REVIEW| realme Book: A slim, lightweight companion for school and work

If you’re on the lookout for slim, lightweight, and fast-charging laptops, the realme Book might be for you. Launched in the Philippines last September, realme is off to a good start with their notebooks that take pride in its 2K Full Vision Display, 14.9mm slim and lightweight design, 11th Gen Intel Core Processor, and powerful audio.

Here’s a closer look at their i3 variant in Real Silver color and some notable features from our test run:

DESIGN

At first glance, you can already tell that the realme Book has a premium look which is quite similar with a different brand. There’s a small realme logo with a mirror design on the left side of the shell and the edges of the device are rounded. It adopts an aluminum alloy body in two colors – Real Blue and Real Silver. I personally prefer the latter.

It has a 14.9mm Super Slim Design and weighs around 1.38 kilograms, which is quite uncommon for typical 14-inch laptops. However, due to its lightness, it’s challenging to open its lid with one hand as the hinge is a bit stiff. It can be tilted up to 170 degrees, though.

DISPLAY

realme took a leap with their innovative 2K full-vision display (2160 x 1440) with 1.5 times the pixel count of a typical 1080p screen. It’s too bright for my liking but this makes it good for outdoor use, especially when it’s at max brightness (400 nits). Pretty decent at any viewing angle. With a 3:2 screen aspect ratio, it’s also the perfect size for working on side-by-side windows/tabs. I found this handy in transcribing and taking notes from online classes and consultations.

Complementing the 14-inch IPS display is the realme Book’s nano-edge design with a 5.3mm bezel that brings the screen-to-body-ratio at 90% — higher than most laptops within the same range. The top bezel is slightly wider to fit an almost unnoticeable 720p webcam (decent enough under bright lights). While at the bottom part, you’ll find a realme logo.

P.S. It’s not touchscreen.

KEYBOARD AND TOUCHPAD

The realme Book’s keyboard has a black matte-like finish and the keys are easy to press. It also has a backlight, which makes it easier to use even as we work in the dark. No issues for me even as I used it to write articles for an entire day. I also appreciate how the function keys are automatically locked to adjust the backlight, brightness, volume, and the like; however, it might be challenging to use for those who might need to use the primary function keys more often.

There’s a fingerprint power button on the upper right corner, which users can also use to unlock their device. Detection is pretty fast and accurate.

On the other hand, the realme Book’s touchpad is one of the widest that I’ve seen on a Windows laptop. It has the same color as the chassis and I consider it a blessing for those who need to work on creative materials and design tools without a mouse.

It’s also notable that the keyboard and touchpad area looks clean as realme did not place any kind of branding stickers (e.g. Intel Core, Microsoft Windows stickers) on the chassis. Instead, these were placed underneath the laptop.

I/O PORTS

For an average student/worker, the realme Book’s ports may be enough. There are only four — two USB Type-C 3.2 ports on the left, and a Gen 2 USB-A 3.1 port on the right along with a 3.5mm headphone and microphone jack. It’s a reasonable number compared with other laptops that have minimized its ports. For additional USB ports or SD card reader, you’ll need an external device.

AUDIO

At the bottom part of the realme Book, you’ll find 2 HARMAN speakers which supports DTS HD stereo sound effect, giving users a decent audio experience especially when on max volume. I was pretty impressed with how loud the sounds can be even though it came from a slim device.

Attending a video call without earphones didn’t become an issue as well since it comes with 2 built-in microphones that support AI Noise Cancellation. My voice got through clearly despite talking at a normal volume.

PERFORMANCE AND BATTERY LIFE

The realme Book that we tried out has an 11th Generation Intel Core i3-1115G4 with 8GB of LPDDR4x RAM  and 256GB of PCIe SSD storage. As per realme representatives during the launch, the RAM cannot be upgraded to 16GB, which is quite unfortunate for those who need more space.

Even with multiple tabs, Microsoft Office apps, and Photoshop open for hours, the realme Book does not heat up that much, thanks to its Dual-fan Storm Cooling System that runs quietly. It can last for an entire work day (multiple browser tabs, few minutes of video playback, Office apps, Zoom, Google Meet, Photoshop, etc.) – around 8 hours, including watching videos while having lunch. The 54Wh battery can also continuously play 1080p videos for 11 hours.

I do have some issues with the 720p camera during calls at it appears to be grainy when used under dim lights. Would recommend using an additional light source or an external web cam, especially when you have on-cam presentations.

One of the advantages of the realme Book would be its 65W USB Type-C fast-charge capability that enables it to charge up to 50% of the battery within just 30 minutes. It would take another hour to bring it up to 100%, though! It will come in handy for students and employees who are always rushing to get their requirements done on the go.

PRICE AND AVAILABILITY

The realme Book i3 is available for Php 37,990 SRP, while the i5 variant will be sold at Php 47,990 SRP. Both variants are now available in Silicon Valley stores nationwide, with freebies worth Php 5,500 — a free one-year Microsoft Office 365 subscription, a realme laptop bag, and a mouse. You can also watch out for online sale deals from realme this October 10!

VERDICT

While the realme Book may have strong competitors within the price range, it undoubtedly has its own advantages over other brands. Picking the realme Book over the others would definitely depend on a person’s lifestyle and purpose for buying a laptop. If you need something sleek, lightweight, has a good keyboard, and decent processor for on-the-go school reports or work deliverables, the realme Book will be able to do its job well. I’m personally a fan of its trackpad and keyboard under the Windows category. Overall, it’s a decent option to consider.

Complete specs can also be viewed in this link.


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