Realme Philippines has finally launched a smartphone that will impress hard-core gamers – the Realme 3 Pro. It has powerful specs, capable cameras, and a highly competitive price.
I used the device for almost a month to test its gaming performance, camera quality, battery life and more. Here is my full review of the Realme 3 Pro!
Design and Display
The design at the back of the Realme 3 Pro.
Despite its name, the Realme 3 Pro looks like an entirely different smartphone than the Realme 3. It’s taller, more comfortable for one hand use and has an eye-catchy design at the back.
The phone’s screen measures 6.4-inches diagonally with rounded corners and a “dewdrop” notch at the top. It looks sharp thanks to a full HD resolution while the color saturation and brightness are both decent for an IPS LCD.
Its power button is on the right side while the volume buttons are on the left side. A 3.5mm audio jack, loudspeaker, and micro-USB port are at the bottom.
The back is made up of a glossy material but it’s not glass. Nevertheless, it emulates the look of more premium smartphones including a gradient color scheme for the nitro blue and lightning purple colors. I have the carbon gray color variant.
Gaming Performance
PUBG Mobile default graphics settings on the Realme 3 Pro.
Let’s dive right into the gaming performance of the Realme 3 Pro. It’s powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 AIE chipset and either 4GB or 6GB of RAM. My review unit is the 6GB RAM + 128GB storage variant.
In my gaming tests, the device got a frame rate of 59 fps while playing Mobile Legends with all graphics settings turned on and set to the highest options. This was measured using GameBench Pro.
Meanwhile, NBA 2K19 and Rules of Survival got 42 fps and 58 fps in my gaming tests respectively. However, PUBG Mobile only resulted in an average framerate of 30 fps since the game’s Ultra and Extreme frame rate modes are disabled.
The phone’s thermal management is also good. The maximum temperature I measured is 42°C after playing NBA 2K19.
Related: Realme 3 Pro Gaming Review!
Camera Review
Realme 3 Pro sample picture (normal).
Realme 3 Pro sample picture (with Chroma Boost).
Realme 3 Pro sample picture (with Nightscape mode).
Realme 3 Pro sample selfie.
The Realme 3 Pro has dual rear cameras composed of a 16 Megapixel main camera and 5 Megapixel depth sensor.
Daylight pictures are bright and sharp with natural-looking colors. A Chroma Boost feature can also be turned on for more vibrant colors.
Low light photos look okay but can also be grainy. Thankfully, there’s a Nightscape Mode that uses image stacking to create amazing low light pictures. It’s almost comparable to the night mode found in flagship smartphones!
Meanwhile, the Realme 3 Pro also has a 25 Megapixel selfie camera that takes highly detailed selfies. It comes with a Beautification feature for removing blemishes and smoothening faces.
The phone’s camera app supports up 960 fps slow motion but it doesn’t look very good. Nevertheless, normal videos are impressive with up to 4K resolution.
Antutu Benchmark Score
The Antutu Benchmark app is not perfect but it gives the user a good idea of the phone’s performance. Here is the score of the Realme 3 Pro as compared with other smartphones:
| Smartphone | Antutu Benchmark Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Realme 3 Pro | 155,546 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A50 | 141,865 | |
| Huawei P30 Lite | 140,973 | |
| OPPO F11 | 137,935 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A30 | 93,895 | |
It’s way ahead some of its competitors such as the Samsung Galaxy A30 and slightly performs better than the OPPO F11, Samsung Galaxy A50, and Huawei P30 Lite.
OS and UI
Realme 3 Pro screenshots (after software update).
The Realme 3 Pro runs on the Android 9.0 Pie operating system with ColorOS 6 software. Just like with the OPPO F11 Pro and Realme 3, I found this user interface as clean and neat.
Apps open quickly with minimal delays when switching to another app. It also feels smooth interacting with the different settings or browsing across several pictures in the gallery.
Perhaps the only issue with the phone’s interface is that it sometimes feels too simple and minimalist.
Connectivity and Audio Quality
Realme 3 Pro’s triple card tray.
The Realme 3 Pro is a dual SIM smartphone with 4G LTE connectivity. It uses a triple card arrangement so the dual SIM function can still be used even when a microSD card is also installed.
Accessing the internet through mobile data has no problems as long as 4G signal is present. Meanwhile, the device can connect to regular 2.4GHz Wi-Fi networks and the newer 5GHz Wi-Fi networks.
There are no free earphones inside the phone’s box though. If you can get the Realme Buds for free, then the audio quality will be great.
Security and Sensors
Activating Face Unlock on the Realme 3 Pro.
The fingerprint sensor found at the back of the Realme 3 Pro is both fast and reliable. However, I prefer using Face Recognition for unlocking the device since it’s more convenient.
It also comes with a gyroscope so AR games are supported such as the newly revitalized Pokemon Go.
Battery Life
| Smartphone | PC Mark Battery Life Test 2.0 Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Realme 3 Pro | 11 h & 35 min | |
| Samsung Galaxy A30 | 11 h & 16 min | |
| OPPO F11 Pro | 10 h & 37 min | |
| Huawei P30 Lite | 9 h & 17 min | |
The Realme 3 Pro is powered by a massive 4045mAh battery and it shows in battery life tests. It scored 11 hours and 35 minutes on PCMark’s Battery Life Test while the phone with airplane mode turned on and brightness set at 50%.
In my experience, I always get around 30% battery left after a day of using the phone. When used minimally, it can even last up to two days.
Meanwhile, charging the phone is a breeze since it comes with a VOOC 3.0 charger out of the box. Hence, charging it from 0% to 100% battery capacity takes merely 1 hour and 20 minutes!
Conclusion
I highly recommend the Realme 3 Pro!
Realme has done it again with the Realme 3 Pro! It’s a smartphone with great gaming performance and good cameras at a very reasonable price.
It faces a lot of competition, especially from mainstream brands. Thankfully, Realme has now established its presence in physical stores making more people aware of its products.
The Realme 3 Pro has disrupted the mid-range gaming smartphones in the Philippines!
Realme 3 Pro Review Summary
The Realme 3 Pro has great gaming performance, good cameras, and a competitive price.
- 6.3-inch FHD+ IPS LCD Display (1080 x 2340 Pixels), 409 ppi
- Android 9.0 Pie Operating System
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 AIE Chipset
- 4GB or 6GB of RAMGB of RAM
- 16 Megapixel Rear Camera with LED Flash
- 25 Megapixel Front Camera
- Dual SIM
- 64GB or 128GB Internal Storage
- Expandable Up to 256 via microSD
- 4G LTE, 3G HSPA+, 2G EDGE & GPRS Networks
- Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ac (Dual Band)
- Bluetooth 5.0
- MicroUSB 2.0
- 3.5mm Audio Jack
- Fingerprint Sensor
- 4045mAh Battery
- VOOC Flash Charge 3.0 (5V/4A)
- ₱12,990.00 Official Price in the Philippines
- ₱11,990.00 - Price drop on August 27, 2019
