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, in order 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 latest. For these reasons the phone appears to be an attractive option in the price range of Rs 10,000. Let us know about its features and shortcomings through 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. Instead of glass, injection molded plastic has been used on the rear part. But it feels strong and it is also comfortable to hold in hands. But fingerprints fall easily.
The weight of Realme 3 is 175 grams which cannot be called light and its thickness is 8.3 millimeters. But the weight distribution is excellent. Fingerprints will bother you. It is not easy to keep the already provided screenguard and glossy back clean. We have reviewed the Radiant Blue variant. But 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 Dual VoLTE. 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 placed in the notch. The earpiece has got a place just above this. You will get a 6.2 inch HD + display which has the protection of Corning Gorilla Glass. Realme has not revealed anything about the version. lower chin Realme U1 Is wider than.
The resolution is a bit low considering the screen size. Especially when it competes with many handsets with full-HD panels. For this reason images and text do not appear very sharp. But the situation is not so bad that the phone should be rejected. Colors appear vivid and the brightness level is also adequate. We had no problem reading e-mails even in direct light.
There is Realme logo on the back, which is placed at the bottom. There are two rear cameras at 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 of the Realme 2 in many ways. However, according to us, the company should have provided a glossy back and USB Type-C port.
Realme 3 comes with a silicone case, SIM ejector tool, data cable, and 10W charger. You will not find any earphones in the retail box.
Realme 3 specifications and features
The specification of Realme 2 surprised everyone, because Realme 1 was equipped with a better processor. The company has not repeated this mistake with Realme 3. This time MediaTek Helio P70 processor has been used which had entered the market with Realme U1. It 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 is equipped with ColorOS 6.0. This custom skin is based on Android 9.0 Pie. Our review unit had the January 2019 security patch. ColorOS hasn’t been our favorite custom Android skin. But many shortcomings have been removed in the new version.
Google’s Digital Wellbeing feature that comes with Android 9 Pie is not available yet. Android’s battery graph is also not a 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 plays well in gaming. We tested Asphalt 9: Legends and PUBG Mobile. Our experience was pleasant in both the games. The framerate was smooth even at high preset graphics while playing Asphalt. PUBG Mobile ran fine in the medium graphical preset. The phone definitely gets hot during gaming, but there is nothing surprising about it.
Realme 3 does a good job with media too. Animated films come with good color saturation. They also look lively. Blacks get a little crushed in dark scenes, but that’s not bad for an HD+ display.
A single speaker produces loud sound. But the sound is of very average quality. Its position is such that the possibility of the speaker getting blocked increases if the phone is used in landscape mode.
Realme 3 has a 13 megapixel and 2 megapixel rear camera setup. The primary sensor is with F/1.8 aperture. The secondary sensor is used only for measuring depth in portrait mode.
There have also been some changes in the camera app 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.
Image taken with Realme 3 in Auto mode (tap to view full-size image)
Photo taken with Realme 3 in Nightscape mode (tap to view full-size image)
Chroma Boost can be activated from the viewfinder. This boosts the dynamic range of the image. Especially when the subject is being shot in bright light. There was definitely a boost in colors and brightness in our test shots.
Photo taken with Realme 3 without chroma boost (tap to view full-size image)
Image taken with Realme 3 with Chroma Boost (tap to view full-size image)
Landscape shots from the primary camera are sometimes excellent and sometimes very average. There is no lack of detail in some shots, but in complex scenes the camera lags a little. The macros are sharp and full of detail. Colors 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 photos in low light.
Portrait mode is part of the front and rear cameras. Edge detection of the rear camera works well. However, sometimes the outputs are completely poor. The background blur is a bit aggressive. Sadly there is no facility to adjust this. Pictures can also be taken in portrait mode from the front camera. But edge detection is not very good. HDR is also available, but colors appear 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 adequate lighting. But lags behind 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. Image quality is good in adequate light, but due to lack of stabilization, footage is recorded shaky. The phone also has slow motion video. With its help, you will be able to record videos of 720 pixels at the rate of 90 frames per second.
The battery of the phone is 4230 mAh. In normal use it supported us throughout the day. For some reason this battery gave disappointing results in the video loop test. The phone’s battery lasted for 9 hours 52 minutes, which is slightly better than average. There is no fast charging support, but you do get a 10-watt charger.
our decision
If seen, Realme 3 is a strong upgrade of Realme 2 in every respect. The design is modern. The rear camera has got some new features. The display is bright and vivid. Even though the battery did not achieve good scores in tests, it is reliable in general use.
The most important upgrade is the processor. Cameras have improved, but there is still room for improvement. According to us, the company should have provided Type-C charging port, metal or glass enclosure and higher resolution display.
Realme 3 will directly challenge Xiaomi’s recently launched Redmi Note 7. We have not yet reviewed Xiaomi’s latest budget phone. But on paper its claim seems very strong.
For example, the 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 Realme 3. On the basis of these features, Redmi Note 7 seems stronger than Realme 3 in every respect. But we will give the final decision on this only after reviewing Xiaomi’s phone.
If your budget is limited then you can consider buying the 3 GB version of Realme 3. However, also remember that by paying just Rs 1,000 extra you will have 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 in the coming few months. In this case we will tell you Realme U1 ,review) would suggest to buy.