Realme continues to push aggressively in the budget smartphone segment, and the Realme Narzo 90 is another example of that strategy. On paper, the phone looks impressive. You get an AMOLED display, a massive 7000 mAh battery, fast charging, and even IP68/IP69 water resistance, which is rare at this price.

After using the phone for an extended period, the real-world experience tells a very different story.

Realme Narzo 90 Build Quality and Design

The Realme Narzo 90 offers a solid build for a budget device. It has a plastic back with a matte finish that resists fingerprints, and while minor scratches can appear without a case, the textured pattern helps conceal them. A protective case is included in the box and is highly recommended.

The phone feels surprisingly comfortable in hand, weighing around 188 grams and featuring flat edges for a secure grip. The camera module design draws inspiration from Apple’s styling, which some users may find appealing.

• Build & Finish: Plastic back with matte finish; minor scratches may appear but are mostly hidden. Protective case included.
• Screen Protection: Comes with a pre-applied screen protector; the display scratches easily if removed. Using a tempered glass protector is strongly advised.
• Comfort & Design: Lightweight at 188 grams with flat edges for easy handling; Apple-style camera module.
• Water & Dust Resistance: IP68 and IP69 rated, can handle water exposure and high-pressure sprays, impressive for a budget phone.

Realme Narzo 90 Display Quality

The phone features a 6.57-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display. Colors are vibrant, blacks are deep, and viewing angles are solid. There is no noticeable color shifting, which is a good sign for an AMOLED panel.

Outdoor brightness is strong enough for comfortable use in sunlight. The in-display fingerprint scanner works reliably and unlocks quickly.

However, there are clear limitations:

• No HDR support on YouTube
• Netflix supports Widevine L1, but no HDR
• Video playback capped at 1440p, no 4K
• 120 Hz refresh rate exists, but most apps run at 90 Hz, making it feel inconsistent

The display looks good visually, but feature support feels incomplete.

Realme Narzo 90 Speaker and Audio Performance

The phone has stereo speakers, but performance is average. Loudness is decent, but there is very little depth or bass. Audio feels flat for movies and music, and marketing claims about extremely high volume do not match real-world usage.

Software Experience

The Realme Narzo 90 runs Android 15 based on Realme UI 6. Realme promises two major Android updates and three years of security updates, which is acceptable. The problem is the software experience itself.

Out of the box, the phone is loaded with:

• Pre-installed apps and games
• App suggestions and promotional folders
• Lock screen ads
• Frequent notifications encouraging more downloads

Even after uninstalling many apps, ads continue to appear. Animations feel basic, and several customization features found on other Realme phones are missing. The UI feels unfinished and cluttered.

Basic features like app lock, dual apps, call recording, and app hiding are available, but overall smoothness and polish are lacking.

Realme Narzo 90 Battery Life and Charging

This is the strongest part of the Realme Narzo 90 phone.

The 7000 mAh battery easily delivers 8+ hours of screen-on time, even with heavy 5G usage. In testing, the phone still had around 30 percent battery remaining after a full day.

Realme includes an 80 W charger in the box, although the phone supports 60 W fast charging. Charging speeds are fast, and battery anxiety is not an issue.

Realme Narzo 90 Connectivity and Call Quality

5G connectivity is stable indoors and outdoors. Dual SIM support is available, or you can use one SIM with a microSD card.

Call quality is disappointing. Despite dual microphones, background noise cancellation is weak. Outdoor calls often sound unclear to the other person.

Realme Narzo 90 Performance and Gaming

The Realme Narzo 90 phone uses a MediaTek processor with LPDDR4X RAM and UFS 2.2 storage. Benchmark scores approach 600,000, but real-world performance is inconsistent.

Issues observed:

• Slow app opening as storage fills
• Apps take longer to reopen
• Stutters and lag during multitasking

Gaming performance is poor:

• BGMI drops to 42 FPS
• Call of Duty drops near 48 FPS
• Genshin Impact can fall to 20 FPS

This phone is not suitable for gaming or long-term heavy usage.

Realme Narzo 90 Camera Performance

Front Camera (50 MP)

• Good daylight selfies
• Natural skin tones
• Good dynamic range
• Decent portrait edge detection
• Low-light selfies lose detail but remain usable

Rear Camera (50 MP single sensor)

Rear camera performance is below average:

• Daylight 1x photos are acceptable
• 2x shots suffer from heavy over-sharpening
• Portrait edge detection is inconsistent
• Poor low-light performance
• No OIS / No EIS
• 1080p video recording only
• Shaky video footage

The camera setup is a major weakness.

Pros and Cons of Realme Narzo 90

Pros

• Excellent battery life
• AMOLED display with good brightness
• IP68 / IP69 water resistance
• Fast charging with charger in the box

Cons

• Heavy bloatware and ads
• Inconsistent performance
• Weak gaming experience
• Poor rear camera
• No HDR or 4K support

Final Verdict of Realme Narzo 90

The Realme Narzo 90 looks great on paper, but real-world usage reveals too many compromises. While the battery life and water resistance are impressive, poor performance, intrusive software, and weak cameras make it hard to recommend.

Better alternatives include the Realme P4 and Realme P4X, which offer a more balanced experience. If battery life is your only priority, this phone may work. For most users, it is better to avoid.