Realme 3 Pro Review: The Real Redmi Note 7 Pro Challenger

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Realme has made rapid strides in its short journey as a young brand. The strategy has been to offer ‘disruptive’ hardware at aggressive prices to counter Xiaomi’s dominance in the affordable phone space. At the Realme 3 launch in early March, the company formally asserted that it will bring in a befitting competition to the much-publicized Redmi Note 7 Pro. Well, that Pro variant has now arrived. (Realme 3 Pro Review हिदी में पढ़िए)

Apart from the Note 7 Pro (review), the Realme 3 Pro will be up against a deluge of Galaxy A-series phones and Asus’s Zenfone Max Pro M2. But should the Realme 3 Pro be your pick in the under Rs 15,0000 segment? We’ll answer that and more in our Realme 3 Pro review.

Page Contents:

Realme 3 Pro Price and Specification

Model

Realme 3 Pro

Display

6.3 inches, 1080 x 2340 pixels IPS LCD with dewdrop notch

Processor

2.2 GHz, octa-core, Qualcomm Snapdragon 710

RAM

4GB/6GB

Internal Storage

64GB/128GB (expandable up to 256GB) Dedicated card slot

Software

Android 9 Color OS 6.0

Primary Camera

16MP (F/1.7) + 5MP (F/2.4)

Secondary Camera

25MP (f/2.0)

Battery

4045mAh, 20W VOOC fast charging

Realme 3 Pro Price In India

  • 4GB RAM + 64GB storage – Rs. 13,999
  • 6GB RAM + 128GB storage – Rs. 16,999

ALSO READ: OnePlus 7 Pro Review

Realme 3 Pro Review: Design and Build Quality

The first time we held the Realme 3 Pro, it didn’t feel radically different than most other phones in the segment that we run into these days. However, soon after we started using it we could appreciate subtle refinements.

The front is predominantly occupied by the full HD+ screen with dewdrop notch (V-shaped), narrow side bezels and 2.5D Gorilla Glass 5 protection. Realme 3 Pro review

The back is where it differs from the Note 7 Pro.

Realme’s love affair with plastic shells continues. The phone isn’t as premium as glass phones but it is more likely to withstand an accidental drop. The good thing is that the 3 Pro is slimmer and lighter compared to the Xiaomi’s new Note. Also the back panel curves towards the edges which makes it more comfortable to grip.

Realme is continuing with the gradient finish for the Pro variant as well, and it does make the Realme 3 Pro trendy. If you view it from an angle, you will notice semi ‘S’ lines that look appealing. Realme 3 Pro review

The back camera juts out a bit, but the bundled case evens it out. The yellow concentric rings on the camera are Realme’s trademark, but we really think the 3 Pro would be better off without them. The chrome lining around the camera also looks tacky.

The speaker grill, 3.5mm headphone jack, and the micro USB port all find a place on the bottom edge. Again, a USB Type-C port would have been ideal, but hey the VOOC fast charging is still there (more on that later).Realme 3 Pro review

ALSO READ: Realme 3 Pro vs Redmi Note 7 Pro comparison

Realme 3 Pro Review: Display

The Realme 3 Pro debuts with a 6.3-inch IPS LCD screen (19:9) with 2340 X 1080p resolution and a pixel density of about 408 ppi. Just like the last three or four Realme phones, this one too sports a dewdrop notch (that you may hide).Realme 3 Pro review

Traditionally, Realme phones are calibrated towards favoring a cooler side. This time, the calibration is better and whites appear closer to neutral. There is limited scope to fiddle with colors under display settings too.

As for the outdoor visibility, the screen goes 400nits bright and the phone was useable under direct sunlight.

Overall, the Realme 3 Pro’s Full HD panel is one of the better ones available in the segment at the time of writing.

Realme 3 Pro Review: Performance and Software

Realme 3 Pro rocks a Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 SoC which is built on 10nm FinFET process. The octa-core chipset uses dual Kryo 360 cores and six Kryo 350 cores which could reach up to 2.2GHz clock speed under stress. The processor is backed by the Adreno 616 GPU has received additional optimization for Tencent (maker of PUBG) and Unity (maker of Fortnite) games.

Realme 3 Pro review

So, how does it fare against the SD 675 on Redmi Note 7 Pro? “The Snapdragon 710 elevates gaming experience over the Snapdragon 675 SoC,” says Qualcomm.

Apart from better GPU, use of 10nm technology and presence of L3 system cache are factors that lend it an edge over the Snapdragon 675.

After scrutinizing performance on both RN 7 and Realme 3 Pro, we can confirm this to be true. Gaming is noticeably better on the Realme 3 Pro, even if the margin isn’t much. It’s also the first phone in its class to be certified by Fortnite.

Long story short, this is the best performing phone you could gun for under 15k.

As for the software, Realme is still using Oppo’s Color OS 6. The custom OS is based on Android 9 Pie and has ample customization options. We are glad that the new Color OS has an option to added a decent App drawer to the default launcher. Realme 3 Pro review

Having said that, I personally didn’t enjoy the user interface of the Colors OS.  The UI has a dated feel to it with animations and transitions lack that sublime charm. Presence of bloatware apps like DailyHunt, Opera and UC Browser, ShareChat, Webnovel, and few others doesn’t help Color OS case either.

You may install a customer launcher from Play store, but you’d have to go through layers of settings to set it as your default one.

Realme has confirmed that the retail units will ship with Widewine L1 certification. We are not sure if HD streaming will work on Netflix or Amazon Prime, though.

The Realme 3 Pro fingerprint sensor is extremely snappy, and so is the face unlock. The mono speaker at the bottom is loud enough. Audio experience on earphones is mediocre.

Realme 3 Pro Benchmark Scores

Benchmark Test

Realme 3 Pro Score

AnTuTu

157920

Geekbench 4 Single-core

1445

Geekbench 4 Multi-core

5849

3D mark Sling Shot

2641

GFX Bench

627.2

NOTE: The Android Q Beta is also available for the Realme 3 Pro.

Realme 3 Pro Review: Camera Performance

To beat the Redmi Note 7 Pro, you’d need to beat its camera.

To counter Xiaomi’s 48MP primary sensor, Realme banks on Sony IMX519 sensor, which is the same sensor that’s used on the OnePlus 6T. The RM 3 Pro includes a 16MP + 5MP setup at the rear and a 25MP selfie camera on the front.

The camera app is not very well laid out, but it includes all sorts of modes and options you’d need, including Portrait mode, Panorama, Chroma Boost mode, and Nightscape mode.

The Chrome Boost mode works similar to HDR mode by stacking multiple images to offer better dynamic range and richer color tones. Nightscape, on the other hand, is low light photography solution where it takes long exposure shots handheld.

Realme 3 Pro camera review
The Realme 3 Pro camera managed to capture different shades of blue in the sky, however, the green seems a tad oversaturated.

The Realme 3 Pro camera shots turned up really good, considering the price. It manages to take sharp images in daylight through the color are excessively warm. The clicked images show great dynamic range and contrast.

Realme 3 Pro camera review
Once again, the dynamic range is good, however, the colors are excessively cheerful.

AI mode detects the scene and automatically kicks in to further boost colors.

Realme 3 Pro Camera review close up shot
Leaves have good details with sharp edges.
Once again, the image has sufficient details though, the colors are a tad unnatural.

Coming to the night photography, the Realme 3 Pro’s nightscape really helps. The multi-exposure shots offer far better clarity and result as compared to its auto mode. The AI can automatically turn on the night mode as well. 

Realme 3 Pro camera review auto mode vs night mode
The image on the left is shot in default auto mode while before clicking the image on the right we switched to night mode. The difference in quality is evident from the two images.

In comparison to Redmi Note 7 Pro, we found that the Realme 3 Pro captures better low light images with lesser noise. While out of the two, I will prefer colors tones delivered by the Redmi Note 7 Pro. 

Realme 3 Pro camera review - selfie camera
The edges are detected and blurred almost perfectly.

As for selfies, I am more inclined towards the Realme 3 Pro. With beautification options set to zero, it managed to shoot better selfies. The edge detection and bokeh in portrait mode are really good too. 

As for the Videos, the Realme 3 Pro camera can shoot 4K videos at 30fps and 1080p videos at 60fps. The phone also supports 720p slow-mos at 960 fps which a rare feature in this budget. You may shoot 10-second clips at 960fps, but this works well only outdoors. Overall, baring the laggy camera app, photography experience on the Realme 3 Pro is among the better ones in the price. 

Realme 3 Pro Review: Battery

The Realme 3 Pro packs a massive 4,045mAh battery which can comfortably last for more than a day (on most days). There are also a couple of power saver modes, like Super High Power Efficiency mode to extract some extra mileage during critical times.

Realme surprised us by adding VOOC charge 3.0. The phone comes bundled with a 20W VOOC charger which can refill the drained 4000mAh+ battery in about 80 mins. Fast charging support with bundled fast charger still isn’t very common for phones under 15K, and this is surely a thing to cherish.

ALSO READ: Samsung Galaxy A30 Review

Realme 3 Pro Review Verdict: Should You Buy It?

The Realme 3 Pro has what it takes to call out the Redmi Note 7 Pro for a dual. It lags behind the Redmi Note 7 Pro in terms of benchmark scores but offers a discernably better gaming experience. So, yes, if gaming is your top priority, we have no qualms about recommending the 3 Pro. 

The look and feel aren’t very premium, but still, it’s very difficult to complain if you keep the entire package in mind. The handset offers impressive battery mileage, pleasant display, and lowlight camera performance are other significant positives.

The UI is the biggest drawback that Realme needs to fix ASAP. Apart from that, the Realme 3 Pro is a powerful phone that covers all basics.

Pros

  • Gaming performance
  • Comfortable to hold
  • Low light camera performance
  • VOOC fast charging
  • Dedicated SD card slot

Cons 

  • No Type C
  • Colors OS
  • Yet to get DRM L1 certification

Realme 3 Pro Review [Video in Hindi]

Deepak RajawatDeepak Rajawat
Experienced technology journalist with over 7-years of experience. Before embracing online journalism, he has worked with several legacy publications including print editions at Hindustan Times and The Statesman. He also has a keen interest in Sports, which he used to cover with equal enthusiasm in his early career.

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1 Comment
User
Ranjith
Anonymous
4 years ago

Hello Team, their is issue in Realme 3s Pro , in these mobile SMS app not working correctly, due some configuration missed in sms app, if any bank related and any activation code related msg not send to bank server sms app sending the empty msgs instead of activation codes and some time its converted the same code its added some wrong data and i changed some setting also its facing the same issue

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