realme GT3 review

The Realme GT3 is a Flagship killer that boasts the fastest charging speed ever, with support for 240W charging. The phone's design has changed significantly from its predecessor, featuring a glass back with a smooth frosted finish and a plastic frame. The front display is a large 6.74-inch AMOLED with a 1240x2772 resolution, HDR10+, and a 144Hz refresh rate. The camera setup includes a 50MP main camera, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 2MP microscopic camera. Photos taken with the main camera are sharp and detailed, while the ultra-wide-angle lens produces lively colors but lacks detail. The microscopic camera offers a unique feature, but its quality is not impressive. The phone's performance is powered by a Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset, which provides excellent multitasking and gaming experience. The battery capacity has been reduced to 4600mAh, but the phone still managed to score a great overall endurance rating of 117 hours in our tests. The Realme GT3 also features stereo speakers with good sound quality, an under-display fingerprint reader, and plenty of storage options. However, its price is somewhat high, and there are some shortcomings, such as poor ultra-wide-angle camera performance and selfie quality, and the lack of ingress protection. Overall, the Realme GT3 is a solid Flagship killer that excels in charging speed and offers a great display experience. While it may not be perfect, it's a good option for those seeking fast charging and a high-performance device.

Build Quality and Design

The Realme GT3 boasts an entirely new design that deviates significantly from its predecessor, the Realme GT2. Gone is the synthetic paper-like back, replaced by a sleek glass finish with a smooth frosted texture. While it's a bit slippery to hold onto, the overall aesthetic is undeniably premium. The curved edges of the phone blend seamlessly into a plastic frame, creating a cohesive look. One striking feature that sets the Realme GT3 apart is the transparent window on the rear panel, nestled next to the camera bump. This seemingly innocuous design element conceals a surprising detail: a visible Snapdragon logo, hinting at the presence of the top-of-the-line chipset beneath. The clever placement of this logo adds an air of sophistication to the overall design. The front of the Realme GT3 is dominated by a substantial 6.74-inch AMOLED display, boasting a crisp 1240 x 2772 resolution and an impressive 144Hz refresh rate. This high-resolution screen ensures that visuals are razor-sharp, with excellent contrast and vibrant color accuracy. The support for 10-bit color depth and HDR10+ further enhances the viewing experience. While the Realme GT3's design is undoubtedly attention-grabbing, it's worth noting that some aspects may not be to everyone's taste. The glass finish, although premium-feeling, can be slippery to hold onto, and the phone's substantial size might make it less comfortable for those with smaller hands. Nonetheless, the Realme GT3's build quality and design are undeniable strengths of this flagship-killer device. Ultimately, the Realme GT3's design is a masterful blend of style and substance, showcasing the brand's commitment to innovation and attention to detail. While minor quibbles may exist, the overall package is undeniably premium and sure to turn heads in the competitive smartphone market.

Battery Life

The Realme GT3 boasts an impressive charging capability, but what about its battery life? In our tests, the phone showed great endurance, scoring 117 hours in our proprietary testing. The phone's battery capacity has been reduced to 4,600 milliamp hours compared to last year's 5,000mAh, but it still managed to deliver a commendable performance. The Realme GT3 was able to top up from zero to one hundred percent in just 11 minutes using its 240-watt charger. This is an incredibly fast charging speed that will surely please users who need to get their phone juiced up quickly. However, as the battery warms up, the charging speed does taper off a bit. In our tests, we found that the Realme GT3's battery life was consistent throughout the day, even with heavy use. The phone's power-efficient Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset helps to optimize battery life, and the phone's software experience is designed to be efficient and optimized for daily use. While the Realme GT3 may not have the longest-lasting battery on the market, its performance in our tests was still impressive. With a day of moderate use, the phone will easily last until bedtime, and with lighter use, it should go even longer. Overall, the Realme GT3's battery life is one of its standout features, making it an excellent choice for users who need a reliable phone that can keep up with their busy lives.

Display

The Realme GT3 boasts a large 6.74-inch AMOLED display with a high resolution of 1240 x 2772 pixels. This results in a pixel density of around 450 PPI, making content look sharp and vibrant. The contrast is also excellent, thanks to the support for 10-bit color depth and HDR 10+. The display's brightness is impressive, peaking at 480 nits with manual brightness settings and reaching an astonishing 970 nits in auto mode under bright sunlight conditions. However, the refresh rate handling could be better, particularly in auto mode. We rarely saw the maximum 144Hz refresh rate even in system menus, except within Google Chrome. The display would also dial down to a minimum of 60Hz when idling. Despite this minor issue, the Realme GT3's AMOLED display is a significant upgrade from its predecessor. With a manual brightness slider and support for HDR content, it provides an immersive viewing experience. Additionally, the stereo speakers on offer produced good scores in our loudness chart, with decent sound quality that included clear vocals and highs. The fingerprint reader, located under the display, allows users to quickly unlock their device using the Wide Awake feature. Storage options range from 128GB to a whole terabyte, providing ample space for all your files and applications. Overall, the Realme GT3's AMOLED display is a highlight of this flagship killer. While it may have some minor quirks in terms of refresh rate handling, its high resolution, excellent contrast, and impressive brightness make it an ideal choice for those seeking a visually stunning smartphone experience.

Camera

The Realme GT3 boasts an impressive camera setup, with a 50-megapixel primary sensor, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens, and a unique 2-megapixel microscopic camera. Starting with the main camera, it delivers excellent results, producing sharp and detailed photos with great dynamic range. The exposure is often on the brighter side, lending a pleasant, cozy tone to the images. Portraits taken with the main camera are particularly nice, with well-detailed subjects and excellent edge detection. However, there are instances where the subject comes out too bright, resulting in slightly off exposures. The ultra-wide-angle lens produces lively-colored photos with good contrast, but its low detail and noise make it less impressive compared to the main camera. Night mode processing is applied automatically when capturing images in low-light conditions, producing pleasing results with lots of detail and virtually no noise. A dedicated night mode option also yields similar results. The microscopic camera is a unique feature that allows for 20x native magnification, which can be digitally increased up to 40x. While it's not the most impressive quality-wise, it's still a neat addition to the Realme GT3's arsenal. Selfies taken with the 16-megapixel front-facing camera are unfortunately soft and lack fine detail. However, they do have nice colors and dynamic range. When it comes to video recording, the main camera can capture footage in up to 4K resolution at 60fps, with electronic stabilization always enabled. The quality is decent, with good contrast, sharpness, and accurate colors. Unfortunately, there's plenty of noise present. In contrast, ultra-wide-angle video recording is limited to 1080p resolution, producing soft, washed-out footage. Overall, the Realme GT3's camera setup is a mixed bag. While it excels in certain areas, such as low-light photography and detailed main-camera images, other aspects like selfie quality and ultra-wide-angle video leave much to be desired.

Price and Value

The Realme GT3 is an impressive flagship killer with exceptional features, including lightning-fast charging capabilities. However, its price point raises some concerns about value for money. Priced at launch, the Realme GT3 is a significant investment, making it difficult to justify for those not specifically seeking the fastest charging technology available. While the device's 240W charger is undeniably impressive, saving just over 2 minutes on full charges might not be enough to sway budget-conscious buyers. Considering its premium features and performance, one can't help but feel that Realme has priced the GT3 on par with established flagships. The lack of Ingress Protection (IP) rating, while not a deal-breaker for some, further complicates the value proposition. For those willing to compromise on charging speed or opt for last year's model, the Realme GT2 Pro might be a more affordable and equally capable alternative. Similarly, the OnePlus 10 Pro offers a more well-rounded package with comparable features at a similar price point. In conclusion, while the Realme GT3 is an excellent device in its own right, its premium pricing makes it challenging to recommend as a top choice for those seeking value for money. Those prioritizing charging speed above all else might find the GT3 justifies the cost, but others may want to explore more budget-friendly options that still deliver impressive performance and features.

Performance

The Realme GT3 is a smartphone that boasts an impressive array of features, but its performance is where it truly shines. The device is powered by a Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset, which provides a significant upgrade over the previous model's Snapdragon 888 processor. In our testing, we found the multitasking and gaming experience to be every bit Flagship-grade. The thermal management is also excellent, with the phone maintaining high and stable CPU performance throughout prolonged stress tests. This means that whether you're running multiple apps at once or engaging in intense gaming sessions, the Realme GT3 can handle it with ease. One area where the Realme GT3 truly excels is in its charging capabilities. With support for 240W fast charging, this phone can go from zero to one hundred percent in just 11 minutes. This is made possible by a thick cable and adapter specifically designed to handle the current, as well as gallium nitride technology that allows for a relatively compact charger. In terms of battery life, the Realme GT3 scored a great overall endurance rating of 117 hours in our proprietary tests. While this may be slightly lower than some other high-end smartphones, it's still an impressive achievement considering the phone's fast charging capabilities. Overall, the performance of the Realme GT3 is truly exceptional, making it a strong contender for those looking for a powerful and efficient smartphone experience.

Pros

1. The Realme GT3 boasts the fastest charging speed ever, with support for 240W charging

2. The phone's display is a highlight, featuring a large 6.74-inch AMOLED screen with a high resolution (1240 x 2772), extra-fast 144Hz refresh rate, and great color accuracy

3. The device has excellent thermal management, maintaining high and stable CPU performance throughout prolonged stress tests

4. The Realme GT3's camera setup is impressive, with a 50MP main cam that takes sharp and detailed photos, and a new 2MP microscope camera for capturing tiny details

5. The phone features a reliable under-display fingerprint reader, stereo speakers with decent sound quality, and an IR blaster for remote control functionality

6. The Realme GT3 has plenty of storage options (128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB) and runs on the latest Realme UI 4.0 based on Android 13

7. The phone's design is sleek and premium, with a smooth frosted glass finish on the back and colorful RGB LEDs for notification lights

8. The device delivers decent video recording capabilities, with up to 4K resolution at 60fps and electronic stabilization

Cons

1. The Realme GT3's ultra-wide camera produces low-quality photos with limited detail and dynamic range

2. Selfie quality is also subpar, with soft and lacking fine details from the 16MP front-facing cam

3. The device has a smaller battery capacity (4600mAh) compared to last year's model (5000mAh)

4. The phone lacks Ingress Protection, making it less durable against water and dust

5. At its launch price, the Realme GT3 may be too expensive for some buyers, especially considering the availability of similar options at lower prices

FAQ