Realme 16 Pro Plus Review: Massive Battery and Stunning Display but Is It Worth the Price?

The Realme number series has always been about striking a balance between premium features and mainstream pricing. With the Realme 16 Pro Plus, I expected the brand to push that formula forward. After using the phone as my daily driver, I can confidently say that it delivers a reliable experience, but it also plays things far too safe for its asking price.

This is a phone that focuses more on refinement than reinvention. While that approach keeps the experience polished, it also raises an important question. Does the Realme 16 Pro Plus do enough to justify its premium positioning in an already crowded segment?

Design and Build Quality: Slim, Tough and Comfortable to Hold

One of the first things I noticed about the Realme 16 Pro Plus is how slim it feels despite housing a massive 7000mAh battery. At just over 8mm thick, the phone never feels bulky, and the weight distribution is well managed for long usage sessions.

The back panel uses a bio based silicone material with a leather like texture. It feels great in the hand and offers excellent grip, which significantly reduces the chances of accidental drops. However, the gold colour variant that I tested does not leave a strong impression. It attracts dirt easily and looks less refined compared to the grey version, which feels far more premium. The pink colour option is clearly aimed at users who prefer bold and expressive designs.

The rear camera layout looks familiar and lacks a distinct identity. It reminded me of recent OnePlus and Oppo flagships, though Realme has managed to keep the camera module nearly flush with the back, which I appreciated.

Where the phone truly stands out is durability. The Realme 16 Pro Plus supports IP68, IP69, and IP69K ratings, making it resistant to water submersion and high pressure water exposure. This level of protection is still rare in this price range and adds genuine real world value.

Display Experience: One of the Best in Its Segment

The display is easily one of my favourite aspects of the Realme 16 Pro Plus. It features a curved AMOLED panel that looks premium and immersive. Slim bezels combined with curved edges make content consumption enjoyable, whether I was watching videos or scrolling through social media.

It is a 10 bit AMOLED panel with HDR10 Plus and Dolby Vision support. While Realme advertises extremely high peak brightness figures, real world brightness is what matters. In everyday usage, the screen comfortably stays around 1000 nits and can go up to nearly 1800 nits outdoors. Visibility under direct sunlight was never an issue during my testing.

The phone supports a 144Hz refresh rate, though it mostly operates around 120Hz in daily use. Scrolling feels smooth, animations are fluid, and text looks sharp thanks to the high pixel density. Out of the box, the Vivid colour mode delivers punchy colours with a slightly warm tone, which I found comfortable for extended viewing.

Useful additions like Always On Display animations, Glove Mode, and Waterproof Pouch Mode further enhance the overall display experience.

Performance and Software: Smooth but Not a Powerhouse

The Realme 16 Pro Plus is powered by the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 processor. In daily usage, performance feels smooth and dependable. Apps open quickly, multitasking works well, and I did not experience any major slowdowns during regular use.

In benchmark testing, the phone scored around 1250 in Geekbench single core and 4258 in multi core. These numbers reflect what I experienced in real world usage. The phone is reliable but not class leading.

Gaming performance is decent. Casual games run without issues, while demanding titles like Genshin Impact are best played at low settings for stable frame rates. Medium settings are playable but can show occasional frame drops during intense scenes.

Thermal management is acceptable. The phone does get warm during extended gaming sessions, touching around 45 degrees Celsius, but it cools down fairly quickly once the load reduces.

Realme UI remains easy to use, but the presence of pre-installed apps continues to be annoying. While most third party apps can be removed, some system apps still cannot be uninstalled, which feels unnecessary in 2026.

Battery Life and Charging: A Clear Highlight

Battery life is where the Realme 16 Pro Plus truly shines. The 7000mAh silicon carbon battery delivers excellent endurance. With a mix of browsing, social media, photography, and casual gaming, I consistently managed around 11 hours of screen time.

Even after adding two hours of gaming, battery drain remained controlled, making this phone ideal for heavy users.

Charging speeds top out at 80W. Using the bundled charger, the phone took roughly 1 hour and 14 minutes to charge from near empty to full. Considering the battery size, this feels well optimised for daily use.

Camera Performance: Decent in Daylight but Inconsistent

The camera setup on the Realme 16 Pro Plus delivers mixed results. In good daylight, the phone can capture pleasing photos with decent detail and mostly accurate colours. When conditions are right, images look sharp and well processed, though the phone takes a second or two to process high resolution shots.

Under harsh sunlight, some images appear slightly overexposed, and shutter response can feel a bit slow, which affects candid photography. Portraits taken at closer distances look better, with natural skin tones and acceptable background separation. Wider portraits tend to lose sharpness, and edge detection can be inconsistent.

Low light performance is satisfactory. The phone manages to retain detail while keeping noise under control, though lens flares are occasionally visible. Overall, the camera experience is decent but not among the best in this price range.