Smart Android And Trik-Commenting on Andorid indeed never endless, because smart devices this one is often updated every certain amount of time. So that the market can always be garapnya menerinya with pleasure. And it is not denied if this device has become the lifestyle of each society. To not wonder if the 6th business information and many are turning to mobail smartphone. With Android which thoroughly dominated the mobile industry, choosing the best Android smartphone is almost identical to choose the best smartphone, period. But while Android phones have few real opponents on other platforms, internal competition is intense.
Introduction
Oh, look - it's another Realme! The maker may have been on the market for less than a year, but it's already in its third generation of its signature series. But what's new in the Realme 3, coming so soon after the Realme 2? Let's find out.
Realme has been really good in making dazzling designs and the Realme 3 keeps the tradition going with new stunning color options. The company has also shrunk the screen notch size to a much more tolerable droplet shape while bumping the selfie cam resolution up to 13MP.
There is also a new much more powerful chipset - the Helio P60 - the same one we first saw in the Realme 1. Meanwhile, the Indian market will enjoy the Realme 3 with a Helio P70 chip - pretty much the same SoC with a minor clock boost.
The Realme 3 retains the screen size and resolution from Realme 2, as well as the same dual-camera on the back, and the large 4,230 mAh battery. The fingerprint scanner on the back is here to stay, too. There is one last new bit and that's the Color OS 6.0 based on Android Pie.
Realme 3 specs
- Body: Multi-layer plastic back, polycarbonate frame, Gorilla Glass 3 front;
- Screen: 6.2-inch, 19:9, HD+, IPS LCD
- Rear Camera: Primary 13MP, f/2.2 lens; Secondary 2MP depth sensor; LED flash; 1080@30fps video recording, digitally stabilized 1080p@30fps
- Front Camera: 13MP, f/2.0; 1080p@30fps video recording
- Chipset: MediaTek Helio P60/P70 with AI, octa-core CPU (4xA73 @2.0GHz + 4xA53 @2.0GHz), Mali-G72 MP3 GPU
- Memory: 3/4GB RAM, 32/64GB, dedicated microSD slot for up to 256GB expansion
- OS: Android 9 Pie; ColorOS 6.0 on top
- Battery: 4,230mAh, 10W charging
- Connectivity: Dual SIM (4G), Bluetooth 4.2, GPS/GLONASS, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, FM radio, microUSB 2.0
- Misc: Rear-mounted always-on fingerprint scanner
The Realme 3 isn't an upgrade to the Realme 2 Pro, let's be clear from the start. There will be a Realme 3 Pro later on, but we will have to wait a month or two for that.
And now, let's get this Realme 3 out of its box and take it from there.
Unboxing the Realme 3
The Realme 3 retail box looks really cool, no two ways about it. It has the maker's new logo and yellow paint. In addition to your Realme 3, the retail package also includes a regular microUSB cable and a 10W charger.
As usual, the box also contains a transparent case for some extra protection.
Finally, you may notice the Realme 3 has a factory-applied screen protector and we like how some makers replaced those disposable screen stickers with actual protectors. This way it's a value-adding extra that many will keep instead of throwing straight in the trash.
Design
We've all seen the Realme 3 before, though the name was different. Whether it was the Realme U1, the Realme 2 or even the Realme 2 Pro - it's the same all-plastic phone you know. But Realme keeps surprising us with some fabulous colors to distracts us from the otherwise recycled shell.
And with the Realme 3's Dynamic Black and Radiant Blue paintjobs, we are not just distracted - you can color us dazzled.
The Dynamic Black is something we've actually seen before on the vivo V11 marketed as Starry Night. It's a very catchy gradient from black towards sprinkled dark blue and no matter how it's called, it's simply brilliant.
Then there is the Radiant Blue, which is a bit more alien than the Dynamic Black. It mixes vibrant green and blues for one very chameleonic effect and it's mesmerizing to watch those hues change under different light.
The back, no matter the color option, is made of durable plastic with glossy finish. The Realme 3 uses a unibody design meaning the back actually wraps the whole phone all the way up to the screen. There is no standalone frame per se, though the curve on the sides is sharp enough to provide for some grip.
The dual-camera setup on the back for the first time on a Realme has a vertical alignment. The 13MP camera is on top marked with this cool yellow ring, then comes the 2MP depth sensor, and the LED flash is at the bottom. The whole setup is humping just a little bit, but not enough to make the Realme 3 wobble.
The fingerprint scanner is also at the back, always-on and very accurate as usual.
The Realme 3 looks a lot like the Realme U1 and the Realme 2 Pro at the front. It has a 6.2" IPS LCD display with one small curvy notch for the 13MP selfie camera. But unlike the models we mentioned, the Realme 3 has a lower HD+ resolution like its Realme 2 predecessor. More about that coming in a bit.
The earpiece is etched between the frame and the front glass, which is a Gorilla Glass 3 by the way.
The Realme 3 has all the essentials on its sides. The outdated microUSB port, the loudspeaker and the audio port are all at the bottom. The tri-slot is on the left and it can take two nano-SIM and one microSD cards.
The Realme 3 is as large as the Realme 2 at 156.1 x 75.6 x 8.3 mm and weighs around the same at 175g.
For a device that cheap, Realme has once again outdone itself. It's unbelievable how the maker succeeds in securing both the cool screens and eye-catchy designs. And you should know the process of making this one piece of plastic so ravishing and glass-looking is neither an easy, nor a cheap job. So as far as the Realme 3 is concerned, it's probably one of the best-looking smartphones you can buy for this amount of cash.
And yes, the Realme 3 is slippery and fingerprints do stick, but this comes with the glossy territory. The frame is sharper than on previous models, or as Realme likes to call it - narrower - which improves the grip. But if it's not your cup of tea, you can slap on the free case you get and have it all.
Large display, tiny cutout, low resolution
The Realme 3 has a 6.2" LCD screen at the front of HD+ resolution - that's same size and pixels as the Realme 2. What's new is the smaller droplet-like notch, a departure from the iPhone X-like eyesore on the old model. The resolution stays the same at 720 x 1,520 pixels and so is the density of 271ppi - not the ideal sharpness, but still quite usable. These specs make for a trendy 19:9 screen aspect ratio.
The display is protected with a Gorilla Glass 3, but there is also a factory-applied screen protector. Whether to keep it or not - that's up to you.
The text is sharp enough though minor pixelization is visible here and there. The icons on the homescreen are somewhat blurry because of the low resolution, too. But while the screen isn't obviously sharp enough to compete with the best, it's sharp enough for this budget class.
The Realme 3's display has a maximum brightness of 385 nits - that's below the average even for this class but will do mostly fine in all but the brightest of days. The black levels turned out quite deep, though, so the Realme 3 screen scored an excellent contrast ratio of 1460:1.
For those following our tests closely - the lower brightness we could achieve on the Realme 3 is 1.8 nits, which is dim enough for comfortable use in the dark.
| Display test | 100% brightness | ||
| Black, cd/m2 | White, cd/m2 | ||
| 0.263 | 385 | 1464 | |
| 0.35 | 423 | 1209 | |
| 0.286 | 411 | 1437 | |
| 0.306 | 537 | 1755 | |
| 0.283 | 518 | 1830 | |
| 0.314 | 481 | 1532 | |
| 0.358 | 479 | 1338 | |
| 0.298 | 499 | 1674 | |
| 0.459 | 636 | 1386 | |
| 0.297 | 436 | 1468 | |
| 0.416 | 549 | 1320 | |
| 0.315 | 493 | 1565 | |
| 0.346 | 427 | 1234 | |
| 0 | 390 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 590 | ∞ | |
| 0.325 | 437 | 1345 | |
| 0.313 | 460 | 1470 | |
| 0.29 | 526 | 1814 | |
The sunlight contrast number is far from ideal for the Realme 3 screen, but it still means the display is still usable outside when the brightness is set to maximum.
Sunlight contrast ratio
- Apple iPhone XS
5.171 - Apple iPhone X
5.013 - Huawei Mate 20 Pro
4.965 - OnePlus 5T
4.789 - Samsung Galaxy S8
4.768 - Asus ROG Phone
4.765 - Samsung Galaxy S8+
4.658 - Samsung Galaxy S9
4.63 - Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+
4.615 - Samsung Galaxy S9+
4.537 - Samsung Galaxy Note9
4.531 - Apple iPhone XS Max
4.516 - Samsung Galaxy S10+
4.514 - Sony Xperia XZ3
4.502 - Samsung Galaxy S10
4.498 - Motorola Moto Z2 Play
4.459 - Oppo R11
4.454 - Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
4.439 - Oppo RX17 Pro
4.434 - OnePlus 3
4.424 - Samsung Galaxy S7
4.376 - Google Pixel 3
4.35 - Huawei Mate 20 X
4.337 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018)
4.324 - OnePlus 6
4.321 - Xiaomi Mi Mix 3
4.291 - vivo NEX Dual Display (second display)
4.289 - HTC One A9
4.274 - LG V40 ThinQ
4.256 - Oppo R15 Pro
4.251 - Samsung Galaxy Note7
4.247 - Samsung Galaxy A3
4.241 - Nokia 8
4.239 - Google Pixel 2 XL (pre-update)
4.234 - OnePlus 3T
4.232 - Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018)
4.22 - Google Pixel XL
4.164 - ZTE Axon 7
4.154 - Samsung Galaxy Note8
4.148 - Meizu Pro 7 Plus
4.147 - OnePlus 6T
4.138 - Samsung Galaxy S6 edge
4.124 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017)
4.124 - vivo V11
4.113 - vivo NEX Dual Display
4.108 - Huawei Mate 10 Pro (normal)
4.096 - Samsung Galaxy Note5
4.09 - Huawei P20 Pro
4.087 - Xiaomi Mi 8
4.086 - Meizu 15
4.082 - Nokia 6 (2018)
4.052 - Google Pixel 2 (pre-update)
4.023 - LG V30
4.022 - Huawei Nexus 6P
4.019 - vivo NEX S
4.012 - Honor Magic 2
4.01 - Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro
3.998 - OnePlus X
3.983 - Vivo Xplay5 Elite
3.983 - LG G7 ThinQ (outdoor)
3.978 - Oppo R7s
3.964 - Apple iPhone 7
3.964 - Apple iPhone 8 (True Tone)
3.957 - Huawei P9 Plus
3.956 - Oppo Find X
3.954 - Meizu Pro 6 Plus
3.935 - Lenovo Moto Z
3.931 - Xiaomi Mi 9
3.921 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016)
3.918 - OnePlus 5
3.914 - Samsung Galaxy C5
3.911 - Xiaomi Mi 8 SE
3.901 - Samsung Galaxy C7
3.896 - Samsung Galaxy A5
3.895 - Samsung Galaxy J7 outdoor
3.879 - Samsung Galaxy J2 outdoor
3.873 - Motorola Moto G6 Plus
3.865 - Samsung Galaxy A8
3.859 - Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)
3.842 - Apple iPhone 6
3.838 - Microsoft Lumia 950XL
3.837 - Samsung Galaxy A6+ (2018)
3.834 - Sony Xperia XZs
3.818 - Samsung Galaxy A9 (2016)
3.817 - Motorola Moto X (2014)
3.816 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017)
3.812 - Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)
3.804 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) outdoor mode
3.802 - Xiaomi Redmi Pro
3.798 - LG V20 Max auto
3.798 - Sony Xperia XZ
3.795 - Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016)
3.789 - Apple iPhone 6s
3.783 - Meizu Pro 5
3.781 - Microsoft Lumia 650
3.772 - Xiaomi Mi 6
3.767 - Sony Xperia XZ1
3.765 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
3.756 - Nokia 8 Sirocco
3.745 - Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact
3.729 - Apple iPhone 8 Plus (True Tone)
3.725 - Oppo F1 Plus
3.709 - Vivo X5Pro
3.706 - Sony Xperia X Compact
3.694 - Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017)
3.688 - Huawei P20
3.683 - Apple iPhone SE
3.681 - Huawei Mate 9
3.68 - Samsung Galaxy A7
3.679 - Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact
3.675 - Meizu PRO 6
3.659 - BlackBerry Priv
3.645 - Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra
3.597 - Huawei Honor View 20
3.597 - Apple iPhone 7 Plus
3.588 - Sony Xperia XZ2
3.58 - LG G6
3.556 - Apple iPhone 6s Plus
3.53 - Motorola Moto Z Play
3.526 - Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016)
3.523 - Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016) outdoor mode
3.523 - Acer Jade Primo
3.521 - Microsoft Lumia 950
3.512 - Oppo R7 Plus
3.499 - Nokia 7 plus
3.479 - nubia Z11
3.466 - Huawei P10 Plus
3.456 - HTC U Ultra
3.453 - Motorola Moto G6
3.448 - Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra
3.445 - Sony Xperia XA2 Plus
3.445 - Samsung Galaxy J7
3.422 - Motorola Moto G6 Play
3.419 - Meizu MX5
3.416 - LG V20
3.402 - Samsung Galaxy A6 (2018)
3.397 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 AI Dual Camera
3.393 - LG G7 ThinQ
3.39 - Huawei P10
3.379 - Samsung Galaxy J5 (2016)
3.378 - Oppo R9s
3.352 - Honor Play
3.349 - Honor 8 Pro
3.341 - Oppo F7
3.333 - Oppo R7
3.32 - Lenovo P2
3.316 - Archos Diamond Omega
3.305 - Honor 9
3.289 - Xiaomi Mi 5s
3.276 - Nokia 5
3.261 - Nokia 6 (Chinese version)
3.244 - Xiaomi Mi 5
3.24 - Nokia 6 (Global version)
3.238 - Samsung Galaxy J2
3.235 - Oppo Realme 2 Pro
3.235 - Sony Xperia X Performance
3.234 - Xiaomi Mi Note 2
3.228 - Motorola Moto X Play
3.222 - Oppo F3 Plus
3.218 - BlackBerry KEY2
3.212 - Huawei Mate 9 Pro
3.206 - Huawei P9
3.195 - Xiaomi Mi Mix 2
3.19 - Motorola Moto G7 Play
3.18 - Motorola Moto G7 Power
3.176 - ZTE Nubia Z17
3.159 - Oppo R11s
3.153 - Lenovo Vibe Shot
3.113 - Honor 8X
3.113 - HTC U11 Life
3.108 - Motorola Moto X Force
3.105 - LG Nexus 5X
3.092 - HTC U11
3.089 - Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite
3.087 - HTC U12+
3.085 - Xiaomi Redmi S2 (Y2)
3.077 - Huawei Mate S
3.073 - Oppo F9
3.069 - Huawei P Smart 2019
3.069 - Microsoft Lumia 640 XL
3.065 - Xiaomi Mi Max 3
3.061 - Xiaomi Pocophone F1
3.059 - Huawei Mate 20
3.052 - Huawei Mate 20 Lite
3.051 - Motorola One (P30 Play)
3.026 - Apple iPhone 6 Plus
3.023 - Asus Zenfone 4 ZE554KL
3.019 - Sony Xperia XA1
3.012 - Motorola Moto X4
3.012 - Motorola Moto G7
3.011 - Motorola Moto G7 Plus
3.01 - Oppo Realme 2
3.006 - Sony Xperia XA2
2.938 - Oppo Realme 1
2.932 - Razer Phone 2
2.932 - Xiaomi Redmi 4
2.92 - Realme 3
2.918 - Xiaomi Redmi 3S
2.913 - Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus
2.913 - Sony Xperia XA Ultra
2.906 - LG G5
2.905 - Huawei Honor View 10
2.896 - Xiaomi Redmi 3s Prime
2.893 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 7
2.893 - Nokia 3.1
2.837 - Realme U1
2.815 - Lenovo Moto M
2.813 - Nokia 7.1
2.804 - Xiaomi Redmi 3 Pro
2.803 - Sony Xperia Z5 compact
2.784 - Honor 10 (Vivid)
2.757 - Nokia 2
2.752 - Meizu MX6
2.751 - LG V10
2.744 - Huawei Mate 10 (normal)
2.742 - Motorola Moto G5S Plus
2.737 - Xiaomi Redmi 3
2.735 - Huawei Honor 7X
2.734 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
2.714 - Meizu M5
2.71 - Xiaomi Mi A2
2.696 - Sony Xperia M5
2.69 - Xiaomi Mi A1
2.689 - Huawei P9 Lite
2.679 - Xiaomi Redmi 4 Prime
2.679 - vivo V7+
2.671 - Vivo V3Max
2.659 - Xiaomi Mi Mix
2.658 - Huawei Mate 10 Lite
2.654 - Oppo F5
2.653 - Doogee Mix
2.642 - Xiaomi Mi 4i
2.641 - Xiaomi Redmi 4a
2.635 - Sony Xperia Z3
2.618 - Xiaomi Mi 5X (Standard)
2.616 - Sony Xperia XA
2.609 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus
2.582 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus (max auto)
2.582 - Meizu M5s
2.58 - Xiaomi Mi 4c
2.574 - LeEco Le Max 2
2.567 - Microsoft Lumia 640
2.563 - Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL
2.563 - Huawei Honor 7
2.406 - Vivo V7
2.404 - Alcatel One Touch Hero
2.272 - Apple iPhone 4S
2.269 - Sony Xperia L2
2.266 - Lenovo Vibe K4 Note
2.254 - Sony Xperia C5 Ultra
2.253 - HTC U11+ (EU)
2.253 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (MediaTek)
2.249 - Sony Xperia C4 Dual
2.235 - Xiaomi Mi Note
2.234 - Motorola Moto G (2014)
2.233 - LG Nexus 5
2.228 - Huawei P8
2.196 - Meizu M5 Note
2.189 - Huawei Honor 6
2.169 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 2
2.166 - OnePlus Two
2.165 - HTC One X
2.158
The color rendering is average - the screen offers mostly accurate colors and we measured an average DeltaE of 5.3. The representation of the white color is way colder than it should be (DeltaE of 9.4).
If you opt for the Warm color saturation from Settings, the blue tinge is suppressed and the average DeltaE drops to 3.4 - an excellent result for the class.
Battery life
The Realme 3 is powered by a large 4,230 mAh battery - that's the same capacity as the Realme 2 had under its hoot. The battery supports regular 5V/2A charging and the bundled 10W charger restores about 23% of the battery in 30 minutes and 30% in 40 minutes. Not exactly fast, but as fast as you can expect in this price segment.
The Realme 3 scored an excellent result in our battery test with a 108-hour Endurance rating. It did a great job in all tested scenarios - video playback, calls, web browsing and even stand-by performance. It scored better than the Realme U1, which has the same chipset, thanks to its larger battery.
Our battery tests were automated thanks to SmartViser, using its viSer App. The endurance rating above denotes how long a single battery charge will last you if you use the Realme 3 for an hour each of telephony, web browsing, and video playback daily. We've established this usage pattern so that our battery results are comparable across devices in the most common day-to-day tasks. The battery testing procedure is described in detail in case you're interested in the nitty-gritty. You can check out our complete battery test table, where you can see how all of the smartphones we've tested will compare under your own typical use.
Loudspeaker
The Realme 3 has a single bottom-firing speaker at its disposal, just like the Realme 1 and 2. Stereo might be out of the question, but the speaker can still put on a good show, even in the budget segment.
Just as promised, the speaker is indeed tuned to focus on the mid-tones, but no matter the kind of music you are playing, it indeed sounds pretty good.
| Speakerphone test | Voice, dB | Ringing |
Overall score | |
| 63.5 | 70.8 | 71.5 | Average | |
| 68.6 | 73.4 | 72.4 | Good | |
| 66.0 | 71.8 | 81.2 | Good | |
| 66.6 | 74.4 | 81.8 | Very Good | |
| 64.8 | 70.5 | 89.9 | Very Good | |
| 66.4 | 71.6 | 87.2 | Very Good | |
| 69.1 | 74.8 | 81.4 | Very Good | |
| 68.0 | 73.8 | 84.8 | Very Good | |
| 71.7 | 74.4 | 81.6 | Very Good | |
| 70.1 | 73.1 | 85.4 | Excellent | |
| 69.8 | 71.5 | 90.5 | Excellent | |
| 75.8 | 75.2 | 82.5 | Excellent |
Audio quality
The active external amplifier part of our audio quality test saw the Realme 3 deliver a great performance - clarity was perfect and volume was very high.
Headphones caused a big plunge in loudness though - to average levels. Stereo crosstalk rose an average amount and some intermodulation distortion crept in. A rather mediocre showing by the Realme 3 here in the grand scheme of things, but adequate considering its price range.
| Test | Frequency response | Noise level | Dynamic range | THD | IMD + Noise | Stereo crosstalk |
| +0.07, -0.04 | -93.5 | 93.4 | 0.0010 | 0.0067 | -91.6 | |
| +0.50, -0.17 | -92.1 | 92.2 | 0.011 | 0.401 | -52.0 | |
| +0.07, -0.01 | -90.0 | 90.1 | 0.0019 | 0.015 | -92.9 | |
| +0.16, -0.10 | -92.3 | 92.5 | 0.0069 | 0.164 | -64.8 | |
| +0.02, -0.02 | -93.1 | 93.0 | 0.0039 | 0.0088 | -81.9 | |
| +0.64, -0.38 | -88.6 | 91.9 | 0.0069 | 0.606 | -50.6 | |
| +0.01, -0.04 | -92.3 | 92.4 | 0.0041 | 0.0085 | -80.7 | |
| +0.45, -0.54 | -92.2 | 92.8 | 0.0084 | 0.492 | -51.5 |
Realme 3 frequency response
You can learn more about the tested parameters and the whole testing process here.
Android Pie and Color OS 6
The Realme 3 is the first smartphone we meet running on Oppo's latest Color OS 6. The ROM is based on Android 9 Pie and features a lot of improvements since v.5.2.
The new OS is based on a light color scheme, mainly mixing a white backdrop with light color gradients. Oppo says the choice of white is meant to create an airy atmosphere. A major part of Color OS 6 is the new universal font - Oppo Sans - which Oppo has developed in cooperation with known Chinese typeface firm Hanyi.
And finally, Color OS is getting an app drawer. While this is just an option for the upcoming Oppo phones, Realme 3 has it turned on by default.
As usual ColorOS 6.0 has built-in machine learning that will freeze apps in the background, instead of closing them. The so-called AI application quick freeze will analyze your app activity for 2 weeks to learn your habits. You can configure/opt out of this behavior from the battery settings.
Despite the Pie-inspired graphic changes, the user interface is very familiar.
Lock and home screens, the app drawer
The fingerprint sensor is always-on, and it's fast and accurate. You can also set up face unlock in addition to fingerprint security - it's equally fast as the Realme 3 wakes up the moment you pick it up.
The face recognition is indeed blazing fast. It relies on 120 recognition points and supposedly can't be fooled by a picture. Surely, this implementation is not as secure as Apple's Face ID, but it works well and it's user-friendly.
Biometric security
Oddly, our Realme 3 came without a Theme Store, but maybe it will become available with an update later on. But for now - no matter the region - the Realme 3 isn't theme-able.
The notification shade features notifications, quick toggles, and a brightness scrubber and has a band-new look. The task switcher reminds of Apple's, though it has an End All button. And split screen is available for all compatible apps.
Notifications • Toggles • Task Switcher • Split screen • Split screen • Split screen
The Full-Screen Gesture model is available for the Realme 3, though the default option is a mixture between gestures and keys - it's the same back and Home key combination as on stock Android as seen on the Google Pixel. A swipe from the Home key will launch the task switcher, while a long press will fire the Google assistant.
All other options are here to stay - various onscreen key combinations all the way to the full-screen gestures.
By the way, if you are keen on launching the Google Assistant with a hardware key instead of a virtual one, you can assign a short press on the Power Key to summon it.
Navigation settings
Clone apps and file safe functions are on board, as well as real-time translation thanks to an improved voice assistant.
There is a Phone Manager quite similar to what Huawei and Xiaomi have on their phones under the same name. It handles memory cleaner functions, app permissions and encryption, and virus scanning, among other things.
Game Space allows you to handpick which notifications to pass through when you are playing games and you don't want to be interrupted. There are also different performance modes and an option to lock the brightness only for certain games.
Oppo provides multimedia apps of all sorts - Gallery, Music, Video, and even an FM radio.
Phone Manager • Gallery • Videos • Files • FM radio
Performance and benchmarks
The Realme 3, depending on your market, is either coming with Hellio P60 or the Helio P70 chipset. Don't you worry though as there is just a minor difference in the performance, negligible if you will.
Both chips feature the same octa-core processor, but the clock of the big cores has been raised by 100MHz for the P70. Which means the P70 CPU has 4xA73 cores at 2.1GHz, while the P60 has its clocked at 2.0GHz. The efficient quartet of A53 cores is running at 2.0GHz for both.
The GPU hasn't changed since the P60, too. It's still the tri-core Mali-G72 MP3, but its clock speed has also been raised by 100MHz and now it ticks at 900MHz within the P70.
The Helio P70 and P60 have the same AI core and algorithms, too.
The Helio P60/P70 processor easily aces GeekBench for this price bracket and the Realme 3 posted some excellent scores. The multi-core score was somewhat below its fellow Helio phones, but this might have something to do with the pre-release ROM.
GeekBench 4.1 (single-core)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 7
1650 - Huawei Mate 20 Lite
1595 - Realme U1
1567 - Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)
1532 - Realme 1
1511 - Realme 3
1482 - Realme 2 Pro
1462 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro
1342 - Motorola Moto G7 Power
1252 - Motorola Moto G7 Play
1199 - Realme 2
790
GeekBench 4.1 (multi-core)
Higher is better
- Realme U1
6004 - Realme 1
5741 - Huawei Mate 20 Lite
5574 - Realme 2 Pro
5531 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 7
5411 - Realme 3
4936 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro
4933 - Motorola Moto G7 Power
4534 - Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)
4418 - Motorola Moto G7 Play
4154 - Realme 2
3881
The Realme 3 has a massive benefit when it comes to graphics because of its lower screen resolution. It beats everything in its price bracket, offers doubled performance over the Realme 2 (also 720p screen), and unmatched speed across the entire competition.
GFX 3.1 Manhattan (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Realme 3
26 - Motorola Moto G7 Power
14 - Motorola Moto G7 Play
14 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 7
13 - Huawei Mate 20 Lite
13 - Realme 1
12 - Realme 2
12 - Realme 2 Pro
12 - Realme U1
12 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro
9.7 - Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)
8.7
GFX 3.1 Car scene (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Realme 3
15 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 7
7.7 - Motorola Moto G7 Power
7.7 - Motorola Moto G7 Play
7.7 - Realme 1
7.5 - Realme 2 Pro
7.2 - Realme U1
7.1 - Huawei Mate 20 Lite
6.7 - Realme 2
6.3 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro
5.9 - Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)
5.2
If you are curious about the raw performance of the GPU, it is quite impressive as well.
GFX 3.1 Car scene (1080p offscreen)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 7
9 - Realme 3
8 - Realme U1
7.9 - Huawei Mate 20 Lite
7.6 - Realme 1
7.5 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro
6.3 - Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)
6 - Motorola Moto G7 Power
3.9 - Motorola Moto G7 Play
3.9 - Realme 2
3.5
3DMark SSE 3.1 Unlimited
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 7
1409 - Realme 2 Pro
1291 - Realme 3
1189 - Realme U1
1133 - Realme 1
1072 - Motorola Moto G7 Power
567 - Motorola Moto G7 Play
562 - Realme 2
497
Over at the compound AnTuTu test the Realme 3 shows some real muscle and scores yet another excellent mark.
AnTuTu 7
Higher is better
- Realme U1
144436 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 7
139075 - Realme 1
138524 - Huawei Mate 20 Lite
136583 - Realme 2 Pro
132958 - Realme 3
132764 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro
115605 - Motorola Moto G7 Power
107495 - Motorola Moto G7 Play
97230 - Realme 2
75434
The Realme 3 is probably the most powerful Realme phone so far because of the lower screen resolution benefits. The difference between the Helio P60 and the Helio P70 chip can't be felt in real life, so you shouldn't have to worry which chip is inside your Realme 3 - it will be a beast regardless.
We didn't notice any particular areas of the Realme 3 body heating up even when running those benchmarks for longer durations and there was no throttling at all.
Overall, the Realme 3 offers class-leading performance and nobody should be experiencing hiccups of any kind whatever the tasks at hand. And it's the phone you should get if gaming is your thing and you are on a budget.
A familiar dual-camera with brighter lens
The Realme 3 lifts its main camera from the Realme 2 and U1 - it's a 13MP+2MP camera combo. Only the 13MP one can be used on its own, while the 2MP module is used for depth detection (read: portrait shots with defocused backgrounds).
The primary sensor sits behind f/1.8 lens (up from f/2.2 on the Realme 2 and U1). Phase-detection autofocus, and a LED flash complete the camera specs.
The camera app offers AI scene recognition - you'll see a small icon when a scene is successfully recognized, and the software will tweak all settings accordingly. Food, snow, pets (dogs and cats), sunsets, grass, among other scenes, are caught mostly correctly.
The app has three major modes - Photo, Portrait and Video - and you can swipe between those. The new Chrome Boost toggle is on the other end, accompanied by the HDR and flash settings. The Chrome Boost is an advanced HDR mode, which stacks a couple of images and offers even further improvements in the dynamic range and occasionally - better color saturation.
Camera app
There is also a hamburger menu with a few more shooting modes - Expert (manual settings), Pano, Time-lapse, Slow-mo, and Nightscape. The latter is the so-called long-exposure handheld mode for night photos, which is the thing to have these days. And kudos to Realme for bringing it on such a budget phone!
There is also a 2X zoom toggle, but it does a simple digital zoom - there is no telephoto lens on the Realme 3.
Image quality
The daylight photos we snapped with the Realme 3 turned out sharp and with enough resolved detail, excellent contrast, and accurate colors. The dynamic range is about average - there are clipped highlights here and there, but nothing that the HDR can't fix. The noise control is balanced - you can see noise mostly in areas of uniform color. The foliage presentation is pretty good, too, but the grass could still benefit from some further improvements.
Overall, those are among the better photos we've seen from the latest bunch in this price bracket.
Realme 3 13MP camera samples
The 2x zoom is purely digital, there is no telephoto lens on the Realme 3. But Realme still opted for a toggle on the viewfinder, so here is what you'll get if you use it.
Realme 3: 2x digital zoom camera samples
The HDR mode works nicely on the Realme 3. You also get auto mode, which does a good job of jumping in, sometimes is even more trigger happy than it should be. HDR processing is not too extreme and generally helps rescue some details in shadows and highlights.
Then there is the Chrome Boost mode, which you must enable from the viewfinder. You should use this only for improving even further the dynamic range and if you think the colors are somewhat duller than they should be. It indeed improves the dynamic range further than the HDR thanks to some more advanced image stacking, but you will lose some fine detail in the process.
Regular • HDR • Chroma Boost
Regular • HDR • Chroma Boost
And here are a couple of more shots for a quick comparison.
HDR • Chroma Boost • HDR • Chroma Boost
Chroma Boost is perfect for sunsets or sunrises and you can tell by the samples below.
Normal • Chroma boost • Normal • Chroma boost
The 13MP camera on the Realme 3 has a bright f/1.8 lens, and it does help the pictures at night. The photos we took with the Realme 3 are quite acceptable for a phone from the budget class. There is enough detail despite the high noise levels.
Lots of the highlights are clipped, as expected, but the HDR mode will succeed in restoring some of those. And you might even get a little bit more detail, too.
Normal • HDR • Normal • HDR
The Realme 3 is among the cheapest phones to offer a proprietary night mode called Nightscape. But it does a rather poor job though and we often found the HDR photos to be better than the Nightscape. Again, bear in mind these were all shot handheld.
Normal • Nightscape • Normal • Nightscape
Normal • Nightscape • Normal • Nightscape
We've decided to try the Chroma Boost mode in low-light and it produced some nicely balanced shots.
Realme 3 low-light 13MP photos with Chroma Boost
So, we are a bit disappointed by the Nightscape mode, though we believe Realme will work it out via software updates. Meanwhile, the Chroma Boost and HDR are more than enough for some very good photos.
And once you're done examining the real-life samples you can have a look at our Photo compare tool for some studio shots. We've pre-selected the Realme U1 and the Realme 2. You can, by all means, pick any other set of phones to compare once you're there.
Realme 3 against the Realme U1 and Realme 2 in our Photo compare tool
Portrait mode
The Portrait Mode spits out high-res 13MP images. The photos are very good - subject separation works well, there aren't many abrupt transitions from sharp to blurred, the bokeh is nice, and overall - those are among the better portraits we've seen, flagships included.
The thing is these take a while to shoot meaning you have to keep your hand steady for 1-2 seconds. It's not something we can't forgive at this price, just something to consider.
Realme 3 13MP portrait shots
Selfies
The Realme 3 has a 13MP selfie camera sitting behind a f/2.0 lens. It's a fixed-focus lens; there is no dedicated flash or anything else fancy of the sorts.
The 13MP selfie cam does a very decent enough job. Despite the unimpressive dynamic range (there is an excellent HDR mode for that though), there is really not much to complain about. There is more than enough detail, the colors are nice, and the images are sharp enough.
Realme 3 13MP selfie samples
The selfie cam also offers the simulated bokeh, just like many other Oppo and Realme selfie snappers. It saves the images in 8MP, but other than that (and a few smeared ears and headphones) it does a pretty fine job shooting portraits for them social networks.
Realme 3 8MP selfie portraits
Oh, and a Beautification mode is available as well, including an AI-powered one, but those are just not our thing to test, sorry.
Video recording
The Helio P60/P70 can do 4K videos, but for some reason, the Realme 3 can't. There is no 1080p at 60fps mode; EIS is not present either.
The 1080p video is captured with stereo sound and have plenty of resolved detail for the class. The dynamic range is about the average. The colors are accurate, and the noise is handled well. Overall, we are happy with the videos we got from the Realme 3.
You can also download the 1080p@30fps (10s, 22MB) video sample taken straight off the Realme 3.
The last stop is, of course, our Video compare tool where you can compare the Realme 3's output against other phones we've tested. We've pre-selected the Realme U1 and the Realme 2, but a different set of devices is only a few clicks away.
1080p: Realme 3 against the Realme U1 and the Realme 2 in our Video compare tool
The competition
Every new Realme usually sets a new benchmark for the competition, where available of course, and the Realme 3 is no different. And we've come to accept this, while the competition is putting a fierce fight.
The Realme 3 offers stunning design and unmatched performance, at the price of a lower-resolution screen. But gaming on this low-cost phone is flagship-worthy experience. Popular games like PUBG easily run at 30fps, while Arena of Valor reaches 60fps. How about that?
The Realme 3 also offers great battery life and upper-class camera with Chroma Boost and Night mode. Indeed, Realme seems to have done yet another amazing deal.
If performance is not that of a must and you can accept a bigger screen notch, the Realme 2 is now cheaper if you are really, and we mean really, on the budget.
Meanwhile, if you want a high-res screen and better selfie experience, maybe you should see the Realme U1. Its price is near the Realme 3's, the Helio P70 chip is in it, but the high-res display will impact the smooth performance we've mentioned earlier for sure. The 25MP selfie snapper might be the thing you need, though.
The Redmi Note 7 for India has a similarly big but higher-res screen. The Snapdragon 660 chip has been known for a while to be great for gaming and it's in the Note 7. The 12MP+2MP is quite capable, too, and it can do Night Mode as well. The Note 7 offers 60fps video capturing and EIS, but it can't match the Realme 3 looks for sure.
Finally, Samsung Galaxy M10's costs as much as the Realme 3, offers pretty much the same screen (though a TFT one), similar camera experience, and attractive looks. Its performance is way below the Realme 3's though and that's a big deal. Or you can add a few bucks and get the Galaxy M20 with a higher-res screen, better (than M10) performance, and a larger battery.
Realme 2 • Realme U1 • Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 • Samsung Galaxy M10 • Samsung Galaxy M20
The verdict
The Realme 3 has a lot to offer, way beyond what its budget price tag suggests. The dazzling looks are something you can really brag about, the camera does the job, and the battery will last you for a while. But performance is where the Realme 3 really excels.
No matter if it's the Helio P60 or P70 in charge of your Realme 3, it will be a beast that can only be taken by a flagship. And that's something no other maker can offer right now at that bargain price.
Pros
- Stunning design
- Large screen with minimum of bezels and droplet-like screen notch
- Top-notch performance
- Excellent battery life
- Good all-round camera experience and quality
- Bargain price
Cons
- Low screen resolution
- Slow to charge
- MicroUSB is outdated, no NFC
- No 4K video recording or EIS
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