Realme has unveiled the Realme 14 Pro Plus and its launch really suggests that the brand is now inching closer to redefining its number series. With its number series, it has always catered to value-oriented customers who always demand an impeccable performance per rupee. Starting in 2022, the series was getting closer to the Rs 30,000 mark and now, its price hovers around it.
Realme 14 Pro Plus
What Is Good?
- Gorgeous exterior with sturdy frame
- Consistent performance
- Immersive multimedia experience
- Good battery life
- Dependable primary and telephoto cameras
- IP66, 68, and 69 rated
- Comes with Android 15 out of the box
What Is Bad?
- Bloatware apps
- Only two years of software support
- Lower resoltuion ultra-wide angle camera
- Not for performance enthusiasts
As the pricing has risen exponentially, the brand has matched it equally by adding many more flagship-like features to this series, evident in the Realme 14 Pro Plus. But has this new change in approach given the brand a strong hold over the segment where phones like the Vivo T3 Ultra and the iQOO Neo 9 Pro rule to this day? Read my review to find out.
Pricing and Availability
You can purchase the Realme 14 Pro Plus from Amazon, the brand’s website, and stores near you. There is an option to avail of bank discounts up to Rs 4,000 using select credit or debit cards. Here’s the pricing:
| Variant | Price |
| 8GB+128GB | Rs 29,999 |
| 8GB+256GB | Rs 31,999 |
| 12GB+256GB (reviewed) | Rs 34,999 |
Design and Build Quality
As I unwrapped the plastic off the Realme 14 Pro Plus, its chamfered edges and Pearl-White rear instantly grabbed my attention. The phone screamed luxury, a surprising characteristic budding from a series whose true objective has always been to provide users with an enticing price-to-performance equation.
| Design | Specifications |
| Colour Options | Pearl White (reviewed), Suede Grey, and Bikaner Purple |
| Weight | 194g |
| Thickness | 7.99 mm |
| IP Rating | IP66 + IP68 + IP69 |
| Port and Button Placements | Bottom: Primary microphone, USB port, speaker grille, and SIM card tray
Top: Secondary microphone and speaker grille Right Side: Power button and volume button |
With the 12th edition of its number series, Realme teased that they would start treating design as a new key to improvement in upcoming versions. This became more noticeable in the Realme 13 Pro Plus. Now, we are with the Realme 14 Pro Plus, and its overall aesthetic proudly exhibits that the brand has finally concocted a potion, letting them unveil a flagship-looking phone for almost half the price.
The golden ring around the camera and the quad-curved body can dupe anyone into believing that you have paid a hefty fortune out of your wallet. The Pearl White model also hides an interesting trick: it shifts its colour when the ambient temperature drops below 16°C.
It isn’t an award-winning invention but it is a good conversation starter. While I dig its overall appearance, Realme could have taken a few notches down in etching ripple patterns. This would’ve made the design look much cleaner than its current chaotic approach.
The Realme 14 Pro Plus accommodates a 6,000mAh battery, yet I never felt I was carrying a brick from room to room. While chatting with friends for hours, my wrists never once agonised in pain from holding the phone indefinitely and the smooth edges all around felt so gentle in my palm.
Its sturdy frame assures you that it will always be your partner in crime, no matter how hard the situation gets. The triple combo of IP66, IP68, and IP69 ratings ensures that filming the underwater world isn’t an off-limits thing for you anymore. However, be sure to read the document thoroughly before jumping off the board.
Display and Audio
The Realme 14 Pro Plus has joined the ranks of phones like its eldest sibling, the GT 7 Pro in offering a quad-curved display.
| Display | Specifications |
| Size | 6.83-inch |
| Type | AMOLED |
| Resolution | 1.5K resolution (1272 x 2800) |
| Refresh Rate | 120Hz |
| Peak Brightness | Claimed: 1500 nits, Tested: 750 nits |
| Minimum brightness | 04 nits |
| Pixel Density | 450ppi |
| Display Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 7i |
Not only does the screen look stupendous but it also offers a delightful viewing experience. I enjoyed watching Sung Jin-Woo scaling up the ladder in the Solo-Levelling series since the picture quality was crisp while the colours were pleasantly vibrant. The phone has almost everything it needs to take the award for the best display in its segment, but skipping support for HDR video playback in streaming services costs it this golden opportunity.
That said, the brand has salvaged some lost opportunities by including the Widevine L1 certification, allowing you to binge-watch movies at their best quality.
At 40 per cent intensity, the phone was sufficiently bright to spot enemies in BGMI indoors. Similarly, I could frame the shots in the viewfinder outdoors with hardly any difficulty under direct sunlight.
The audio quality enhances the already great multimedia experience with apt loudness and a balanced sound signature.
Camera
The Realme 14 Pro Plus’ triple camera setup may resemble a highly sought-after fidget toy among ADHD veterans; however, in my usage, it offered far more value than the latter.
| Cameras | Specifications |
| Primary camera | 50-megapixel, Sony IMX896, 1/1.56’’, 23mm, f/1.8 (OIS) |
| Ultra-wide camera | 8-megapixel, Sony IMX896, f/2.2, 112° |
| Telephoto camera | 50-megapixel, Sony IMX882, 1/1.95’’, f/2.65 (OIS) |
| Selfie camera | 32-megapixel, f/2.0 |
| Video capabilities | 4k at 30fps for the rear and 4K at 30fps for the front camera |
The primary camera excelled at shooting crisp pictures with saturated but pleasing colours. While the dynamic range was also tweaked uniformly across images, I discovered after taking multiple shots that the camera was operating at a slower shutter speed. So if you desire to capture beautiful moments, you must enter the zen state to become a human tripod or the subject should stand still.
In my usage, the telephoto camera wasn’t much different from the primary one in terms of image quality and setbacks. In fact, I found myself utilising it far more than the other two cameras since it provided me with amazing images I wouldn’t obtain if I stood too close to subjects like birds perched on the roof.
The next reason has to be portrait photos. You can find imperfections when zooming out a lot on individual snaps, such as a tiny bit of an ear getting blurred; however, these are very worthy of being posted straight on Instagram with minor tweaks. Portrait images from the main camera were almost on par in overall quality but unparalleled to the former.
While the ultra-wide camera is almost equal to its partners in colour reproduction, it is unfortunately bogged down by two issues: distortion around the edges when a lot is happening in the background and relatively less detail due to its lower resolution.
As the sun set and darkness enveloped the sky, the camera trio still maintained their quality. The primary and telephoto duo continued outputting detailed photos with nearly accurate colours. I like how the telephoto camera produced the campfire’s aesthetic in the photo. That said, their slower shutter speed problem amplified more in dimly lit conditions causing blurry images due to slight movement.
The front camera has a knack for capturing flattering selfies, which you can set as the hallmark of your Instagram account only if you give it adequate lighting.
Performance and Software
The Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 is the master puppeteer of the entire Realme 14 Pro Plus operations. It ensured the phone maintained its composure throughout my daily usage without hiccups such as lags or stutters. To set the scene, my typical routine revolves around alleys of Instagram feeds, video consumption, and casual gaming.
| Hardware | Specifications |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 |
| RAM | Up to 12GB LPDDR4X |
| Storage | Up to 256GB UFS 3.1 |
| Storage Test | 124413 |
| CPU Throttling Test | 89 per cent of its max performance |
| Software Version | Realme UI 6.0 based on Android 15 |
| Connectivity Details | Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Number of Software Updates | 2 years of OS updates and 3 years of security updates |
The Realme 14 Pro Plus is slotted in the league where bigwigs like the Realme GT 6T, Vivo T3 Ultra, and iQOO Neo 9 Pro still exist with their remarkable benchmark scores.
I rode a horse and scouted enemies at 60 fps on the lowest graphical setting of BGMI, that too encountering barely any frame drop. While it is a sign of a good performer, its competitor can give you a 90 fps-charged experience. Even this is a piece of cake for the Realme 13+, its young sibling.
A similar outlook can be seen with Call of Duty: Mobile, where other phones provide users with 120 fps of gaming while the 14 Pro Plus pushes every shred of power to keep the frame rate stable at 60 fps.
On the software front, the Realme 14 Pro Plus runs on Realme UI 6 based on Android 15. Interacting with every corner of the OS was a blissful experience, as each animation appeared as smooth as BTS swaying every girl’s heart with their dance moves. Besides, it is swamped with nifty features like “Share with iPhone”. But the inclusion of preinstalled apps especially the notorious duo of Hot Apps and Hot games has successfully held it down from attaining greatness. Besides this, Realme only offers two years of software updates and three years of security patches.
Battery and Charging
The 6,000mAh battery inside the Realme 14 Pro Plus ensured that the phone wouldn’t fall behind in keeping up with my moderate day of usage while still storing some power for next-day adventures, a phenomenal job considering I exchanged multiple funny reels with friends, watched an hour-long podcast, and engaged in some casual gaming.
| Battery | Specifications |
| Capacity | 6000mAh |
| PCMark Battery Test | 15 hours and 53 minutes |
| Charger Support | 80W SuperVOOC (in the box) |
| Charging Speed | 51 minutes |
In our PCMark Battery Test, the phone registered almost 16 hours on the scoreboard, outperforming rows of contenders but not enough to stand toe to toe with the Vivo T3 Pro, which lasted 6 hours more while packing a smaller battery and priced relatively low.
The 80W charger-in-the-box takes 51 minutes to juice the phone from nil to 100 per cent.
Verdict
The Realme 14 Pro Plus can be your first pick if you have been searching high and wide for dependable cameras without stretching your wallet. Not just cameras, it offers an immersive multimedia experience with a superb display and great speakers. Apart from this, its long battery life prevents any interruptions in your hour-long gaming. Last but not least, these packages are wrapped in a captivating yet sturdy body.
But before putting your UPI pin on the checkout page, you need to be aware of its shortcomings: While the OS is loaded with features and has smooth animations, it doesn’t deliver a clean UI experience. Moreover, the two years of software updates are on the lower side. If your priority list includes intensive gaming, maybe opting for the Vivo T3 Ultra can be a wiser choice. You can also consider the Realme GT 6T, POCO X7 Pro, and the POCO F6 if you are looking for affordable options. The Motorola Edge 50 Pro suits folks who want a clean UI experience.
