Realme Narzo 60 Pro: In the fiercely competitive smartphone landscape of 2023, Realme continued its strategy of market segmentation with the Narzo series—a line designed to offer performance-focused devices at competitive price points.

Among these, the Narzo 60 Pro emerged as a particularly intriguing proposition, promising premium features at a mid-range price.

Having spent several weeks with this device, I’ve developed a nuanced understanding of its strengths and limitations that goes beyond the specifications on paper.

Design: Breaking the Mid-Range Mold

The moment I unboxed the Narzo 60 Pro, it was clear that Realme had invested significantly in the device’s aesthetics.

In a segment where plastic backs and uninspired designs often dominate, the Narzo 60 Pro stands out with its premium vegan leather back panel—a feature typically reserved for more expensive devices.

The Mars Orange variant I received turned heads whenever I placed it on a table. The soft-touch leather-like finish not only looks premium but also provides practical benefits: it’s resistant to fingerprints, offers better grip than glass, and doesn’t require a case for protection against minor scratches.

After three weeks of caseless usage, the back panel showed no signs of wear, which bodes well for long-term durability.

The device’s frame maintains a slim profile despite housing a substantial battery. At 8.9mm thickness and weighing approximately 190 grams, it strikes a comfortable balance between screen size and one-handed usability.

The weight distribution feels natural, with no top-heaviness even during extended gaming sessions.

The side-mounted power button doubles as a fingerprint sensor and sits at a natural position for right-handed users.

During my testing, the sensor proved reliable with approximately 95% accuracy, even with slightly damp fingers—a common issue with cheaper fingerprint sensors.

Unlike many of its competitors, Realme has retained the 3.5mm headphone jack, positioned at the bottom alongside the USB-C port and speaker grille.

This seemingly small decision reflects an understanding of the target market, where wireless earbuds haven’t completely replaced wired options.

Display: Punching Above Its Weight

The centerpiece of the Narzo 60 Pro is undoubtedly its 6.7-inch curved AMOLED display. Curved screens were once a hallmark of flagship devices, making their appearance in this price segment particularly noteworthy.

The subtle curve creates an immersive viewing experience without the accidental touch issues that plagued earlier curved implementations.

With a resolution of 2412×1080 pixels and 120Hz refresh rate, the display delivers visuals that belie the device’s price tag.

During my testing, I found the automatic brightness adjustment to be particularly well-calibrated—a feature that often disappoints on mid-range devices.

Even under direct sunlight, with brightness pushed to maximum, content remained clearly visible.

Color reproduction deserves special mention. The display covers 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut and offers two color profiles: Vivid and Natural.

While the Vivid mode produces the punchy colors typically associated with AMOLED displays, I preferred the more accurate Natural mode for content consumption.

The difference becomes particularly noticeable when viewing photographs or streaming HDR content.

Speaking of HDR, the panel supports HDR10+ content, which enhances the viewing experience on platforms like Netflix and YouTube.

Dark scenes in shows like “Stranger Things” displayed impressive shadow detail without the black crush commonly seen on lesser displays.

The 120Hz refresh rate works in tandem with the device’s performance to create a fluid user experience.

Realme’s implementation includes a smart switch between 60Hz, 90Hz, and 120Hz depending on the content being displayed, which helps balance smoothness and battery life.

During my testing, I noticed occasional frame drops when switching between resource-intensive applications, but these were rare enough not to detract from the overall experience.

Protection comes in the form of Corning Gorilla Glass 5, which should handle minor drops and pocket keys without issue.

After three weeks of daily use without a screen protector, I noticed only one microscopic scratch that’s invisible during normal use.

Performance: Everyday Excellence with Gaming Credentials

The MediaTek Dimensity 7050 chipset powering the Narzo 60 Pro represents the sweet spot for mid-range devices in 2023.

Built on a 6nm process, it balances performance and efficiency better than many competitors in this price bracket.

For context, I’ve previously used both flagship devices and budget offerings, which provides a useful frame of reference for evaluating the Narzo 60 Pro’s performance.

In everyday tasks—messaging, social media, web browsing, and video streaming—the device performs indistinguishably from phones costing twice as much.

Apps launch quickly, switching between multiple applications feels smooth, and the user interface maintains fluidity even with numerous background processes.

Gaming performance impressed me more than expected. Less demanding titles like Call of Duty Mobile ran flawlessly at high settings, maintaining 60fps with rare dips during particularly intense moments.

More demanding games like Genshin Impact required some settings adjustments, running best at medium settings where it maintained approximately 45-50fps.

After 30 minutes of continuous gaming, the device became warm but never uncomfortably hot—a testament to the thermal management system.

Benchmarks provide additional context for the performance:

• AnTuTu: Approximately 550,000 points

• Geekbench 6: Around 980 (single-core) and 2,300 (multi-core)

• 3DMark Wild Life: About 2,800 points

While these numbers won’t trouble flagship devices, they represent excellent value in this price segment and translate to a smooth real-world experience.

The 12GB of RAM (which can be virtually expanded by an additional 12GB using storage space) ensures smooth multitasking.

Even with 15+ apps open, I rarely noticed any reloading when switching between applications.

The 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage provides ample space for apps, media, and games while delivering read/write speeds that prevent storage from becoming a bottleneck.

Camera System: Impressive Main Shooter, Supporting Cast Needs Work

Smartphone photography continues to be a key differentiator across price segments, and the Narzo 60 Pro attempts to punch above its weight with a 100MP primary sensor.

This high-resolution sensor utilizes pixel-binning technology to create detailed 12MP images by default, with the option to capture full 100MP shots when desired.

In favorable lighting conditions, the main camera captures impressive images with good dynamic range, accurate colors, and pleasing detail.

Comparing daylight shots with a flagship Samsung device, the differences were less pronounced than the price gap would suggest.

The Narzo 60 Pro’s photos displayed slightly less dynamic range and more aggressive sharpening, but most casual users would be hard-pressed to identify the budget option in a blind comparison.

Portrait mode deserves special mention. Edge detection works surprisingly well, even with challenging subjects like curly hair or irregular objects.

Background blur looks natural rather than artificially imposed, and the system allows for post-capture adjustment of blur intensity.

Low-light performance reveals the limitations of the mid-range positioning. While the dedicated night mode significantly improves brightness and reduces noise, fine details tend to get smudged, and colors can appear washed out.

That said, for social media sharing and memories, the results remain entirely usable—just don’t expect flagship-level night photography.

The 16MP front camera delivers solid selfies in good lighting. The beauty mode is thankfully subtle by default, though it can be dialed up for those who prefer a more processed look.

Front-facing portrait mode works reasonably well, though edge detection isn’t as precise as with the main camera.

The weakest link in the camera system is undoubtedly the 2MP macro lens. Like many budget and mid-range devices, this low-resolution sensor seems included primarily to pad the camera count.

The results are mediocre at best, and most users would achieve better close-up shots by simply using the main camera and cropping.

Video capabilities are respectable, with the main camera supporting 4K recording at 30fps. Electronic stabilization works effectively at 1080p, but becomes less reliable at 4K resolution.

Audio recording is clear thanks to the inclusion of noise-cancellation algorithms that help isolate voices from background noise.

Battery Life and Charging: All-Day and Then Some

The 5000mAh battery has become somewhat standard in this segment, but battery life depends on efficiency rather than just capacity.

The Narzo 60 Pro leverages the efficient processor and intelligent display refresh rate management to deliver exceptional endurance.

During my testing period, the device consistently delivered 6-7 hours of screen-on time with mixed usage including social media, messaging, photography, occasional gaming, and video streaming.

Even power users should comfortably get through a full day, while moderate users might stretch to two days between charges.

The included 67W SuperVOOC charger is a standout feature at this price point. In my testing, it took approximately:

• 15 minutes to charge from 0% to 35%

• 30 minutes to reach 68%

• 47 minutes for a full 0-100% charge

This rapid charging capability adds real-world convenience, turning a quick 15-minute charge before heading out into several hours of additional usage.

It’s worth noting that the charging speed slows considerably after 80% to protect battery health—a common practice across manufacturers.

Speaking of battery health, Realme includes several software features designed to extend the battery’s lifespan, including optimized night charging that slows charging overnight to reduce battery stress, and an option to limit maximum charging to 80% for users who prioritize longevity over capacity.

Software: Feature-Rich But Bloated

The Narzo 60 Pro runs Realme UI 4.0 based on Android 13. The interface is colorful and feature-packed, with extensive customization options including icon styles, layouts, animations, and always-on display designs.

Realme promises two years of Android version updates and three years of security patches—not class-leading but reasonable for the price segment. During my testing period, the device received one security update, which installed without issues.

Unfortunately, bloatware remains a persistent issue. The device came preinstalled with numerous third-party applications including several games, social media platforms, and shopping apps.

While most can be uninstalled, a few can only be disabled. After a clean setup and removing unwanted applications, the system occupied approximately 22GB of storage space.

Privacy features are reasonably robust, with granular permission controls, a privacy dashboard that tracks sensor and data access, and a secure folder for sensitive applications and files.

However, the sheer number of data collection notices during setup suggests Realme is quite interested in user data—opting out of all non-essential collection requires attention during the initial configuration.

Comparative Analysis: Narzo 60 Pro vs. Key Competitors

This comparison reveals the Narzo 60 Pro’s competitive positioning. While the Poco F5 offers better raw performance and the Motorola Edge 40 Neo provides superior water resistance, the Narzo 60 Pro combines a premium design with a high-resolution camera and curved display—a unique combination in this segment.

Key Strengths of the Narzo 60 Pro

1. Premium Design Elements: The vegan leather back and curved display bring flagship aesthetics to the mid-range segment, making it one of the most visually distinctive devices in its price bracket.

2. Display Quality: The curved AMOLED panel with 120Hz refresh rate and HDR10+ support delivers an immersive visual experience typically found in more expensive devices.

3. Camera Hardware Potential: The 100MP main sensor captures detailed photos in good lighting conditions, with particularly impressive portrait mode performance.

4. Fast Charging Capability: The 67W charging solution provides practical, real-world convenience that addresses the anxiety of battery depletion.

5. Balanced Performance: The Dimensity 7050 delivers smooth everyday performance and capable gaming abilities without significant thermal issues.

6. Expandable Storage: Unlike many modern devices, the Narzo 60 Pro retains the microSD card slot, allowing for affordable storage expansion.

7. Headphone Jack Retention: The inclusion of the 3.5mm audio port provides flexibility for users who prefer wired audio or have existing headphones.

Areas for Improvement

Despite its strengths, the Narzo 60 Pro isn’t without shortcomings:

• The secondary cameras feel like afterthoughts, particularly the 2MP macro lens which adds little practical value.

• Low-light photography, while improved with night mode, falls noticeably behind flagship standards.

• Bloatware detracts from the out-of-box experience, requiring time to clean up unwanted applications.

• The promise of only two Android version updates feels inadequate in a market where longer software support is increasingly expected.

• Water resistance is limited to splash protection, without an official IP rating for submersion.

Realme Narzo 60 Pro: Conclusion: Finding Its Niche

After extensive use, the Realme Narzo 60 Pro emerges as a device with a clear identity in a crowded market.

Rather than attempting to excel across all parameters—an impossible task at this price point—it prioritizes design, display, and charging speed while delivering competent performance in other areas.

For consumers who value aesthetic appeal and display quality over raw performance metrics, the Narzo 60 Pro presents a compelling option.

The curved AMOLED screen and vegan leather back provide a premium feel that’s rare in this segment, while the 67W charging addresses the practical concern of battery anxiety.

Camera enthusiasts will appreciate the potential of the 100MP main sensor in good lighting, though they should temper expectations for low-light photography and secondary lenses.

Performance seekers will find the device capable but might be better served by alternatives like the Poco F5 with its superior processor.

The software experience, while feature-rich, requires some initial setup to remove bloatware—a common compromise in this price segment.

Once configured, however, it offers extensive customization options and reasonably fluid performance.

Ultimately, the Narzo 60 Pro represents a thoughtful balancing act between desirable features and inevitable compromises at its price point.

It won’t be the perfect choice for everyone, but for those whose priorities align with its strengths—particularly in design and display quality—it delivers exceptional value and a taste of premium features without the flagship price tag.

Like most mid-range devices, its success lies not in challenging flagships across all parameters, but in bringing selected premium experiences to a more accessible price point.

By that measure, the Narzo 60 Pro succeeds admirably, carving out a distinct position in the fiercely competitive smartphone market of 2023.