Realme 3 Review: should you buy now or wait until the Realme 3 Pro released?
Realme 3 is a budget smartphone created by OPPO’s new sub-brand, Realme. Following the two former versions of the phone, Realme 1 and Realme 2, the Realme 3 was released in India on March 4.
The new phone promises a better performance at a very attractive price. However, as the Realme 3 Pro is also upcoming in April, so will it be better than the Realme 3? Let’s find out the answer in this Realme 3 detailed review
Realme 3 Specs
First, let’s take a quick look at the main specs of the Realme 3.
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Product name
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Realme 3
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Display
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6.2 inches, HD+1520 x720 pixels
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Product size (L x W x H)
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156.1mm x 75.6mm x 8.3mm
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Product weight
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175g
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CPU
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MediaTek Helio P70
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OS
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ColorOS 6.0 based on Android P
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GPU
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ARM Mali-G72
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Memory
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3GB + 32GB / 4GB + 64GB
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External Memory
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Up to 256 GB
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Rear Dual Camera
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13MP+2MP
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AI Front Camera
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13MP
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Battery capacity
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4230mAh
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Bluetooth version
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Bluetooth 4.2
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Realme 3 Design: large screen but Micro USB charging
At the first glance, the Realme 3 looks like your average modern day smartphone — and it is. You get the large 6.2 inch display with a small waterdrop notch and an impressive 88.3% screen-to-body ratio achieved thanks not only to the tiny notch but also the phone’s tapered edges.
According to OPPO, the Realme 3 has used a unibody manufacturing process, which should have given the smartphone a solid feel. When you hold the device, however, the phone feels a bit flimsy and plastic — which is, then again, quite understandable for a budget phone.
Realme 3 unibody manufacturing process
The Realme 3 is available in 2 interesting color options, both gradient. You have the Dynamic Black that fades from black at the top to blue at the bottom and the Radiant Blue starting out in light blue and transitioning into turquoise.
While being mostly in accord with the modern trends in terms of design, the Realme 3 does make a rather surprising choice when it comes to charging — there is a Micro USB port on the phone as opposed to a USB Type-C port that we would expect on a newly released phone these days.
Realme 3: Helio P70 + up to 4GB RAM
The Realme 3 comes with a rather a standard 6.22 inch display with HD+ (1520 x 720) resolution and 19:9 aspect ratio. The screen is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3, which should offer it enough “cover” for everyday bumps, drops and scratches.
The phone runs on the MediaTek Helio P70, a 64-bit Octa-Core chipset using the 12nm FinFET process. According to MediaTek, the processor come with a strong support for AI functionality, fluid gaming as well as high resolution images and video. The processor’s maximum clock speed goes up to 2.1GHz and it comes with ARM Mali-G72 MP3 GPU.
Note that only the Indian version of the phone comes with the MediaTek Helio P70 processor. The phone’s global version features the MediaTek Helio P60.
You will be able to choose between two versions of the phone: 3GB RAM + 32GB of storage or 4GB RAM + 64GB RAM of storage.
Realme 3 Battery
The Realme 3 sports a 4230mAh battery and, as mentioned earlier, is charged via a Micro USB slot. The phone does not support fast charging — but there are rumours going about that the follow up in the form of the Realme 3 Pro will. There is no wireless charging support either.
Realme 3 Cameras: average 13MP + 2MP
The Realme 3’s camera offer is rather modes: you get a 13MP + 2MP dual rear camera on the back. This does not look impressive compared to the 48MP rear cams sported by some of Xiaomi’s budget flagships. With that, Realme’s camera does come with all the expected modes and features like AI scene recognition, nightscape mode, chroma boost, expert mode, time-lapse, slow-motion, panorama, beauty mode, etc. While the extra features to add slight improvements to the camera performance, you still won’t be using the Realme 3 as a camera phone and low light photography is exceptionally difficult.
On the front, the phone sports a 13MP selfie shooter. Powered by the Helio P70, the front cam does offer some AI functionality: you get AI Beauty Mode, DIY Beauty Mode and there is Face Unlock onboard as well.
Realme 3 software: Android Pie + ColorOS 6.0
The Realme 3 uses Android Pie with ColorOS 6.0 on top. Here, it all comes down to whether you are a fan of OPPO’s ColorOS. Most users have reported that there is not much offered on the ColorOS in terms of extra features — but there is a nice choice of visual customization options, which may be important to some. There may be a minor learning curve when it comes to getting used to navigating the new OS if you haven’t had an OPPO phone.
Realme 3 release date and price in India
The Realme 3 was was released in India on March 4 and it has been officially available since March 12th. In India, the phone starts at $130 for the basic version with 3GB RAM and 32GB of internal storage. For the 4GB RAM + 64GB model, you will need to pay about $160.
With that, as the Realme 3 Pro is expected to be launched on April 10th, we may be seeing a slight drop in price for the Realme 3.
Realme 3: is this the phone for you?
Let’s sum up the good and the bad about the Realme 3.
At $130, the Realme 3 is not bad value for money. The phone comes with a nice design and a large display, good battery life and face unlocking. The phone’s weak points are the Micro USB charging port, average cameras and, for some, ColorOS.
While the Realme 3 is not bad for a budget smartphone, some odd choices have definitely been made in the design of the model. With the Realme 3 Pro in the works, you may want to hold off till the upgraded version of the phone is launched.
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