Realme 9 5G Speed Edition review: Affordable powerhouse with 5G, but is there a catch?

Realme has been launching a lot of devices in pretty much every segment there is, and the Realme 9 5G Speed Edition (or simply, the Realme 9 5G SE) is one of the many 9 series phones from the company.
Launched alongside the vanilla Realme 9 5G, it aims to be a more powerful version armed with a Snapdragon 778G chip and a segment-first 144Hz refresh rate screen. But is that enough for this device that starts at Rs 19,999? I tried the phone out for over a week and here are my thoughts on this device, and whether you should buy it.
Realme 9 5G SE specs: Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G | 6.6 inch FHD+ IPS LCD + 144Hz refresh rate | 48MP+2MP+2MP, 16MP camera setup | 5000mAh + 30W fast charging |
Realme 9 5G SE: What’s good?
Display
The 144Hz display panel here is one of the highlights of the device, and while it isn’t an AMOLED panel, this is a good IPS LCD display right here. You have great viewing angles, clubbed with decent outdoor brightness and the fastest refresh rate too. Note that you will not be able to enjoy the 144Hz on all games; more on that later.
The 144Hz LCD panel is no AMOLED, but it’s a good LCD display. (Image Source: The Indian Express/ Chetan Nayak)
Coming back to the display, it also supports HDR10 and Widevine L1 so you can binge shows on this phone in good quality.
Main camera
The Realme 9 5G SE features a triple camera setup on the back with a 48MP primary sensor, no ultrawide and two 2MP sensors for depth and macro photography.
The camera is comparable to most others in this price segment and does take slightly oversaturated shots during the day. However, night-time shots came out better than I expected and I think the software processing has a role to play here. Check out our camera samples clicking on the picture below.

Performance
The Snapdragon 778G is a great mid-range and the performance on the Realme 9 5G Speed Edition is no different. Day-to-day tasks are a breeze, even if you have quite a few apps running at once. RAM management is also not an issue here as older apps remain on the memory and don’t restart when you switch back to them.
The phone is also great for all kinds of casual games and heavier games like Battlegrounds Mobile India and Asphalt 9 can be enjoyed, although not at the max settings. BGMI for instance, lets you play on ‘Extreme’ frame rate only with ‘Smooth’ graphics.
The gaming experience on the Realme 9 5G SE is nice, but you’re still limited to Smooth+ Extreme graphics. (Image Source: The Indian Express/ Chetan Nayak)
Coming to the 144Hz refresh rate, it probably won’t be as useful as you expect, as while there are titles that do support 144Hz gameplay, popular games like BGMI or Call of Duty Mobile simply won’t let you play at that resolution. This is because support for 144Hz isn’t common amongst popular titles, and the Snapdragon 778G, as good as it is, still isn’t a flagship Snapdragon 800-series chip.
Battery Life
The Realme 9 5G Speed Edition features good battery life thanks to its 5,000mAh unit which lasts over a day with ease on moderate usage. The phone comes with 30W Dart charging which is always great to see at this price.
The battery life on the Realme 9 5G Speed Edition can last over a day with ease. (Image Source: The Indian Express/ Chetan Nayak)
Realme 9 5G SE: What’s not good?
Lack of Ultrawide camera
Like most devices that come with a 5G chip under Rs 20,000, the Realme 9 5G Speed Edition also has its compromises, one of which is the lack of an ultrawide camera. Something that can understandably be missing from a phone priced under Rs 15,000, an ultrawide camera sensor is a must have on a mid-range phone in 2022.
Yes, the Realme 9 5G Speed Edition is targeted towards performance users and gamers, but it still should have had an ultrawide camera instead of the two 2MP sensors. This element alone makes this device a deal-breaker for me and anyone looking for a complete package at this price.
Though it looks like there is a quad-camera module on the back, the phone only has one camera you’re going to use in most cases. (Image Source: The Indian Express/ Chetan Nayak)
Software
I like the amount of customisation that Realme UI offers, but to see a phone launch with Android 11 even now, when we’re months away from the official launch of Android 13 is something I don’t appreciate. While this won’t be a big deal for many, launching a phone with a dated Android version also means it receives one less update towards the end of its update cycle.
There’s also a lot of bloatware on the device including apps like HeyFun, Snapchat, ShareChat, Dailyhunt, Josh and MX TakaTak. You can uninstall these, but they’re there regardless. You also can’t get rid of the Hot Apps suggestion icon here.
Underwhelming speakers
The phone also has an underwhelming audio output through the single speaker unit on the bottom, which is a bummer when you consider this phone is for gamers. A stereo speaker setup, even a sub-par one, would have made more sense here.

Verdict: Should you get the Realme 9 5G SE?
The Realme 9 5G Speed Edition is not a bad device, but it really fails to stand out in the plethora of mid-range phones we already have. Sacrifices like an ultrawide camera and stereo speakers, which would have been much more useful than the 144Hz refresh rate and the 2MP sensors on the back, leave this phone in a space where it’s hard to recommend to people looking for a complete package.
The phone, however, is still one of the cheapest Snapdragon 778G devices you can buy and that is a win. If you seek Snapdragon 700-series performance with 5G under 20,000, you can go for the Realme 9 5G Speed Edition, only if you’re okay with the compromises that it comes with.