Realme 16 5G Review: A Slim Design With a Massive Battery, But Is That Enough?

Realme has been updating its smartphone lineup in Nepal, and the Realme 16 5G is one of its latest additions. We have also seen some interesting phones from the company recently, including the Realme P4 Power and the flagship GT 8 Pro.

But today, I am reviewing the Realme 16 5G, which is the mid-range phone from Realme. At first glance, this phone looks quite interesting. It has a slim and stylish design, a massive 7000mAh battery, and even a small mirror next to the rear camera for taking selfies.

But while the design and battery look promising, I have some concerns about its performance and cameras, especially considering its price. 

So, is the Realme 16 actually worth buying? Let's find out in my Realme 16 5G review.

Realme 16 5G Price in Nepal

Before getting into the details of this phone, let's first talk about its pricing. The Realme 16 5G is officially priced at NPR 64,999 in Nepal for the 8GB RAM and 256GB storage variant. Currently, this is the only variant available in Nepal. Meanwhile, the same variant costs INR 43,999 in India.

If you are planning to buy this phone in Nepal, you can purchase it from our affiliate partner, GBN Store.

Realme 16 5G Specifications:

• Design: 158.3 × 75.1 × 8.1mm, 183 grams, plastic frame and back, IP68/IP69K rating
• Display: 6.57-inch AMOLED, FHD+ resolution (1080 × 2372 pixels), 120Hz refresh rate, 10-bit colors, 1400 nits HBM brightness
• Chipset: MediaTek Dimensity 6400 Turbo (6nm)
• Memory: 8GB/12GB RAM, 128GB/256GB storage
• Software: Android 16 with Realme UI 7.0
• Rear Camera: 50MP main camera with an auxiliary lens
• Front Camera: 50MP selfie camera
• Security: Optical in-display fingerprint sensor
• Audio: Stereo speakers
• Battery: 7,000mAh, fast charging
• Price in Nepal: NPR 64,999

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Realme 16 5G Review

Design and Build: Slim, Stylish, and Surprisingly Lightweight

• 8.1mm thickness, 183 grams
• Plastic back and frame
• IP68/IP69 water resistance
• Rear selfie mirror

I want to start with the design because this is probably my favorite thing about the Realme 16.

At first glance, the rear design reminded me of some recent iPhone Air lineup and Pixel phones. While it does look inspired by those designs, I still find it quite attractive. I received the Black Cloud variant, which has a black and grey finish. It looks very classy in person. There is also a White Swan color option, which has some patterns on the back and looks even better to me.

However, two things really stand out about on whole design aspect of the Realme 16's design for me.

First, the phone is surprisingly slim. It measures just 8.1mm in thickness and weighs around 183 grams, despite packing a massive 7,000mAh battery. I found it very comfortable to hold, and it does not feel particularly heavy in the hand. The camera module is also placed towards the top, but I did not find the weight balance uncomfortable.

Second, there is a small mirror-like section around the rear camera module. This is called the selfie mirror, and it lets you see yourself while taking photos or videos using the rear camera. I think this is a useful addition, especially for content creators who frequently record videos for TikTok or Instagram.

However, the Realme 16 has a plastic back and a plastic frame, which is quite a downer for me. I would have preferred a glass back for a more premium feel.

The phone also comes with IP68 and IP69K ratings, which offer protection against dust and water. So, accidental splashes or rain should not be much of a concern.

However, there is one thing I am not particularly happy about. The front glass protection is AGC DT-Star D+ rather than Gorilla Glass. I cannot comment on how well it handles drops and scratches based on my testing, but I would have preferred a more familiar Gorilla Glass protection.

Display: Good Colors and Brightness, but no HDR playback

• 6.57-inch AMOLED, FHD+ resolution
• 120Hz refresh rate
• 10-bit colors, 100% DCI-P3
• 1400 nits HBM brightness

Moving on to the display, I don't have many complaints here either.

The Realme 16 comes with a 6.57-inch AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate. In my usage, the display felt smooth and responsive. I didn't notice any issues with touch response or stuttering while scrolling and navigating through the phone.

I found that Color reproduction is another strong point. It is a 10-bit display with 100% DCI-P3 color coverage, so watching videos and movies on this phone is a pleasant experience. The colors look vibrant, and the overall display quality is quite good.

Brightness is also not an issue pretty good for this range of phone. The display can reach up to 1,400 nits in High Brightness Mode (HBM). During my usage, I did not face any major visibility issues, even in bright environments.

However, there is one thing that disappointed me. I could not get HDR playback working on YouTube, and Netflix also did not show an HDR playback option. This is a little disappointing, especially considering the phone's price segment.

For security, the Realme 16 has an optical in-display fingerprint sensor. I tested it, and it was quite fast. The phone unlocked almost instantly without any noticeable delay.

Audio: Average, but there is a catch! 

The Realme 16 also comes with stereo speakers, which I am happy to see.

I tested the speakers by playing some music, and the sound quality was decent overall. However, I noticed a little distortion at the highest volume.

When I reduced the volume slightly to around 90–95%, the sound was much better. So, while these are not the best speakers I have tested, they are good enough for watching videos and listening to music.

Performance: Good for daily use, but not for Heavy Gaming

• MediaTek Dimensity 6400 Turbo (6nm)
• Mali-G57 MC2 GPU
• 8GB RAM, 256GB storage

Now, let's talk about performance. I will obviously say performance is not the strongest aspect of the Realme 16.

The phone is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 6400 Turbo chipset, which is based on a 6nm process. In this price segment, I am generally used to seeing more powerful chipsets like the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 and Dimensity 7300 or 7400. Compared to those processors, the Dimensity 6400 Turbo is weaker in terms of both CPU and GPU performance.

However, this does not mean the phone struggles with everyday tasks. During my usage, I did not face any major problems while using social media apps, watching videos, or switching between regular applications.

App opening speeds are decent, although there is a slight delay when opening some applications. It is not particularly stuttery, and general navigation feels smooth enough. But if you are someone who enjoys demanding games, this is probably not the phone I would recommend.

To test its gaming performance, I asked one of my colleagues to run PUBG Mobile on the Realme 16. The game supports up to 60fps with Smooth graphics and Extreme frame rate settings.

During the test, the phone was able to maintain around 58–60fps most of the time, with a reading of about 59.2fps at one point. However, there were noticeable frame drops, especially during demanding moments like driving. The minimum recorded frame rate went down to 24.1fps.

We also recorded a maximum CPU temperature of around 43.1°C during the test. The phone's temperature at the back was around 40.8°C. For us, touch response was good, but the overall gaming performance was nothing special.

So, I think the Realme 16 5G is fine if you only play games occasionally. But if gaming is one of your main priorities, I wouldn't recommend this phone. You can find better-performing chipsets in this price range.

• Also Read:
• Realme P4 Lite 4G Launched in Nepal with Unisoc T7250 Chipset and 120Hz Display!
• Realme P4x 4G with 8,000mAh battery and 120Hz display arrives in Nepal!
• Realme P4 launched in Nepal with Snapdragon 685 and huge 7000 mAh battery!

Software and UI: Smooth Experience, but too much Bloatware

• Android 16
• Realme UI 7.0
• Four years of Android updates and six years of security updates

Although the hardware performance is not particularly impressive, I don't have many complaints about the software experience. The Realme 16 runs Android 16 with Realme UI 7.0 out of the box.

As Realme UI is quite similar to ColorOS, and I have generally found it well-optimized. During my usage, the interface felt smooth, and I did not notice many stutters while navigating through different menus and applications.

However, one thing I don't like about Realme UI is the amount of bloatware. Even during the initial setup, I had to turn off a few unnecessary options. There are also several pre-installed apps that I don't really need. Thankfully, most of them can be uninstalled, but some cannot even be disabled. I think Realme should improve this because these unnecessary apps make the software experience less clean.

The good news is that Realme has promised four years of Android updates and six years of security updates for the Realme 16. This is a welcome addition and should provide longer software support.

Cameras: Decent Photos, but Limited Versatility

• 50MP main rear camera
• 2MP monochrome camera
• 50MP front camera

Now, let's talk about the cameras.

The Realme 16 has a fairly basic camera setup. You get a 50MP main rear camera and a secondary 2MP monochrome camera that doesn't really add much to the overall experience.

There is no ultrawide or dedicated telephoto camera, which is a little disappointing for a phone costing Rs. 64,999.

To test the cameras, I went outdoors and took different photos and videos in good lighting conditions.

Daylight Photos

In good lighting, the 50MP main camera takes pretty decent photos.

Like most Realme phones, the photos have slightly vibrant and saturated colors. I noticed this in my samples as well. The colors look punchy, and the camera also captures a good amount of detail.

You get both 1x and 2x options in the regular photo mode, and I found the main camera's results to be good enough for casual photography.

But there is no 0.6x ultrawide option, which limits what you can capture. This is something I really missed while taking photos outdoors.

Portraits

Portrait photos are also decent.

I found the skin tones to be quite good, and the phone also manages dynamic range nicely after processing the images.

However, portrait mode only supports 1x. There is no 2x portrait option.

And personally, this was a little disappointing. I have become quite used to taking portrait photos with a telephoto camera, which gives a much nicer perspective.

The Realme 16's portraits are not bad, but I definitely missed having that option, especially considering the phone's price.

Selfies

On the front, you get a 50MP selfie camera, and I think it does a good job.

The skin tones look nice, and the dynamic range is also handled well. There is also a wider selfie option, which is useful when you want to fit more into the frame.

Overall, I am satisfied with the selfie camera. It is good enough for everyday photos and social media.

Video Recording

For video recording, both the front and rear cameras support up to 1080p at 60fps. Unfortunately, there is no 4K recording option.

I tested the front camera at 1080p 60fps, and the results were good. Skin tones looked nice, and the background exposure was also handled well. I think the selfie video quality is decent for casual use.

The rear camera also produces decent colors and exposure in videos. However, I wasn't very impressed with the stabilization.

While walking and recording, I noticed that the footage wasn't very stable. If you stand still and record, the results are decent, but moving shots could have been better.

And coming back to that small selfie mirror at the back, I think it is genuinely useful for framing yourself while shooting with the rear camera.

If you regularly make TikTok videos or Instagram Reels, you might appreciate this feature. But because the phone is limited to 1080p recording, I don't think you can make full use of it. With 4K video support, this feature would have been much more useful.

Overall, I would give the Realme 16 5G's cameras 6 out of 10.

The main and selfie cameras are decent, but the lack of an ultrawide lens, a telephoto camera, and 4K recording makes the camera system feel quite limited, especially at this price.

Battery and Charging: Excellent Battery Life in a Slim Body

• 7000mAh battery
• 60W fast charging support
• 80W SuperVOOC charger included in the box

Finally, let's talk about the battery, which is another major highlight of the Realme 16 5G.

The phone packs a massive 7,000mAh battery, which is impressive considering how slim and lightweight the device is.

During my usage, I found the battery life quite good. Since the phone does not use a particularly demanding chipset, it comfortably lasts around a day to a day and a half during my casual use.

So, if you mainly use your phone for social media, watching videos, calls, and other everyday tasks, I don't think you will have much to complain about here.

Another good thing is that Realme includes an 80W SuperVOOC charger inside the box, so you do not have to purchase one separately. The phone itself supports up to 60W charging, and in my experience, it takes around an hour to charge fully.

Realme 16 5G Review: Conclusion

So, who should buy the Realme 16?

I would say the Realme 16 is primarily for people who prioritize design and battery life.

After spending time with the Realme 16, I think this phone is mainly for people who prioritize design and battery life. It looks good, feels comfortable in the hand, and packs a massive 7,000mAh battery into a slim body. The display is also good for everyday use and multimedia consumption.

However, the Dimensity 6400 Turbo is underwhelming for a phone priced at NPR 64,999. The camera setup is also fairly basic, with limited versatility and no 4K video recording. 

Overall, I would call the Realme 16 a decent option if you want a slim, stylish phone with excellent battery life. However, if performance and camera quality are your priorities, there are better options to consider in this price segment. So, in a similar price range, if you are looking for an all-rounder device, then Nothing Phone 4(b) could be the most reliable choice.

Realme 16 5G Pros and Cons