The Realme Narzo N65 5G is the brand’s new addition to the Narzo series lineup. The affordable smartphone features MediaTek’s latest Dimensity 6300 SoC, a smooth display with 120Hz refresh rate, and supports 5G too. The Realme Narzo N65 resembles the Realme C65 (review), another 5G budget smartphone that launched recently. They both share a lot of features and flaunt similar designs. The key difference between the two phones is that the Realme C65 5G also comes in a lower storage variant, with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. The question is: does the smartphone differentiate itself enough to forge its own place in the competitive budget segment? Let’s find out in this Realme Narzo N65 5G review.
Verdict
The Realme Narzo N65 5G is a capable budget smartphone that delivers impressive performance and a 120Hz high refresh rate display for its price segment. Other notable strengths of the device include good daylight cameras and impressive battery backup. The low-light photography performance might not please everyone, and the charging speed could have been better. Despite these niggles, the Realme Narzo N65 5G is a compelling option for all users seeking a reliable budget 5G device.
Design & display
The Realme Narzo N65 5G closely resembles the Realme P series smartphones, particularly the Realme P1 5G (review), which also features a flat display. The Realme Narzo N65 5G is available in two colour variants: Amber Gold and Deep Green. Both the Realme P1 5G and the Narzo N65 5G (Amber Gold variant) share a similar design with feather strokes on the rear panel and a circular camera module. The smartphone comes in a sleek package, measuring 7.89mm in thickness and weighing 190g. However, the straight edges of the smartphone can dig into the palms, making it slightly uncomfortable to hold.
You can find the volume and power buttons along the right edge of the frame for easy access, and the power button also doubles as a fingerprint sensor, which swiftly unlocks the device. The Realme Narzo N65 5G also carries IP54 water and dust resistance, which is a thoughtful addition.
Cameras
The Realme Narzo N65 5G features a 50MP AI primary camera paired with an 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens. For selfies and video calls, the smartphone has an 8MP front camera. The primary lens takes good-looking daylight images with slightly boosted colours. With HDR mode enabled, the daylight shots can sometimes turn out a little overexposed.
Here’s a direct camera comparison with the itel S24. From the images below, you can observe that the Realme Narzo N65’s image has slightly boosted colours, with vibrant greens and the colours of the sky and water. The itel S24’s colour reproduction is closer to reality although the sharpness levels fall short compared to the Narzo N65. When it comes to dynamic range, the Narzo N65 seems better, though it does tend to overexpose the image.
In low light, the images appear grainy, and the details are muted. HDR mode does help a little to elevate the level of exposure but the details and edge detection remains poor. Selfies work quite the same, with appealing daylight results, while the low-light results are average.
Performance and software
The Realme Narzo N65 5G is the brand’s second smartphone to feature the MediaTek Dimensity 6300 chipset and comes with up to 6GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage. The storage is further expandable up to 2TB with a MicroSD card. The smartphone offers snappy performance in day-to-day use with no apparent lag or jitter.
Its gaming performance is also quite impressive considering the price. The Narzo N65 can comfortably run graphically demanding games like COD: Mobile and Real Racing 3 at medium graphical settings, averaging around 55FPS. For beefy games like BGMI, the device manages to play the game at HD graphics and high refresh rate at an average of 28FPS. The gaming experience is more comfortable at lower resolutions.
The Realme Narzo N65 5G comes with Android 14-based Realme UI 5.0 out of the box, with a few pre-installed apps that you can easily remove. The UI is well optimised for the 120Hz refresh rate with a suite of smart features such as a File Dock, Floating Windows, Link to Windows and more. The smartphone promises 2 years of OS upgrades and 3 years of security updates, which is standard at this price point.
Battery and charging
The Realme Narzo N65 5G features a standard 5,000mAh battery, which comes with 15W fast charging support. In the PCMark battery benchmark test, the smartphone logged an impressive 17 hours and 16 minutes. The battery performance is reflected in real-world usage as well, with the device comfortably delivering an entire day of battery life with moderate usage.
The smartphone showcased an aggregate battery drain of 20 percent in our intensive tests, which included gaming, video streaming and more. The 15W charger takes roughly 2 hours and 30 minutes to recharge the device from 20 to 100 percent, which is slightly higher compared to the segment.
Final Verdict
The Realme Narzo N65 5G is a compelling option for most users looking for a capable budget 5G smartphone. At a starting price of Rs 10,499 ( discount offer included), the smartphone competes with the likes of the POCO M6 Pro 5G (review), Moto G34 5G (review), and the itel S24 (review). The former two deliver comparable performance output, and the Moto G34 in particular also comes with a 120Hz refresh rate display and stock Android-like UI. The itel S24 instead offers a higher-resolution 108MP primary camera and comparatively faster charging speed.
The Narzo N65 5G ticks quite a few boxes, offering commendable performance, 120Hz refresh rate, reliable battery life and good daylight cameras. And for these aspects, it does deserve a close look.
Editor’s Rating: 8 / 10
Reasons to buy:
- The Realme Narzo N65 5G features a smooth 120Hz refresh rate display.
- The smartphone delivers an impressive performance output.
- The Narzo N65 offers a reliable battery backup.
- The daylight photography results are quite pleasing.
Reasons not to buy:
- The charging speed could have been better.
- The brightness could be improved.
