The realme 8i has officially launched in the Philippines. It sports a large screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, a MediaTek Helio G96 chipset, triple-rear cameras, and a 5,000mAh battery. However, there’s another smartphone in the market that shares the same specs, the Tecno Camon 18p. Which one is the better option based on specs? Find out below.
| realme 8i | Tecno Camon 18p |
|---|---|
| 6.6-inch FHD+ (2412 x 1080) IPS display, 400ppi | 6.8-inch FHD+ (2460 x 1080) IPS display, 395ppi |
| 120Hz refresh rate | 120Hz refresh rate |
| MediaTek Helio G96 SoC (12nm) | MediaTek Helio G96 SoC (12nm) |
| Mali-G57 MC2 GPU | Mali-G57 MC2 GPU |
| 4GB, 6GB RAM | 8GB RAM |
| 64GB, 128GB UFS 2.1 | 128GB storage |
| microSD card slot (dedicated) | (TBC) |
| Triple-rear cameras: • 50MP F1.8 main • 2MP F2.4 macro • 2MP F2.4 depth | Triple-rear cameras: • 48MP F1.8 main • 13MP telephoto • 2MP F2.4 depth |
| 16MP F2.1 front camera | 16MP front camera |
| Dual-SIM | Dual-SIM |
| 4G LTE | 4G LTE |
| WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac | WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac |
| Bluetooth 5.1 | Bluetooth 5.1 |
| NFC | |
| GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS | GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS |
| USB-C | USB-C |
| 3.5mm audio jack | 3.5mm audio jack |
| Fingerprint scanner (side) | Fingerprint scanner (side) |
| realme UI 2.0 (Android 11) | HIOS 8.0 (Android 11) |
| 5,000mAh battery w/ 18W fast charging | 5,000mAh battery w/ 33W fast charging |
| 164.1 x 75.5 x 8.5 mm | 168.9 x 76.7 x 8.8 mm |
| 194 g |
Summary of advantages
realme 8i:
• Slightly higher screen pixel count
• Dedicated microSD card slot
• Higher main camera resolution
• Dedicated macro camera
• Lower price
Tecno Camon 18p:
• Slightly larger screen
• Bigger RAM
• Dedicated telephoto camera
• NFC
• Higher fast charging
Table of Contents
Display
Looking at the screen, both devices sport IPS panels with FHD+ resolutions and 120Hz refresh rates. The Tecno Camon 18p has a slightly larger screen at 6.8-inches with 395ppi, while the realme 8i has 6.6-inches with 400ppi. However, the difference in screen size is very minimal and won’t be noticed in day-to-day use.
Chipset
Both smartphones are powered by the MediaTek Helio G96 chipset with up to 2.05GHz octa-core CPU and Mali-G57 MC2 GPU. This means we can expect the same level of performance from both.
Memory and Storage
The realme 8i comes in 4GB + 64GB and 6GB + 128GB models, which has smaller RAM compared to the 8GB + 128GB found on the Tecno Camon 18p. The former, however, has a dedicated microSD card slot, while the latter is yet to be determined.
Cameras
Both are equipped with triple-rear cameras but use different configurations. The realme 8i has a 50MP main + 2MP macro + 2MP depth, while the Tecno Camon 18p has a 48MP main + 13MP telephoto + 2MP depth. Both have the same 16MP front camera.
In this case, the realme is for those who want the most resolution and want to shoot macro, while the Tecno is for those who want to shoot subjects from afar.
Connectivity and Features
In terms of connectivity, the two are pretty much identical with dual-SIM, 4G LTE, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, USB-C, 3.5mm audio jack, and side-mounted fingerprint scanners. However, the Tecno Camon 18p has NFC, which the realme 8i lacks.
Battery
Both have the same 5,000mAh battery, however, the Tecno wins for having a faster charging rate at 33W compared to the realme’s 18W.
Price
The realme 8i 4GB + 64GB is at PHP 9,990, while the 6GB + 128GB is at PHP 11,990.
The Tecno Camon 18p 8GB + 128GB, on the other hand, is at PHP 10,990.
Which one to get?
Given the options, if I’m on a strict budget and need a device with the highest main camera resolution, macro camera, and dedicated microSD card slot, the realme 8i is a good starting point. However, if you want something with bigger RAM, a telephoto camera, NFC, and a faster-charging rate, we recommend paying an extra PHP 1K for the Tecno Camon 18p.
And that sums it up. How about you guys? Is it the realme 8i or the Tecno Camon 18p? Let us know in the comments below.
