Realme X3 – Made For The Love Of Cameras and Gaming

Realme X3 smartphone was launched on June 30, 2020, in India. The much-awaited successor of X series of Realme has premium looks and shiny glass back panel which gives a gorgeous look to this phone. Realme X3 has a metal body which makes it strong and feels premium, which it is. And for flagship performance, it comes with Snapdragon 855+ 7nm EUV, Octa-core, Up to 2.96GHz processor and a 6.6″ Full-screen display with 120hz refresh rate for Ultra Smooth experience.

Check Out: Realme X3 SuperZoom 

Let us get started with the review of Realme X3 and see all its offering.

The very beautiful and power-packed Realme X3 is the best one could get at this low price and with all the best specifications. The price for Realme X3 in India is set at Rs.24,999 for the 6GB RAM with 128GB storage while its 8GB RAM with 128GB storage option is priced at Rs.25,999. Both the variants are offered in Arctic White and Glacier Blue colour options. Pricing is attractive if we look at the features given by this device. The device is available on Flipkart as well as Realme’s official store.

You will find Realme X3 to come in the same old yellow box packaging as seen before. The box contents include:

• Realme X3
• 30W Dart Charger
• USB Type-C Cable
• Protect Case
• Protect Film
• SIM Card Tool
• Important Info Booklet with Warranty Card
• Quick Guide

Here is the list of what the Realme X3 has to offer on papers:

• Display: 16.6cm (6.6”) FHD+, 120Hz Ultra Smooth display, Corning Gorilla Glass 5
• CPU & GPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+, Adreno 640 
• RAM & ROM: 8GB/128GB, UFS 3.0
• Software: realme UI based on Android 10
• Rear cameras: 64MP + 12MP (tele) + 8MP (ultra-wide-angle) + 2MP (macro)
• Selfie camera: 16MP + 8MP Dual In-display Selfie
• Battery: 4200 mAh, 30W Dart Charge
• Weight: 202g
• Dimensions: 163.8mm x 8.9mm x 75.8mm

Looking at the price range, Realme has provided lots of features in the Realme X3. Now talking about the design, the back of the phone has a matte finish with glass protection which is fingerprint-proof which looks amazing and gives a premium feel in this price segment. The glass surfaces on the front are protected under layers of Gorilla Glass 5 that ensures a good deal of protection from scratches. The back of this smartphone consists of 3D Quad-curved Glass. Realme X3 uses high precision anti-glare fingerprint-proof glass. The glass feels a smooth and little rough at the same time, providing a better grip for the smartphone. Moreover, you can rely on a case to prevent it from any scuffing or damage due to drops.
The rear panel of the smartphone houses the quad-camera setup, which sits on the left side of the device in perfect symmetry along with the LED flash, right side near the camera. However, the camera is slightly protruding which means the phone will wobble when kept on a flat surface. The power button is placed on the right side while the volume rockers are placed on the side of the phone and USB Type-C charging port, as well as the SIM card tray, is placed at the bottom. The front consists of a 12 MP dual in-display selfie camera on a 6.6″ Full-screen LCD panel display with 120Hz refresh rate for Ultra Smooth experience.

The design of Realme X3 is not the best, but good enough compared to other smartphones falling in the same range. It provides both the sleek and strong qualities of design impressing the mass number of people. You will have an amazing experience using the device in regards to its design structure. It is because the phone feels premium in one’s hand, all thanks to its glass body.

The display of Realme X3 offers a 20:9 aspect ratio and a 120Hz refresh rate for a smoother appearance. It has a sizable 6.60-inch full HD+ display with 1080 x 2400 pixel resolution. There is no notch display, as it consists of a dual in-display camera. The smartphone has a pixel rich display and offers a bright and vibrant colour reproduction, which means better user experience while watching movies or playing games.
The good thing is that Realme decided to use a conventional LCD panel with 120Hz instead of a slower AMOLED panel with 90Hz. Thanks to this impressive configuration, the device offers a comfortable display which both looks and feels buttery. Although at this price point, a higher refresh rate panel (and even 120 Hz) is not unique, it does make a difference by giving a much more excellent user experience. As we know, the mobile gaming community is innovating and coming up with new games. 120Hz is a great feature for gaming as it will drastically improve the gaming experience, and is pleasing to the human eyes. With the excellent display quality with appropriate brightness levels and right viewing angles, the Realme X3 is undoubtedly a device offering breathtaking experience in watching movies and playing games.

Realme X3 smartphone is powered by a high-end Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ processor, which is a flagship processor and uses industry’s most advanced 7nm FinFET process technology. It clocks up to 2.96GHz, providing super powerful performance. It comes with Adreno 640 GPU for faster and better graphics rendering in games or other graphical applications. Realme X3 provides powerful performance and lets you run heavy games and applications easily and smoothly.

The smartphone packs 128GB storage and comes in two different RAM variants- 6GB and 8GB. The smartphone turns out to be a smooth performer and provides no lag or stutter while using the device. The smartphone does really well when it comes to gaming and playing heavy games like PUBG and Asphalt 9. The Smartphone can provide highest graphics setting available in-game, like HDR and EXTREME in PUBG MOBILE. You will not feel any lag or frame drops with this flagship processor in most games. You will not get disappointed by its performance if you are using some editing apps too, Kinemaster, Adobe Premiere Rush runs absolutely smooth and render videos comparatively faster. The Smartphone also have Liquid Cooling System. The liquid cooling tube is made of large 8mm diameter copper tube, which increases the heat dissipation area, which results in a 12.5% reduction in temperature. As a result, the device stays cool and maintains its performance and speed.

Talking about performance, how can we forget the Antutu Benchmark. It scores 517,743 on Antutu Benchmark in its lab. It provides 89% more CPU performance and 45% more GPU performance, compared to Realme X3. In addition, Realme X3 is equipped with UFS 3.0 Boost ROM with 1500MB/s speed for faster app launches.

Realme X3 runs on realme UI, based on Android 10. The UI of the device is quite simple to use and has the common gestures and shortcuts. It also provides a feature Game Space, which is basically an accessibility tool during games. It consists of the option to open WhatsApp, Facebook, and other apps in a little window while playing games without switching. It also shows CPU and GPU usage and FPS, which some geeky gamers might be curious to know. It will also help in debugging purposes.

Well known for the camera performance, the Realme X3 comes with a quad-camera setup at the back with features like 20X Hybrid Zoom. The camera of Realme X3 is undoubtedly a centre of attraction for the users. Like any other Chinese brand, Realme has thrown its major spotlight on the camera department which has surely managed to pull a lot of crowd.

The device has a quad-camera setup which consists of a 64MP 26mm primary camera, which is Ultra high-resolution wide-angle camera with f/1.8 aperture and 6P lens, 12MP Tele lens 51mm with f/2.5 aperture and 5P lens, 8MP Ultra wide-angle lens 16mm with f/2.3 aperture and 5P lens, and 2MP Lens 4cm with f/2.4 aperture. It consists of many functions like Starry Mode, Super Nightscape, Panorama, Expert Mode(Pro mode), Portrait Mode, Time-lapse Photography, HDR, Ultra Wide, Ultra Macro, etc.

There is also a unique feature known as “tripod mode” that lets the shutter stay open longer. This aims at pulling more light into the sensor. The feature works well under the condition that you need to rest the phone against something or on a tripod.

In daylight, details and colours are generally good, and even the wide-angle camera manages to keep up. Close-up shots in daylight look good too, with plenty of features and vibrant colours. The macro camera works decently well, provided there’s a right amount of light around. Even without a dedicated depth sensor, portrait shots looked good, with reasonably accurate edge detection. This device supports UIS Max Video Stabilization. It can record 4K videos at up to 60FPS and 1080/720 also at the same. Heading towards the front, the device consists of a dual in-display selfie camera which includes of a 16MP camera with f/2.1, 5P lens and an 8MP Ultra wide-angle lens with f/2.2, 5P lens.

The front cameras offer features like Wide Angle Mode, Front Panorama, Front Shot Flip, Super Nightscape, etc. The front camera can record up to 1080p at 30FPS, with IS Video Stabilization. Well detailing, colour reproduction and sharp image quality are what you can expect in the outputs. However, In low light, the telephoto camera captures sparse details, unless you use one of the Night modes.

Realme X3 provides a 4200mAh battery with 30W Dart Charge. The Dart Charge claims at charging the device four times faster than standard chargers and thanks to the new and improved battery performance; the device boasts significantly increased charging speeds (by 30%). Realme has also claimed that the Dart Charge can charge the device 100% in just 55mins, which is impressive in this price segment.

By looking at the spec-sheet only, we can make out that we get an excellent battery backup. You can easily rely on a single charge for a day or so even after performing heavy tasks like gaming. The Type-C adaptor is great for fast charging and also supports Reverse-Charging.

Talking about the audio performance of the device, we do get impressive results which offer a clear and loud sound. The device has 1216 Super Linear Speakers with Double mic noise suppression, and it also offers Dolby Atmos. Realme X3 manages to produce really clear and subtle audio, and this experience is further enhanced while using earphones with it. By looking at its price, the Realme X3 provides out of dimension audio quality.

Talking regards its connectivity, you can use two Nano-SIM cards in the Realme X3 at the same time, but there’s no microSD card slot for expanding the internal storage. It supports 2G, 3G, 4G, 4G LTE. This device is also consisting of 2*2 MIMO Wi-Fi Antenna, with dual-band support: 2.4 & 5GHz, you also get Bluetooth 5, and support for the usual array of sensors and satellite navigation systems which performs quite well. It has other connectivity features such as Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot. It surely impresses its users in the connectivity aspects too. The Realme X3 also gets fitted with a dual-frequency GPS positioning system which adds another connection channel between the smartphone and satellite. This helps in improving the accuracy and speed of navigation in cities.

For security, the device features a trendy fingerprint sensor housing on the power button itself, which makes it easier to access. As an alternative, the smartphone also has the face-unlock feature. The fingerprint sensor works just like the way it should and helps to maintain the handy with its sleek design. The face-unlock feature too works quite well and senses the face even in dim light. It is quick, reliable and accurate.

Pros

• Ultra-large 6.6” display 120Hz refresh rate
• Powerful Snapdragon 855+ processor
• Excellent battery life
• Powerful camera setup

Cons

• An AMOLED panel would have been appreciated
• The side-mounted fingerprint scanner is not as responsive in this device specifically
• 3.5mm headphone jack is missing