Realme 5s vs Realme 5i – What’s the difference?

realme 5s vs realme 5i

Realme has continuously been launching new devices to keep up with the latest market trends. It lately unveiled the all-new Realme 5i succeeding the last year’s Realme 3i (review); following which, we now have a total of four smartphones in the Realme 5-series.

Now, the phone itself is based on the previously launched Realme 5s and is very similar in terms of specifications. That said, it does have some noticeable differences on offer. In this article, let’s have a look at Realme 5s vs Realme 5i comparison, primarily focussing on the differences between both the devices.

Realme 5s vs Realme 5i: The Differences!

Build & Design: Diamond-Cut vs Sunrise Pattern

The Realme 5s and Realme 5i are very similar in terms of design. In fact, they look exactly the same from the front, with a water-drop notch and a small chin at the bottom; even the rear camera placement has remained unchanged.

What has changed is the back panel, which now gets a new Sunrise pattern, compared to the diamond-cut finish on the Realme 5s. Moreover, the Realme 5i comes in fresh Aqua Blue and Forest Green colours while the latter is available in Crystal Blue, Crystal Purple, and Crystal Red options.

Besides, there’s also a slight difference in the dimensions and weight of both phones. The 5s measures 164.4 x 75.6 x 9.3mm and weighs 198 grams while the newer 5i is a tad lean at 164.4 x 75.00 x 9.3mm and 195 grams.

Rear Camera: 48MP vs 12MP

As far as the rear cameras are concerned, Realme has given quad-camera setups on both the phones comprising an 8-megapixel wide-angle camera and dual 2-megapixel macro and portrait units.

The difference lies in the primary camera where the Realme 5s excels with a 48-megapixel Samsung ISOCELL Bright GM1 sensor with f/1.8 aperture. The 5i, on the other hand, gets a 12-megapixel snapper with f/1.8 aperture, just like the Realme 5.

Selfie Camera: 13MP vs 8MP

The Realme 5i also faces a downgrade in terms of the front camera, which is now an 8-megapixel f/2.0 shooter compared to the 13-megapixel selfie camera on the Realme 5s. More resolution does give the 5s an edge over the former in the camera department.

What’s the same?

In addition to the differences mentioned above, all the other specifications remain the same on both the devices. For starters, the duo gets a 6.5-inch IPS display with an HD+ (720 x 1600 pixels) resolution, followed by Corning Gorilla Glass 3+ protection on top and splash resistance.

Under the hood, the devices get powered by octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 AIE SoC, coupled with Adreno 610 GPU. And then there’s a massive 5,000mAh battery that supports standard 10W charging.

Other specifications include connectivity options like 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth v5.0, a GPS/ A-GPS, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a Micro-USB port. Furthermore, there’s a fingerprint sensor at the rear, followed by an accelerometer, proximity, ambient light, gyroscope, and compass sensors under the hood.

Pricing & Variants

Talking of pricing, the Realme 5i costs Rs. 8,999 for the lone model with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. The Realme 5s, on the other hand, retails for Rs. 9,999 for 4/64GB and Rs. 10,999 for 4/128GB variant, respectively.

Realme 5s vs Realme 5i: Conclusion

As evident, the Realme 5s and Realme 5i aren’t very different from each other. However, there’s no denying the fact that the 5i is more of a replacement to the Realme 5 and loses the ground to Realme 5s when it comes to the camera department. Then again, it undercuts the latter by a decent margin and has fresher colours on offer.

In the end, it all boils down to your budget and priorities. If you have a tight budget, the Realme 5i will be an excellent choice at Rs. 8,999. However, if you can spend a thousand rupees more, the Realme 5s will give you better front and rear camera performance.

About the author

Ritik Singh

An avid media student who is highly passionate about technology since childhood. He has good experience in video production, gadget reviews and is ardent about writing on tech.