While some people want their smartphones to have a mature, business-like look, there are always those who prefer to let their personality and interests shine through. From cases to themes, there are countless ways to personalize a smartphone, often without permanently altering its exterior appearance.
Still, fans of brands and franchises are always amused when a manufacturer caters to their interests with a limited-edition phone that unequivocally shouts that admiration from the rooftops. Realme, whose target audience is exactly this group of people, is always open to a little brand love, so we took a closer look at its latest sweet edition to see if the "Coke Phone" is all fizz or The Real Thing after all.
Aesthetics
When people put branded cases, covers, or even stickers on their phones, it's a sign of affection for those particular things or people. Often, these are company logos, fictional characters, music groups, or even animals. Few would likely use their phone as a walking advertisement for a specific food or drink, no matter how much they love it. Yet that's exactly what the Realme 10 Pro 5G Coca-Cola Edition makes refreshingly novel, boldly breaking up two completely unrelated brands in a way that's full of surprising details.
The most obvious is, of course, the Coca-Cola colors and name on the back of the phone, creating a 30/70 ratio of black to red. While the back of the Realme 10 Pro is actually plastic, this impressive matte-metallic coating process makes it look like the familiar brushed aluminum found on soda cans. Contrary to what you might expect, the Coca-Cola name isn't displayed in full, giving it a somewhat bold and dynamic personality that fits with the fizzy texture of the drink. Plus, given how familiar the name is, I easily fill in the missing bits.
Realme is very good at paying attention to the smallest details, and it proves that once again with this limited-edition phone. While most are content with slapping on a brand name or a color scheme, Realme goes all out with things you might not notice, but are appreciated when you finally do. The rings around the dual cameras, for example, are tinted the same metallic red hue, making them look like tiny Coke cans from above. There's also the cutest SIM ejector pin you'll ever see, resembling a soda bottle cap that you'll never want to throw away.
The rest of the phone is pretty much the same as the Realme 10 Pro 5G, except in a darker black than the Dark Matter Black color option. The side edges are completely flat, save for the chamfered corners where the front and back meet the frame. There are almost no bezels either, except for the usual chin, providing a full view of the custom Coca-Cola-themed interface Realme created for this edition. All in all, every part of the phone, including its packaging, screams "fun," which is exactly the kind of message Coca-Cola likely wants to send through this Realme phone.
Ergonomics
The first thing you'll notice when you finish looking at the back of the phone and put it in your hand is how light it is. It may even feel too light, as if there's nothing inside. This is mainly due to the plastic back and frame Realme has used for this mid-range device, and some might find it a bit off-putting. Fortunately, it's actually comfortable to hold in your hand, and the chamfered edges don't bite into your palm. Plus, the matte, faux-metal surface is scratch- and fingerprint-resistant, unlike real metal.
Like the regular Realme 10 Pro 5G, the Coca-Cola Edition bucks the trend and places the fingerprint scanner on the side power button instead of below the bottom half of the display. It may not be popular anymore, but it's actually a more comfortable position, as one of your fingers will always land there, regardless of how you pick up or hold the phone. There's less risk of accidentally dropping your phone while your thumb stretches to reach the in-display fingerprint sensor. Optical fingerprint scanners are also generally more accurate and faster, but that advantage is slowly disappearing.
Performance
Despite its very dynamic appearance, the Coca-Cola Edition phone shares almost everything else with the regular Realme 10 Pro 5G when it comes to specifications. In short, it's a mid-range phone, but the lines between the different tiers are becoming increasingly blurred. In practice, it's actually not as bad as it sounds, and the Realme 10 Pro 5G can definitely meet the needs of most phone users and then some.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G powers the phone, paired with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Both are expandable, one through the phone's settings and the other with a microSD card of up to 1TB. It's certainly enough for average use cases, from web browsing to social media. You'll have to lower your expectations a bit when it comes to gaming, but it's doable and even fun, thanks to the rest of the phone's hardware.
Screen and battery
For one, the 6.72-inch, 2400x1080 pixel FHD+ display is truly bright and vibrant, making the phone's red theme pop even more. The 120Hz refresh rate and 240Hz touch sampling rate are numbers gamers will want to keep in mind here. There's no advertised support for HDR, however, but the quality of the display helps make up for that missing feature. Despite the phone's lightness and thinness, it houses a large 5,000mAh battery that can charge up to 50% in just over 20 minutes. In other words, it's well-equipped for entertainment, as long as you don't try to push it too hard with the maximum settings.
Verdict
As a product designed to showcase or promote a specific brand, the Realme 10 Pro 5G Coca-Cola Edition borders on perfection. From its expansive color scheme to small details like icons and ejector pins, Realme has gone above and beyond to craft an experience that successfully conveys the fizzy, energetic character of the beverage. Admittedly, some might find it a bit overwhelming due to the amount of detail, but it's still a well-crafted and impressive design.
Of course, a Coca-Cola phone still has to be a phone, and that's where the Realme 10 Pro's strengths and weaknesses come into play. While its performance is decent and its price is affordable, it'll be hard to justify it as a primary phone, especially when there are plenty of better smartphones around for almost the same price, if not a bit more. However, if you're a collector of any kind and have nothing but a love for the sweet brown beverage, you might want to try and get your hands on one if you can.