Now Realme has launched its new smartphone Realme 3 has been launched. This phone is an upgrade of Realme 2 and the price is also around the same. However, to keep the claim strong, a more powerful processor has been given in the new model. There is also a change in the design and the software is the latest. For these reasons, the phone looks like an attractive option in the price range of Rs 10,000. Let’s know about its features and shortcomings through the review…
Realme 3 Design and Display
The biggest change in the design of Realme 3 compared to Realme 2 is the presence of waterdrop notch. Realme says that the back of the phone has a new unibody design. Injection molded plastic has been used instead of glass on the back. But it feels strong and is also comfortable to hold in hands. But fingerprints are easily visible.
The Realme 3 weighs 175 grams which is not light and its thickness is 8.3 millimeters. But the weight distribution is excellent. Fingerprints will bother you. The pre-provided screen guard and glossy back are not easy to keep clean. We have reviewed the Radiant Blue variant. But the Realme 3 is also available in Black and Dynamic Black colors.
The single SIM slot has space for two nano SIM cards and a microSD card. The phone has support for 4G DualVoLTE. There is a 3.5mm headphone jack, micro-USB port and speaker at the bottom.
Realme 3 has a single 13-megapixel camera on the front which is housed in a notch. The earpiece is placed just above it. You will get a 6.2-inch HD+ display with Corning Gorilla Glass protection. Realme has not revealed anything about the version. Chin at the bottom Realme U1 It is wider than .
The resolution is a little low considering the screen size, especially when it competes with many handsets that have full-HD panels. This is why images and text don’t look very sharp. But the situation is not bad enough to reject the phone. Colours look vivid and the brightness level is also adequate. We didn’t face any problem reading emails even under direct light.
There is a Realme logo on the back, which is placed at the bottom. There are two rear cameras on the top, LED flash and a fingerprint sensor in the middle. The fingerprint scanner works fast. But the face unlock feature of this phone also works as fast as other Realme phones.
Overall, the Realme 3 handset is an upgrade over the Realme 2 in many ways. However, according to us, the company should have provided a glossy back and USB Type-C port.
The Realme 3 comes with a silicone case, SIM ejector tool, data cable and a 10W charger. You won’t find any earphones in the retail box.
Realme 3 Specifications and Features
The specifications of Realme 2 surprised everyone, as Realme 1 was equipped with a much better processor. The company has not repeated this mistake with Realme 3. This time the MediaTek Helio P70 processor has been used which entered the market with Realme U1. This is a capable processor.
There are two variants of Realme 3 – one is equipped with 3 GB RAM and 32 GB storage and the other has 4 GB RAM with 64 GB storage. We have reviewed the variant with 4 GB RAM.
The phone runs ColorOS 6.0. This custom skin is based on Android 9.0 Pie. Our review unit had the January 2019 security patch. ColorOS has never been our favorite custom Android skin. But the new version has fixed a lot of shortcomings.
Google’s Digital Wellbeing feature that comes with Android 9 Pie is not yet available. Android’s battery graph is also not part of the OS yet.
Realme 3 performance, camera and battery life
Due to the new software and upgraded hardware, the experience of using Realme 3 is great. There was no complaint of the phone heating up while using social media or chat apps. The phone also handles multitasking easily. Despite having a glossy back, the phone does not slip in the hands.
The phone handles gaming well. We tested Asphalt 9: Legends and PUBG Mobile. Our experience in both the games was pleasant. While playing Asphalt, the frame rate was smooth even in the high graphics preset. PUBG Mobile ran fine in the medium graphical preset. The phone does get hot during gaming, but there is nothing surprising in this.
Realme 3 also does a good job with media. Animated films come with good color saturation. They also look lively. Blacks get a little crushed in dark scenes, but this is not bad for an HD+ display.
The single speaker produces loud sound. But the sound quality is very average. Its position is such that the chances of the speaker getting blocked increases when the phone is used in landscape mode.
Realme 3 has a 13 megapixel and 2 megapixel rear camera setup. The primary sensor has an F/1.8 aperture. The secondary sensor is used only to measure depth in portrait mode.
The camera app has also undergone some changes in the new version of ColorOS. Realme has introduced two new shooting modes for the rear camera – Nightscape and Chroma Boost
According to Realme, Nightscape uses AI and multi-frame exposure to give users brighter photos in low light. In use, this feature gave good results in most situations. But it was not very effective in pitch darkness.
Shot on Realme 3 in Auto mode (Tap to see full-sized image)
Photo taken with Realme 3 in Nightscape mode (Tap to see full-sized image)
Chroma Boost can be activated from the viewfinder. It boosts the dynamic range of the image. Especially when shooting subjects in bright light. The boost in colours and brightness was definitely visible in our test shots.
Photo taken on Realme 3 without Chroma Boost (Tap to see full-sized image)
Shot on Realme 3 with Chroma Boost (Tap to see full-sized image)
Landscape shots taken with the primary camera are sometimes excellent and sometimes very average. Some shots are not lacking in detail, but the camera lags a bit in complex scenes. Macros are sharp and with full detail. Colours are also captured well in adequate light. But there were many occasions when the camera did not focus on the subject we wanted. If you do not use Nightscape, the camera captures soft pictures in low light.
Portrait mode is part of both the front and rear cameras. The edge detection of the rear camera works well. However, sometimes the output is completely bad. The background blur is a bit aggressive. Unfortunately, there is no facility to adjust it. Photos can be taken in portrait mode with the front camera as well. But the edge detection is not very good. HDR is also present, but the colors seem overly saturated.
Tap to see full-size Realme 3 camera samples
There is a 13-megapixel sensor with f/2.0 aperture on the front panel. It captures selfies with detail in sufficient light. But lags in low light. There is also an AI beautification mode.
With Realme 3, you will be able to record videos with 1080 pixel resolution at 30 frames per second. The image quality is good in sufficient light, but due to lack of stabilization, the footage is recorded shaky. The phone also has slow motion video. With its help, you will be able to record 720 pixel videos at 90 frames per second.
The battery of the phone is 4230 mAh. It lasted us a whole day in normal use. For some reason, this battery gave disappointing results in the video loop test. The battery of the phone lasted for 9 hours 52 minutes, which is slightly better than average. There is no fast charging support, but you get a 10 watt charger.
Our verdict
In all respects, Realme 3 is a strong upgrade over Realme 2. The design is modern. The rear camera has received some new features. The display is bright and vivid. Even though the battery did not score well in tests, it is reliable in normal use.
The most important upgrade is the processor. The cameras have improved, but there is still room for improvement. In our opinion, the company should have provided a Type-C charging port, metal or glass enclosure and a display with higher resolution.
Realme 3 will directly compete with the recently launched Redmi Note 7 from Xiaomi. We haven’t reviewed Xiaomi’s latest budget phone yet. But on paper, its claim seems very strong.
For example, Redmi Note 7 comes with a glossy back, full-HD+ display, USB Type-C port and Qualcomm Quick Charge 4 support. Its price is also around the same as Realme 3. Due to these features, Redmi Note 7 seems stronger than Realme 3 in every aspect. But we will give our final decision on this only after reviewing Xiaomi’s phone.
If your budget is limited, you can consider buying the 3GB version of Realme 3. However, remember that by paying just Rs 1,000 extra, you can get a 3GB RAM option. Redmi Note 7 There is also a chance to get it. On the other hand, the price of the powerful variant of Realme 3 is around the company’s own Realme U1 handset.
Realme has told Gadgets 360 that no Realme handset will be removed from the market for the next few months. In such a situation, we will tell you Realme U1 ,Review) would recommend to buy.