Realme Neo 8

At Rs. 94,899, the Realme Neo 8 offers performance that normally costs far more. A Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, an 8000 mAh battery, a bright 165Hz AMOLED screen and IP69-level water resistance are rare at this price.

The compromises are real, though:

• It is a China-market model with a Chinese ROM and many preinstalled Chinese apps.
• 5G support on Pakistani networks is limited for now, so most users will be on 4G+ with VoLTE.
• The cameras are behind pricier camera-focused phones, especially for zoom and low light.
• There is no wireless charging.

The Motorola Moto G77 at Rs. 91,999 is the obvious alternative at this price, but its Dimensity 6400 is far slower and its battery is much smaller.

Verdict: strong value for gamers and heavy users who accept China-version software. Camera-first buyers should look elsewhere. Because units are imported, prices and box condition vary between sellers, so compare offers before buying.

The 6.78-inch AMOLED panel has a 1272 x 2772 (1.5K) resolution, a 165Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 6500 nits. It is one of the brighter screens in its class, so outdoor visibility is strong, and HDR10+ and Dolby Vision content plays without issues.

• Refresh rate: the 165Hz mode only shows in a few supported apps and games. Most apps run at 120Hz, so everyday smoothness feels the same as a good 120Hz phone.
• Panel type: it uses an LTPS panel rather than the more advanced LTPO type found on some pricier phones.
• Gaming: a high touch sampling rate makes taps register quickly in fast games.
• Colours: colour accuracy and saturation are good but not class-leading; some rival screens look punchier with deeper contrast.

The phone is also wide and chunky in the hand. That suits video watching but makes one-handed use harder.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 (3 nm) is paired with LPDDR5X memory and UFS 4.0 storage, so apps open quickly and multitasking is smooth. Benchmark scores land above 3 million, which puts it in the top tier of Android phones.

• Everyday use: there is no meaningful slowdown in daily tasks, app switching or file transfers.
• Gaming: heavy games run well, and the fast touch response helps in shooters.
• Sustained performance: it holds up well, but the pricier Realme GT 8 with the Snapdragon 8 Elite is better optimised for long sessions and throttles less.

The real limits of this phone are its software and network support, not its hardware.

The rear setup combines a 50 MP main camera with OIS, a 50 MP 3.5x zoom camera and an 8 MP ultrawide. It is capable, but it is not the phone's strength.

• Daylight: stabilisation in video is good, but colours in daylight video lean towards a whitish tone.
• Zoom: photo zoom goes to 7x and video zoom to 30x, but detail falls away sooner than on phones with larger zoom sensors.
• Portraits: several portrait focal lengths are available, from 23 mm up to 80 mm, and portrait (bokeh) video is supported.
• Low light: light balance in night photos and videos is behind the best camera phones at higher prices.
• Ultrawide: limited to 1080p video, and the 8 MP sensor lacks fine detail.
• Selfies: the 16 MP front camera records up to 1080p 60fps, cannot zoom while recording and struggles with dynamic range.

High-resolution slow motion at 4K 120fps is not available.

The 8000 mAh silicon-carbon battery is the largest in its class and is the main reason to buy this phone if screen time matters. It gives noticeably longer use than phones with smaller cells, although reports suggest the sibling Realme GT 8, with a smaller battery, manages its power more efficiently.

• Charging: 80W wired with Realme's own charger. With other chargers, PPS tops out at 55W and standard USB PD or QC at 13.5W, so a generic charger can be much slower.
• Wireless charging: not supported.

No reliable screen-on time measurement is available yet, so exact endurance is not stated here.

The Realme Neo 8 runs Android 16 with Realme UI 7.0, but in its China version. That matters in Pakistan:

• Many Chinese-region apps come preinstalled, so the setup is less clean than global software.
• 5G works on only some carriers for now; on most networks the phone uses 4G+ with VoLTE. Support may improve as carriers update.
• NFC tap-to-pay with Google Wallet works, and an IR blaster is included for controlling TVs and air conditioners.

Updates: GSMArena lists three major Android upgrades and four years of security patches. This is not a Pakistan-specific commitment, and estimates for this China model point to updates until around 2028 or 2029.