Realme, Oppo's new brand, since its launch last year, has launched a number of products with attractive selling prices such as Realme 2, Realme 2 Pro and Realme C1. The Realme 3 that has just been sold to the Indian market is also an interesting product in the price range below Rs. 10,000.

Compared with the older generation Realme 2, Realme 3 is upgraded with a new processor and design. Factors such as the screen, battery, and camera remain the same as Realme 2. With a price of Rs. 8,999, what kind of experience does Realme 3 bring?

Realme 3: Display

With a 6.2-inch LCD screen and HD + resolution (271 PPI pixel density), both the size and resolution of the Realme 3 are the same as the Realme 2. What's new compared to the old generation is the "waterdrop" design. Realme 3's notch is more compact than the one on the Realme 2. The display quality is clearly not as sharp as the one with Full-HD + resolution, but in this price range, this is acceptable.

The screen’s color reproduction is nothing special along with average blacks and viewing angle. The maximum brightness of the screen is also pretty average, enough for use in most normal bright environments. 

Overall, it would be better if the Realme 3 uses a Full-HD+ screen, but the quality of this phone panel is still acceptable compared to other phones in the same price point.

Realme 3: Performance

Realme 3 is pre-installed with Color OS 6 based on Android 9, similar to the Oppo F11 Pro launched just a few weeks ago. Color OS 6's user interface has a lighter, airy, and simpler tone than the previous version, close to Google's Material Design design language.

In addition to changing the interface, the Color OS 6 version has added some new features such as having an application tray similar to pure Android (optional, not default); adding navigation gestures from Android 9; game space (choose which notifications are displayed when playing games, lock screen brightness during games and select some optimal modes for gaming activities) ...

In terms of performance, the Realme 3 version sold in India uses the Helio P60 processor with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal memory. This is a chip that is used a lot on last year’s mid-range smartphones like on the Oppo F7 and Oppo F9. Playing PUBG Mobile game in medium graphics mode, the Reame 3 achieved an average of 30 fps with 86% stability.

When the graphics settings were increased to HD, the fps dropped to 25 and stability dropped to 76 percent as well.

Continue with other games like Dead Trigger 2, Realme 3 handled it with ease. The device achieved a high fps of 60 with good stability. During the game, the phone got warm where the fingerprint sensor is located.

Playing Dead Trigger 2 in high graphics mode, the device reached a maximum fps of 60 with 78% stability.

Realme 3: Battery life

Realme 3 has a 4,230 mAh battery, quite large considering its hardware configuration, especially the HD+ resolution.

In our battery tests, the Realme 3 showed very good results. In particular, the device lasted even longer than smartphones with a 5,000 mAh like Zenfone Max Pro M2 or Galaxy M20 when we used it to watch movies. However, this phone is only equipped with a 5V / 2A normal charger, so the charging time will be quite long. The first 30 minutes can only charge 22% of the battery and the total charging time takes about 2.5 hours.

Realme 3: Camera

I am a person that loves taking lots of videos and pictures, but I couldn’t use the device for either of those things. The Realme 3’s camera setup includes a 13MP main sensor and a 2MP portrait camera, featuring PDAF fast focusing and an aperture of f/1.8. During my time with the phone, I had to use a different phone to take photos and videos because the Realme 3’s camera quality was a mess. Despite having a dual-camera lens setup, the color reproduction is just bad. 

Overall, photos taken by this device tend to have a yellow tint in them. Not just that, it also fails pretty hard in acquiring details in low-light scenes. If you take a close look at low-light photos, you will notice that the details are smudged. 

In addition, it is nearly impossible to take photos of a moving object or picturing something while you are walking. Despite my attempts to hold the phone steady, the rear cameras just can’t focus and hence, the outcomes are pretty blurry. In good lighting conditions, the cameras capture good colors, but again, the details in those photos are still missing.

To compensate for the limited dynamic range, OPPO offers Chrome Boost mode like the Dazzle Color mode on the Oppo F11 Pro. Chrome Boost mode boost up colors, contrast, and saturation of the image much more than the normal shooting mode. The photos don't have the natural looking, but in some contexts, this mode is quite suitable, making the photo more vivid and fresh.

Realme 3: Verdict

Realme 3 is the right choice for those who are new to smartphones or who are low on budget to get the mid-range smartphones. The machine does a good job in most of the basic criteria: eye-catching design, long battery life, camera features, and good gaming performance. The low-resolution screen is the product's drawback, but also the factor that makes the device run smoother and consume less battery. Moreover, you might need to consider a different name if you love taking photos and videos.