Realme Pad
Realme is entering the touchscreen tablet market with its Pad. The smartphone brand is trying its hand at it with a model priced at less than $300 and intended for everyday use, in a neatly designed format.
Presentation
Touchscreen tablets are on the rise. With the renewed popularity of these practical devices within families, on the move, and even, for the most advanced, in a professional setting, smartphone manufacturers are throwing themselves into the arena. For some, this is a first, as is the case with the Nokia T20. Realme, still young as a smartphone brand, is also offering its very first tablet with the Pad.
A price range within which we find devices such as the Huawei MatePad T 10s or the Nokia T20 mentioned above.
Ergonomics
For its first tablet, Realme offers a simple but very effective device. The tablet weighs a decent 440 g and is thin: it measures 246.1 x 155.9 x 6.9 mm, compared to 7.8 mm for the Nokia T20, for example. Its aluminum finish, with flat, slightly chamfered edges, and the use of a material that is not very sensitive to fingerprints, are appreciable. The screen of the device occupies a little more than 80% of its surface, which limits the overall size of the device.
In addition, this tablet, which starts with 32 GB of storage in its most modest version (3 GB of RAM), is equipped with a microSD card slot, which is welcome for storing multimedia content. There is little else to note. The device's power button is located on its left edge (in landscape mode), and the volume control is on its top edge. Realme does not offer a fingerprint reader to secure the tablet, which is not really expected on its price range. However, it is possible to opt for a facial recognition or for a more classic formula with a code or a pattern.
Realme's tablet has a jack, so it can be used discreetly with a wired headset. With the possible exception of a little distortion, its headphone output proved to be of very satisfactory quality, especially thanks to its power. In addition, there is a system of speakers located on both sides of the device, which adds a pleasant touch when watching movies. They are powerful, but be careful not to push the volume too much to keep a good listening quality.
Screen
The Realme Pad is equipped with a 10.4 inch screen. It is an IPS LCD panel displaying 1200 x 2000 pixels, which is a resolution of 224 dpi. It is equal to the Nokia T20, and offers a thin display sufficient for everyday use. We note that this screen occupies about 80% of the front of the device: its borders are not too thick.
The display quality delivered by this 60 Hz panel is quite average. The colorimetric drifts are slight, as evidenced by the delta E of 3.3 that we found. It is especially on the color temperature, measured at 8933 K, far from the 6500 K of our reference standard, that the tablet stumbles. And this is all the more so as its adjustment parameters do not allow the user to calibrate the display as he wishes.
The Realme Pad's brightness is in the same vein as the Nokia T20, at 450 cd/m2, but its 957:9 contrast does not make it the best viewing tool for video enthusiasts. Reflections, at around 49.2%, are just as high as those of competing models, and do not improve the situation.
On the other hand, the minimum brightness of this screen at 1.9 cd/m2 is pleasant for those who take the tablet into the darkness of their room, and its responsiveness is correct. We noted a touch delay of 85 ms and a 22 ms afterglow. On the whole, Realme offers a display that lacks a little control, and plays it simple.
Performance
The Realme Pad relies on a light configuration, and 4 GB of RAM for our test version - 3 or 6 GB are included in its other versions. This RAM accompanies a Helio G80 SoC from MediaTek, seen in smartphones such as Samsung's Galaxy M32, and designed for common uses (Internet browsing, social networking, streaming apps...), but not really for video games, which our tests confirm. With an overall rating of 80, the Realme Pad offers a decent overall experience, thanks in particular to its good multitasking management, which earned it a rating of 94.
Playing video games is another matter. The smartphone records an index of 66, and does not allow to exceed 41 fps. On average, it ensured the display of 37 fps during our video game sessions: enough to run undemanding games, but not become a boss on PUBG.
Photo
The simplicity of the Realme Pad is logically reflected in its photo equipment. The tablet is satisfied with a single 8-megapixel back sensor, as well as its front module. The whole thing allows you to shoot in 1080p at 30 fps, which is enough for video sessions.
Main module: 8 megapixels, f/2.0
During the day, our tests highlight the difficulties of the tablet to manage the exposure and colorimetry of the scene, which is therefore overexposed and bluish. However, despite a limited definition to 8 megapixels, a decent level of detail is visible.
The night conditions pose too many difficulties for the Pad to succeed. The details are blurred on all sides of the image, and it is very difficult to exploit it. Note that there is no flash to compensate for the lack of ambient light. Nevertheless, when we compare its shots with those of the Nokia T20, we notice that a slightly higher contrast allows us to discern more elements in the scene.
Autonomy
The Realme Pad is equipped with a 7100 mAh battery, while a model such as the Nokia T20 exceeds 8000 mAh. This doesn't mean that it can be recharged quickly: with its 18W charging system, the tablet requires about 2 hours and 46 minutes to fully charge. Its autonomy, however, ensures about 18 h 5 min of use: a very good score.
Interface & OS
For its first tablet, Realme goes straight to the point. Its Pad runs on a stock or almost stock version of Android 11. Its Realme UI for Pad 1.0 interface looks like the simplest version of the operating system, and that's good. It is free of unwanted pre-installed applications and features an application drawer and a dark display mode. Other than enabling Dolby audio spatialization effects and a blue-light-reducing playback mode, simplicity is the order of the day. If the tablet is ever going to be used by the whole family, you can create a Kids Space if needed.
Conclusion
Realme does not intend to upset the market of touch tablets with its Pad. This first slate signed by the Chinese manufacturer offers a simple performance. Its Helio G80 chip nevertheless gives it enough power to surf the web, enjoy current applications and authorize multimedia uses, especially since its speakers are quite satisfactory on this point. We also appreciate its expandable memory and its minimalist but neat design, which compensates for a slightly long charging time and a screen that lacks a little contrast.
