It sounds like a pretty perfect phone. Doesn’t it? Well, it almost was. One of the biggest letdowns of the Realme X2 Pro was the design of the smartphone – we called the design its Achilles Heel in our review. It may have been bundled with flagship-level specs but was pretty ordinary looking at best. Well, that is one accusation that we cannot level at the Realme X2 Pro’s Master Edition, which the brand has released recently.
Them Brick feels
After taking inspiration from the basics of food and giving us Onion and Garlic Master editions of the Realme X, the brand has now given us two Master editions for the Realme X2 Pro. In another association with industrial designer Naoto Fukasawa, Realme has again taken inspiration from the basics, only this time it has moved from edibles to construction material. Quite a jump in our books. Yes, after attempting to glamourize onions and garlic (and succeeding to an extent), Realme has now moved on to bricks and stones, or well, concrete. But do not judge this book by its cover just yet. Like Onion and Garlic edition of the Realme X, which might not have had a premium ring to them but were definitely pleasant on the eye, the story is pretty much the same with the latest Master edition phones from the brand. We received the Brick variant of the phone and it looked quite a few steps ahead of the regular X2 Pro in terms of design. On the front, you get the same 6.5-inch Super AMOLED tall display, but it is the back where the “real” difference comes up. The regular X2 Pro had a shiny, smooth, glossy, reflective, gradient finished back – routine flagship (and to be blunt, even mid-segment) fare. The Master edition of the phone could not have been more different. Realme has used a textured, matte-finished glass back on the Master edition variant in order to replicate the coarse texture of a brick – yes, it might not look like glass, but it is glass. This textured back not only helps the phone stand out of the basic, shiny, glossy backline but also makes it more grippy, a far cry from its shiny, slippery siblings. In addition to this, the matte textured back also makes the phone less prone to smudges and scratches, although the smudges that do get on it cannot be wiped off easily (keep oil and coffee away from it, please). The texture and the look of the phone’s back took us back in time to the earlier editions of the OnePlus smartphones which came with a Sandstone finish back. That said, the back is still made up of glass, which means it can crack if the phone takes a hard fall.
What also helps the phone stand out is its deep maroon color. There is no denying that of late, shades of red have gained popularity and have become more mainstream than ever before but the color of the Realme X2 Pro Master edition along with that matte finish, helps the phone find its bit of unique. Just like the Onion and Garlic editions, the Brick edition is also autographed by Naoto Fukasawa which rests under the brand logo. Yes, the brand logo is still horizontally placed, next to the camera unit on the back. Offering a bit of contrast to the textured matte back is the smooth, metallic frame of the phone that carries the exact same features and functions as the regular X2 Pro in the exact same places. Realme has added a brick-y touch to the software of the phone as well with the addition of a wallpaper that draws inspiration from the back of the phone.
Flagship specs, of course!
Spec-wise, the X2 Pro is only available in a 12 GB RAM, 256 GB storage variant as opposed to multiple RAM/ storage variants available in the regular X2 Pro – which makes it a master’s edition in the spec sense as well. That apart, the two smartphones have identical, spectacular spec sheets. Just like the X2 Pro, the Master edition also sports a 6.5-inch super AMOLED, Full HD+, dewdrop display, with a 90 Hz refresh rate which is protected by Gorilla Glass 5 and has an in-display fingerprint scanner. The Phone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ chipset and has the same quad-camera consisting of a 64-megapixel main sensor with 20x Hybrid zoom, a 13-megapixel telephoto lens, an 8-megapixel wide-angle lens, and a 2-megapixel Portrait lens. On the front sits a 16-megapixel selfie camera. And yes, just like the regular X2 Pro, this one too is powered by a 4,000 mAh battery which support VOOC fast charging and comes with a 50W charger in the box – which means this one will also go from 0 to 100 in battery charge terms in little more than half an hour. But the X2 Pro Master edition is not about the hardware. No, what makes it truly masterly are its looks.
The X2 Pro Master edition is refreshing to look at. At a time where most brands are following the glossy, shiny phone back pattern blindly, the Brick edition strikes a distinct chord with its texture and color. Even that logo and signature seem to go with its “different” appearance. This was a phone made to stand out. And its Brick variant certainly does so. Yes, it is more expensive than the “regular” X2 Pro at a price of Rs 34,999 but if the looks of your X2 Pro matter, there is no argument about which one you should go for. And unlike the Onion and Garlic editions that did not sound premium (in spite of looking rather nice), this one has a nice ring to it. They do not call it the Master Edition for nothing. It is not just another “brick” in the design wall.
