Realme GT Neo 3 overview: 150W charging comes with a lot of compromises

Realme is understood for launching a lot of telephones, and that exact trait hasn’t modified in 2022. The Chinese producer is keeping up a frenetic tempo in nations like India, the place it’s now within the third-largest phone logo with a 16% marketplace percentage. Realme’s release technique has allowed it to develop sooner than Xiaomi and Samsung, and if it continues this momentum, it has a genuine probability of overtaking Samsung within the nation this 12 months.

While the logo has centered its consideration at the funds class for many of its four-year adventure, it’s now turning to the mid-tier and top class segments to power enlargement. The GT 2 Pro is a unbelievable providing that holds its personal in opposition to the most efficient Android telephones, however it is the GT Neo 3 that can see extra consideration in markets like India. The Neo 3 does not adjust the method an excessive amount of for Realme, however its 150W tech is a differentiator, and it does not have any equivalent — these days.

Realme GT Neo 3: Price and availability

Realme unveiled the GT Neo 3 in China on the finish of March, and the instrument made its international debut on April 29, beginning in India. The phone is bought in two variants: the usual style has 80W immediate charging, after which there is a 150W style that I’m the use of that prices a little extra.

The 80W style is to be had in two garage choices: the 8GB/128GB variant prices ₹36,999 ($478) and the 8GB/256GB model is bought for ₹38,999 ($503). The GT Neo 3 with 150W UltraDart immediate charging is bought in a unmarried 12GB/256GB configuration for ₹42,999 ($555). 

Other than the quick charging tech, there is no distinction between the 80W and 150W variations, and they are bought in the similar 3 colour choices, together with Nitro Blue, Black, and Sprint White.

Realme GT Neo 3: Design and display screen

Realme is not any stranger to rolling out telephones with daring designs, and the GT Neo 3 follows in a identical vein. The Nitro Blue colour variant particularly is hanging due to the racing livery on the again, and the chunky digital camera housing appears to be like just right at the instrument.

If you are no longer a fan of the flashy design, there is a black choice this is a lot more muted. While the design appears to be like just right, Realme went with a polycarbonate again and mid-frame for the GT Neo 3.

The again feels just right in-hand, however taking into consideration the class this phone is focused on, Realme must have introduced a steel mid-frame right here. Nevertheless, the design contours across the edges and suits snugly on your hand, and it is not unwieldy in day-to-day use.

Coming to the display screen, the GT Neo has a 6.7-inch 120Hz AMOLED panel this is on par with different gadgets on this class. You get colourful colours and very good distinction, and I did not have any problems with brightness. There is a lot of customizability in Realme UI 3.0 for the display screen, together with the power to regulate the colour steadiness, arrange always-on mode, and regulate font scaling.

The GT Neo 3 has stereo sound as neatly, and that makes a lot of distinction when enjoying video games or streaming video. It will get sufficiently loud that I did not have any problems with it, and whilst you do not get similar channels, it’s a just right appearing however.

Realme GT Neo 3: Performance

The GT Neo 3 is powered via MediaTek’s newest Dimensity 1300 platform, a 5nm design that includes 4 Cortex A78 cores that cross as much as 2.85GHz and 4 Cortex A55 cores that hit 2.0GHz. There’s additionally a Mali-G610 with six shader cores, and total, the {hardware} outmatches the Snapdragon 870 in maximum eventualities.

In daily use, there are 0 problems with the GT Neo 3. The phone handles in depth gaming and mundane duties with ease, and I did not realize the instrument overheating even whilst gaming. MediaTek is doing the entire proper issues with its mid-tier designs of overdue, and the Dimensity 1300 is every other dependable chipset that delivers standout efficiency with out eating an excessive amount of energy.

This is one of the quickest telephones within the mid-range class.

Elsewhere, you get a vibration motor that gives nice comments, and that is a space the place Chinese manufacturers have fared a lot better over the past twelve months. The in-screen reader may be just right, however it’s located a little too low, so it’s important to maneuver your thumb awkwardly to release the phone. That stated, the sensor is immediate to authenticate and does not have any problems.

The phone has 5G connectivity as neatly, and also you get a slate of bands: 1/3/5/8/28/40/41/77/78. Of route, the bands will alternate in accordance with area, however the Indian style I’m the use of has the considered necessary bands for 5G as soon as products and services cross reside within the nation someday. There’s additionally Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, AptX HD, LDAC, and LHDC audio formats.

Overall, the GT Neo 3 shines at the {hardware} entrance. The Dimensity 1300 is masses tough on this class, and it has a lot of headroom for the long run.

Realme GT Neo 3: Battery

The marquee function of the GT Neo 3 is the 150W UltraDart charging tech, lately the quickest on this planet. The tech itself is the same to OPPO’s 150W SuperVOOC same old, and it’s approved via each OnePlus and Realme. Obviously, charging at 150W creates a lot of warmth, so there are masses of integrated safeguards to throttle the present if the instrument will get too scorching.

Realme claims that a complete price takes simply 17 mins for the 4500mAh battery, with the phone in a position to head from flat to 50% in 5 mins. That is not the case in real-world use; my GT Neo 3 took simply over 7 mins to get to 50%, and a complete price was once simply shy of 16 mins. Those figures are nonetheless increased than some other immediate charging same old to be had nowadays, however the problem is that the phone heats up significantly, going previous the 40 levels Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) mark.

150W makes a distinction, however the problem is that it heats up the phone an excessive amount of.

You can mitigate this via switching off the Turbo Charging function, and doing so guarantees the instrument does not get scorching. Charging instances are affected as neatly, however no longer via an excessive amount of — a complete price took simply over 23 mins, with the phone going from flat to 50% in 10 mins. Realme bundles a sizeable charger within the field, however the upside is that it really works with USB PD as neatly, so you’ll be able to use it for charging different gadgets.

In this situation, the charging time is not considerably greater than what you get on gadgets with 80W tech just like the Find X5 Pro and OnePlus 10 Pro. I used each gadgets broadly, and it took slightly below 32 mins to completely price the telephones from flat with the bundled 80W charger. So with 150W, you are looking at a differential of slightly below 10 mins. That’s nonetheless a giant success, however truthfully, you will not realize the adaptation between 80W and 150W in daily use.

What makes a larger distinction is Battery Health Engine, a function designed to optimize battery longevity. Most telephones are touted to last as long as 800 price cycles ahead of they see any battery degradation, however with Battery Health Engine, that determine is doubled to 1600 price cycles. That is a large deal, and we will have to attend and notice if the ones claims cling up.

As for daily use, the 4500mAh battery at the GT Neo 3 is greater than good enough to ultimate a whole day. There wasn’t a situation the place I needed to price the phone ahead of handing over for the evening, and I averaged 4.5 hours hours of screen-on-time. You get a higher 5000mAh battery at the 80W style, and of the 2, my advice will be the 80W choice — it does not take that for much longer to price, you get extra battery existence, and it prices much less.

Realme GT Neo 3: Cameras

The GT Neo 3 comes with the similar 50MP Sony IMX766 sensor that is a mainstay in a lot of high-end telephones in 2022, together with the likes of the GT 2 Pro, Find X5 Pro, and others. It’s joined via an 8MP wide-angle lens, 2MP macro shooter, and a 16MP digital camera on the entrance of the instrument.

Realme hasn’t made any adjustments to its digital camera interface, so you can in finding the entire toggles and settings of their same old place. The interface is not cluttered and allows you to get right of entry to the entire taking pictures modes with ease. The GT Neo 3 information movies at 4K 60 FPS, however just for the 50MP module — the remainder of the cameras are restricted to 1080p video. That seems like an oversight taking into consideration how a lot the phone prices, and this is not the primary time Realme has executed so.

Photos have nice dynamic vary, correct colours, and whole of element. That extends to low-light eventualities as neatly, with the Neo 3 in a position to ship colourful footage in difficult eventualities.

While the 50MP digital camera takes nice footage, the similar can’t be stated of the wide-angle lens. The 8MP lens simply does not reduce it on this class, and it’s a deficient appearing total. Photos taken in sunlight are respectable sufficient, however you fail to notice a lot of the element, and it is transparent that the device is aggressively smoothening the photographs. 

For low-light pictures, you get a lot of noise, washed out colours, and absence of element. This is fastened moderately via the use of the devoted Night mode, however Realme must have used a higher-quality sensor right here.

The similar is going for the 16MP digital camera on the entrance; it simply does not cling as much as its competitors on this class. Colors don’t seem to be correct, and it struggles to care for element in anything else however stellar lights stipulations. Then there is the 2MP macro, which don’t have been incorporated on a funds phone that prices part as a lot.

It’s transparent that Realme did not center of attention an excessive amount of on this house, with the logo as an alternative turning to the phone’s 150W charging tech and {hardware} prowess as a differentiator. While the 50MP digital camera takes nice footage in any lights state of affairs, the auxiliary modules are lackluster. If you do not thoughts that, the GT Neo 3 is a just right technique to imagine. If you need flexible cameras, you can wish to glance somewhere else.

Realme GT Neo 3: Software

Realme made a lot of sure strides at the device entrance, and whilst its Realme UI 3.0 makes use of ColorOS 12 as the basis, it has a few distinctive options. The GT Neo 3 runs Android 12 out of the field, and it’ll get two assured platform updates. 

That’s lower than what its speedy competitors on this class be offering, with Samsung’s mid-range Galaxy A53 now making certain 4 Android OS updates and 5 years of safety updates.

There is an inexcusable quantity of bloatware at the GT Neo 3.

The larger factor is the sheer quantity of bloatware at the phone; maximum producers have executed a respectable activity on this house over the past two years, however the GT Neo 3 has a staggering quantity of bloatware put in out of the field. Granted, you’ll be able to uninstall maximum of those, however there are a few like Hot Apps and FinShell Pay that can not be uninstalled or disabled.

As for daily use, Realme UI 3.0 has a lot to provide, and it’s just about just like ColorOS 12. So you get a polished UI with masses of customizability, and all of Google’s additions in Android 12 are to be had via default.

The bloatware state of affairs is a particular low level for the instrument, and whilst you issue within the lackadaisical replace ensure, it is simple to peer that the GT Neo 3 is lagging at the back of its competitors.

Realme GT Neo 3: The pageant

The mid-range phase is teeming with very good choices, and Samsung’s Galaxy A53 remains to be a nice total selection. The instrument does not have the similar caliber of {hardware} because the GT Neo 3, but it surely excels in daily use, has the most efficient consumer interface on this class, and can get double the quantity of Android updates as Realme’s providing. You additionally get IP67 score, the cameras take nice footage, and the 5000mAh battery lasts over a day. It is not ideally suited for gaming, but when you do not play a lot of video games to your phone, it’s the most efficient mid-range phone lately to be had.

If you need a phone with high-end {hardware}, you must take a have a look at the OnePlus 9. The phone is now right down to ₹37,999 ($490) for the style with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of garage, and that’s an absolute thieve for the options on be offering. The OnePlus 9 has a lot better cameras on the again, has a beautiful design that places the GT Neo 3 to disgrace, and it has a 120Hz AMOLED panel, high-end internals, and 65W immediate charging. It introduced with Android 11 however gets 3 OS updates, so it’ll make the transfer to Android 14 — similar to the GT Neo 3.

And in case you are ok with looking ahead to a few months, you must imagine the Pixel 6a. Google’s upcoming mid-ranger is powered via the similar Tensor platform because the Pixel 6 and six Pro, and it must proceed the similar digital camera excellence as its predecessors. With a showed release in India and the United Kingdom, I’m very fascinated by seeing what the Pixel 6a has to provide.

Realme GT Neo 3: Should you purchase it?

You must purchase this if:

• You need a phone that fees in underneath 20 mins
• You’re in search of a phone with a flashy design
• You want high-end internals constructed for gaming
• You need a 120Hz AMOLED display screen

You should not purchase this if:

• You’re in search of wi-fi charging or water resistance
• You want a instrument that does not have any bloatware
• You need long-term device updates

With the GT Neo 3, it seems like Realme made a few compromises to incorporate the 150W charging tech. The device state of affairs is horrendous for a phone on this class, and whilst you’ll be able to get rid of maximum of the pre-installed bloatware, the truth that it’ll simply get two Android OS updates makes it a non-starter for me.

There’s no water resistance both, and also you fail to notice wi-fi charging. And whilst the design is flashy, you do not get any top class fabrics right here. That stated, the phone holds up extremely neatly for gaming due to the high-end {hardware}, and the 120Hz AMOLED panel is excellent in daily use.

Of route, 150W immediate charging is a giant differentiator, however the novelty of that exact function wears off after a few days. If you are within the Realme GT Neo 3, my advice could be to get the 80W style — you can avoid wasting money in doing so, and there is not a large gulf between charging instances between 80W and 150W. And all issues regarded as, the 80W style gives a higher worth.