you’re simply looking for a mid-range device that won’t put much of a dent in your pocket, you can go all out and cop the Realme 5 Pro at its highest configuration.