Lower-midrange smartphones are actually a great segment for those who want to save a lot of money while still getting great performance with daily use. You can actually get very interesting devices for less than €200. The latest one launched in Europe is the Realme 7i bringing all the power of a midrange MediaTek chipset to the low-end segment. But is it the most powerful and versatile handset under €200? There is no better way to understand it than comparing it with the most recent lower-midrange phones from other brands. The most suitable devices for this specs comparison are the OnePlus Nord N100: the first low-end phone released by OnePlus, and the Samsung Galaxy A21s.
Realme 7i vs OnePlus Nord N100 vs Samsung Galaxy A21s
| Realme 7i | OnePlus Nord N100 | Samsung Galaxy A21s | |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT | 164.1 x 75.5 x 8.9 mm, 188 g | 164.9 x 75.1 x 8.5 mm, 188 g | 163.7 x 75.3 x 8.9 mm, 192 g |
| DISPLAY | 6.5 inches, 720 x 1600p (HD+), IPS LCD | 6.52 inches, 720 x 1600p (HD+), IPS LCD | 6.5 inches, 720 x 1600p (HD+), PLS IPS LCD |
| PROCESSOR | MediaTek Helio G85, octa-core 2 GHz (Snapdragon 662 in Asia) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 460, octa-core 1.8 GHz | Samsung Exynos 850, octa-core 2 GHz |
| MEMORY | 4 GB RAM, 64 GB – 4 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 128 GB – micro SD dedicated slot | 4 GB RAM, 64 GB – micro SD slot | 2 GB RAM, 32 GB – 3 GB RAM, 32 GB – 3 GB RAM, 64 GB – 4 GB RAM, 64 GB – 6 GB RAM, 64 GB – 3 GB RAM, 128 GB – 4 GB RAM, 128 GB – 6 GB RAM, 128 GB – micro SD dedicated slot |
| SOFTWARE | Android 10, Realme UI | Android 10, OxygenOS | Android 10, One UI |
| CONNECTIVITY | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5, GPS | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5, GPS | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5, GPS |
| CAMERA | Quad 64 + 8 + 2 + 2 MP, f/1.8 + f/2.3 + f/2.4 + f/2.4 16 MP f/2.1 front camera |
Triple 13 + 2 + 2 MP, f/2.2 + f/2.4 + f/2.4 8 MP f/2.0 front camera |
Quad 48 + 8 + 2 + 2 MP, f/2.0 + f/2.2 + f/2.4 + f/2.4 13 MP f/2.2 front camera |
| BATTERY | 6000 mAh, fast charging 18W (5000 mAh in Asia) | 5000 mAh, fast charging 18W | 5000 mAh, fast charging 15W |
| ADDITIONAL FEATURES | Dual SIM slot | Dual SIM slot | Dual SIM slot |
Design
Realme 7i, OnePlus Nord N100 and Samsung Galaxy A21s sport a very similar design. All come with a punch-hole display, a rectangle-shaped camera module, a plastic unibody design, and a rear-mounted fingerprint reader. There are only marginal differences and what really changes are the color variants. Given that it is thinner and lighter, my favorite one is the OnePlus Nord N100. But the Samsung Galaxy A21s is slightly more compact, so it is a great option too. The Realme 7i has more interesting color variants thanks to its reflective back, and its display is protected by Gorilla Glass 3.
Display
If you expect a great display, you should not go for any of these phones. In each case, you get a below-average LCD panel with an HD+ resolution (720p). We are not saying these panels are bad, but you can find a lot of better displays in the market. Samsung Galaxy A21s is the most disappointing as the OnePlus Nord N100 and Realme 7i come with a 90 Hz refresh rate, while the Galaxy A21s has just 60 Hz. The display of the OnePlus Nord N100 is slightly wider compared to the Realme 7i.
Hardware/Software
The best chipset is the one found on the Samsung Galaxy A21s. It is very powerful for a so affordable phone, and it is very efficient because it is built with an 8 nm production process. The Realme 7i offers great performance as well thanks to its Helio G85 and, in its most expensive configuration, it offers a higher amount of RAM compared to the Samsung Galaxy A21s (8 GB vs 6 GB). Further, the Realme 7i has UFS 2.1 internal storage, while Samsung Galaxy A21s is based on eMMC storage. My choice would actually be the Realme 7i despite the SoC of the Samsung Galaxy A21s is more efficient. All of these devices run Android 10, but we know OnePlus Nord N100 will only get one year of major updates.
Camera
The Realme 7i’s camera department varies depending on the market: in Asia, you get an amazing 64 MP rear camera, while in Europe, it has a 48 MP main camera. In both cases, we are talking about the best rear camera department of this trio. Even the front camera is actually better. The second place goes to the Samsung Galaxy A21s packing a 48 MP quad-camera and a 13 MP selfie camera, while OnePlus Nord N100 is disappointing with its 13 MP rear camera.
Battery
Realme 7i is the battery champion as it packs a bigger 6000 mAh battery. Samsung Galaxy A21s and OnePlus Nord N100 remain amazing battery phones, but they have just 5000 mAh.
Price
OnePlus Nord N100 is priced at €200/$245, Realme 7i costs €170/$208, and Samsung Galaxy A21s is priced less than €200. The winner of the comparison is the Realme 7i due to its great hardware department, very nice cameras, and a bigger battery.
Realme 7i vs OnePlus Nord N100 vs Samsung Galaxy A21s: PRO and CONS
Realme 7i
PROS
- Best rear cameras
- Great hardware
- 90 Hz display
- Huge battery
CONS
- Nothing particular
OnePlus Nord N100
PROS
- 90 Hz display
- Stereo speakers
- Gorilla Glass 3
- 18W fast charging with 5000 mAh
CONS
- One year of major updates
- Inferior cameras
Samsung Galaxy A21s
PROS
- Wide variety of memory configurations
- Efficient chipset
- Good design
- NFC
CONS
- Nothing particular
