When narzo announced that it was separating from its mother brand realme last July, it was somehow expected but still quite a bold move. With realme continuing its hold on the number 1 position for six consecutive quarters, I feel it was the best time for them to take the gamble and make narzo a standalone brand.
In fact, the Philippines is actually the first country to have narzo “separate” from realme. Following realme’s footsteps, it’s now narzo who aims to be the next gamechanger brand, aiming to provide more affordable, all-rounder smartphones to Filipinos.
At a media briefing, narzo said it wants to set itself apart from the competition by offering nationwide accessibility and long-term quality to customers with smartphones that are designed for the everyman—fast and reliable.
They also mentioned a catchphrase that could very well be the new definition for budget phones—Quality-Sulit.
And their first phone to adopt that philosophy? Their best-selling narzo 50i prime.
Originally priced at P4,999, narzo wants everyone to take notice by slashing a whopping P1k off its price, bringing it down to P3,999.
But just how quality and how sulit is the narzo 50i prime?
We tested out the phone and here’s why we think other brands should take notice.
narzo 50i Prime Specifications
Dimensions: Length: 164.1mm Width: 75.6mm Depth: 8.5mm
Weight: 182g (with battery)
Display: 16.5cm (6.5”) Large Display
Screen-to-body Ratio: 88.7%
Screen Brightness: 400nits (Typ.)
Screen Colors: 16.7M
Processor: Unisoc Octa-core Processor
CPU: Octa-core CPU, up to 1.82GHz
GPU: ARM Mali-G57
RAM/Storage: 3GB +32GB supports up to 1TB storage
Camera: Rear 8MP AI Camera f/2.0 Aperture
5MP Selfie Camera f/2.2 Aperture
Battery: 5000mAh(Typ) Massive Battery
Cellular & Wireless: 2 SIM Card + 1 MicroSD Card Slots
Ports: 3.5mm headset jack Micro-USB
Dual nano-SIM and 1 Micro SD Slots
Operating System: realme UI R Edition Based on Android 11
Instead of our usual Devour and Dislikes we are changing it to our PROS and KUNGS—or kung sana which would make it an even better device.
PROS:
Design looks good
Quality Build
Decent performance
Okay Cameras
Attractive price tag
KUNGS:
Should have included a wall adaptor
USB-C or fast charging
64GB storage would have been amazing
What’s in the box?
Besides the narzo 50i prime unit there’s only a charging cable, sim tray ejector and some paper documents. There is no charging brick included, it’s understandable that narzo has to sacrifice a bit to make it to this price point and it’s probably the one thing they could exclude from the package as you already have a charger or an extension with usb port.
BUILD AND DESIGN:
This is where realme’s heritage plays a big factor. At this price point, I was expecting something that’s light to a point that it feels almost like a toy.
The narzo 50i prime, however, feels quite solid and you can feel the solid build of the phone. It still ultra light at 182g measuring 8.5mm slim making it easy to slide in your pocket.
There are no creaks, everything is well put together without any noticeable external flaws in its manufacturing. It has a certain heft to it, and when you use it, you know it’s not going to breakdown easily and can withstand your daily wear and tear.
Exploring the ports and buttons, you’ll find the volume rocker and power button on the right side, the triple SIM tray. The micro USB port is on the bottom just beside a headphone jack, and speaker grill.
The narzo 50i prime is available in two colors Mint Green and Dark Blue. Both colors look good and feature what narzo calls a vertical stripe design. This is inspired by the speed of race cars. The vertical stripe stretches out into infinity, reflecting the narzo series’ constant pursuit for speed.
The textured design gives the narzo 50i Prime some identity and the grooved stripe back panel feels quite nice to the touch. The camera module is also flat and its flat edges on the sides make it look like a true 2022 device.
DISPLAY AND AUDIO:
The narzo 50i Prime has a 6.5-inch screen with HD+ resolution, an 88.7% screen-to-body ratio, 16.7M screen colors and could reach up to 400nits of screen brightness. It’s nothing to rave about but the screen size and quality is enough for all sorts of media. The screen is vivid enough with acceptable color details allowing you to fully immerse yourself in videos and games. The loudspeaker likewise does an okay job but it still better to use your headphones for the best audio experience.
CAMERAS:
The narzo 50i Prime cameras was probably the most pleasant surprise. I didn’t expect much from its single 8MP rear camera, but it can actually capture good photos.
The rear 8MP AI Camera has a f/2.0 Aperture and includes modes such as Beauty, Filter, HDR, Panoramic view, Portrait, Timelapse, Expert, Super Night. You can also shoot up to 1080P videos at 30fps.
Check out our sample photos below:
In good lighting, the narzo 50i prime can take decent photos of nearby subjects with enough detail and colors. It’s good enough for social media posts with just a little editing. For darker situations SuperNight mode works best, but again do not go too far from your subject otherwise it will appear grainy and muddled with very little detail.
For selfies and TikTok videos the 5MP front cam is also capable of taking good photos and videos, just be sure to use a tripod when taking videos as it has no stabilization.
PERFORMANCE:
The narzo 50i Prime comes with a UNISOC T612 processor, which is the same one used by its other realme and narzo brothers. It delivers decent performance for an entry-level device and you won’t be complaining about slowdowns most of the time. It works well for your usual day-to-day apps like emails, browsing the web, Facebook, messenger, a bit of Spotify and YouTube.
The 3GB of RAM is probably the baseline to enjoy todays apps so the narzo 50i prime works great for light multi-tasking, and the 32GB of storage is enough to store your favorite apps. Just mind the file sizes unless you have a microSD card to save everything. It supports a whopping 1TB which is even bigger than some phones that’s triple its price. If you do plan on installing Mobile Legends or Call of Duty, I do suggest you make use of that expansion slot.
The narzo 50i prime surprisingly can handle even a lot of games pretty well. I did try Mobile Legends and gameplay was smooth with no sudden shutdowns or slowdown.
So if you are just a casual gamer, besides the storage, you can probably game on this phone.
The narzo 50i Prime runs Android 11 with realme UI R Edition, which is a lighter version of the realme’s Android skin that gives enough customizable options.
BATTERY: The 5000mAh batter is another standout feature of the narzo 50i Prime. It lasted me more than a day and a half of moderate usage, which includes some gaming, watching YouTube videos, taking photo samples and social media and web browsing. If you are looking for a phone that would last a day or two this is a good choice. It does come with a caveat though as it can take up to three hours to fully charge it so I suggest you top it up whenever you can or charge it overnight.
Like I mentioned above it doesn’t come with a wall charger so if you don’t have a spare one, then you’d have to buy one, actually adding to the cost.
FINAL WORD:
Considering its Php3,999 price tag, there’s very little to complain about the narzo 50i Prime. You get a nice looking phone with a quality build, a big screen for multimedia and a long lasting battery. The decent camera and reliable performance are good bonuses too, so if you just need a basic second phone, it’s a good choice. It’s also worth checking out if you are planning to use it for your delivery business, or for riders/couriers who need a phone for calling and messaging and can connect to the internet.
