Not only does the Realme GT3 follow in the footsteps of its predecessor the Realme GT2 (review) in terms of hardware it also aims to catch everyone’s eyeballs with 240W fast charging. This is not the first time Realme has walked on that path in the past as well. It introduced 150W fast charging last year with its Realme GT Neo 3 (review).
The Realme GT 3 was unveiled at worldwide during MWC 2023 with a starting price of $649 (approximately Rs 53,600). Interestingly, the same phone is retailing in China as the Realme GT Neo 5. Just before the global announcement at MWC, I had the opportunity to experience it for a brief period. Based on that experience, here are my thoughts on the device:
Realme GT 3 Design
Realme GT3’s design marks a significant departure from its predecessor, the GT2, as the phone now boasts a conventional glass sandwich chassis, eschewing the paper-like back of yesteryear. Instead, the phone boasts a frosted, smooth-as-silk glass finish, complemented by a bulky camera module. While the phone’s surface feels delightfully tactile, its glass finish renders it unnervingly slippery. We had the chance to examine both color variants – the vibrant Pulse White and the sleek Booster Black – and found their tactile qualities to be indistinguishable.
Realme GT3 rear panel has a large camera housing adjacent to it is faux circuitry. This design element includes a dummy chipset alongside “Dare to Leap” branding, serving as a reminder of the brand’s tagline. Next to the camera system, there’s also a rectangular RGB light system that Realme calls the “Pluse Interface” aka Breathing light. This nothing phone 1-inspired innovative interface illuminates in varying colors depending on the phone’s status. For instance, the light glows red when the battery level falls below 20 percent, transitioning to a pulsating purple when charging. The Breathing Light Interface can be customized in a range of 25 color shades, two rhythm types, and five lighting speed modes to tailor the interface to their preferences.
The front of the GT3 boasts an impressive 6.74-inch display, featuring a centered punch-hole for the selfie camera and slim bezels that wrap around the screen. With such a large display, the phone can be a bit unwieldy to handle with just one hand. However, despite its size, the device doesn’t feel overly heavy, weighing in at just under 200 grams – a surprise considering its substantial screen.
Realme GT3 Hardware
One of the most notable upgrades in the new Realme GT 3 is its screen. It boasts a larger display with a faster refresh rate (144Hz), 10-bit color depth, and a higher resolution of 1240 x 2772 pixels. The screen officially supports HDR10+ and is expected to be brighter, reaching up to 1,300 nits peak spot luminosity. According to the specifications, it’s undoubtedly the best display Realme has ever used, but we’ll put that claim when we get the device for review.
Under the hood, the Realme GT 3 is powered by the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset, coupled with up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of internal storage. Its rear camera system includes a 50MP Sony IMX890 OIS primary camera, an 8MP ultra-wide lens, and a 2MP macro lens. On the front, there’s a 16MP camera for selfies. Once again, the hardware on the Realme GT 3 is quite impressive, and during our brief hands-on time, the phone felt remarkably smooth.
Realme GT 3 Battery and charging
Realme has introduced its latest 240W fast charging technology that claims to fully charge a 4,600mAh single-cell lithium polymer battery in less than 10 minutes. To enable this, Realme has created a custom 12A charging cable capable of handling the current. What’s surprising is that the charger’s size is not as large as expected for a 240W charger. This is due to the dual GaN design, which helps keep the size in check. Additionally, the Realme GT 3 comes equipped with a large 6580mm2 VC liquid cooling system to prevent overheating during rapid fast charging.
While doing the hands-on experience with the phone, we did a small charging speed test, here’s the proof:
Realme claims it has received a TÜV Rheinland certification to guarantee that the battery will maintain 80% of its capacity even after 1,600 charging cycles. This is an impressive achievement in and of itself if the claim is true.
Realme GT 3 240 First impressions
The Realme GT3 is an affordable flagship smartphone that boasts unique features, but its availability in India remains unknown. Despite this, it promises to be a significant improvement over last year’s Realme GT2, thanks to a more powerful processor, faster charging capabilities, and better cooling technology. While the initial impression suggests that the GT3 will do well for Realme, we still reserve our final verdict until we spend some more time with the device to test out its limitations. Therefore, we urge you to watch out the space for a detailed Realme GT3 240 review.
