Realme 9 Pro series arriving in Malaysia next week, is this the best smartphone under RM1,000?

Realme Malaysia will soon launch its new Realme 9 Pro series next week following its global debut in India. These are Realme’s mid-range contenders which will compete with Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 11 Pro lineup.

The Realme 9 Pro 5G series are launching locally on the 2nd of March 2022 and they will provide more updates on their Facebook page. The Realme 9 Pro+ 5G is claimed to be the first smartphone to offer a flagship-class Sony IMX766 camera within the mid-range segment and it is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 920 5G chip. According to Realme Malaysia, these flagship features are made available “within the RM1,000 price-tier category”.

To recap, the series consists of the Realme 9 Pro and the Realme 9 Pro+ but it appears that Realme Malaysia could be launching just the top-of-the-line Realme 9 Pro+ first. The Realme 9 Pro in India is priced from INR17,999 (~RM1,008.83) for the 6GB RAM + 128GB storage model, while the Pro+ starts from INR24,999 (~RM1,401.17) for the same RAM and storage configuration.  

Since the Pro+ costs more than RM1,400 in India, it is unlikely for Realme to offer the promised “flagship” features within the RM1,000 segment. It is more possible for the non-plus version to be offered for less than RM1,000 as part of their early bird or first sale promo.

Realme 9 Pro+

The Realme 9 Pro+ features a 6.4″ Full HD+ AMOLED display that pushes a refresh rate of 90Hz. Under the hood, it gets a 6nm MediaTek Dimensity 920 5G chip paired with up to 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of UFS 2.2 storage.

The main star of the show is its triple-camera setup. The Realme 9 Pro+ features a 50MP main camera that uses a Sony IMX766 sensor with optical image stabilisation which is the same sensor that’s used on flagship devices like the OnePlus 9 Pro, Oppo Find X3 Pro, and the Xiaomi 12. There’s also an 8MP ultra-wide-angle camera lens and a 2MP macro camera. For selfies, the Realme 9 Pro+ gets a 16MP front camera that sits in a tiny punch-hole.

The device gets a 4,500mAh battery which supports 60W fast charging via USB-C. It supports 5G SA and NSA connectivity, WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 and it still comes with a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Realme 9 Pro

The Realme 9 Pro may sound like a notch below the Realme 9 Pro+ but it offers a couple of advantages over the more expensive model. Although it uses an LCD panel, the Realme 9 Pro has a larger 6.6″ Full HD+ display which is capable of a higher 120Hz refresh rate. Under the hood, it runs on a Snapdragon 695 which is similar to the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G.

In the camera department, it also gets a triple-camera setup but it gets a 64MP main camera instead of the flagship-class 50MP shooter. The battery is also larger than the Realme 9 Pro+ as it gets a larger 5,000mAh capacity but settles for a lower 33W Dart Charge charging feature.