May I suggest painting the top section & trim / rails etc first then decide if you want to cover the bricks?
Personally I don't mind the bricks.
I think it would look amazing if you did the top half & the railing posts in a light or mid colour (for example grey) then do the railing top & trim like guttering in a darker colour (eg charcoal) & cover the steps in a new tile/ paver in the same darker colour as the trim.

If you do go for a render on the bottom half the most common style is darker on the bottom. But each to his own!

Your home looks very much like ours. Hardiplank upstairs and brick downstairs. We are rendering the bricks and painting the house all the same colour, probably a mid grey. We are framing the windows with wide trim painted white. We have a small concrete verandah across the front which we will paint in a darker grey as it is only a small area.

Unless it's really bad, I hate it when the render or paint over bricks.
With rendoring you get discolouration and water marks after a few years as they tend to be light colours

Keeping a similar colour to the bricks will help tie the house together and make it look taller. Rendering the bricks is also a good idea, but for $35-45.00 per sqm rendered and painted, it often puts people off. A neutral colour like Dulux Hog Bristle for the boards is a safe bet, with Colorbond Jasper (brown) or Colorbond Woodland Grey (drk grey) for the fascia and gutters as well as the top of the handrail will be a good safe bet. White for the metal slats of the handrails is good. Hope this helps.

Try washing down the bricks first. See if that helps.