Unboxing the Realme 9, a fresh 2022 budget smartphone costing £249 in the UK, with a hands-on review of the camera, gaming performance and beyond. Hot competition for the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 and others at this price, the Realme 9 also comes in a 5G flavour - stay tuned for a vs comparison, hopefully coming soon.

That 108MP rear camera is a decent everyday shooter, only crapping out once you move indoors to more ambient conditions. You'll need to watch the focus, while the image stabilisation for 1080p video is non-existent.

Still, the Snapdragon 680 means light gaming is possible on the Realme 9. Call of Duty, PubG etc play well, but don't push it with Genshin and other memory-gobbling games.

Battery life is among the best for this budget price, offering all day play no worries. The Realme 9's design is also among my favourites in 2022, with a slick desert dune style finish!

So are you tempted by this smartphone? Check out my reviews of the greatest affordable phones right now for more ideas!

Realme 9 Unboxing Chapters:
0:00 - Skip this bit
0:41 - What's in the box?
1:07 - Design
2:29 - Realme UI & features
4:49 - Display & audio
6:30 - Performance & gaming
8:12 - Battery
8:43 - Cameras
11:20 - Byyyeeeee