Realme GT Neo 3 Review- 150W Fast-Charging & Smooth Performance

How Fast Does The Battery Recharge?

Answering the big question-it took the bundled charger just 17 minutes to refuel the battery from flat to 100%. The hefty brick took just six minutes to recharge the dead battery to 50%. The closest competitor is the Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge with its 120W fast-charging solution, which despite lower fast-charging delivers very similar results. The Xiaomi handset took 20 minutes with its 120W fast-charge technology, which is not much of ae difference in the real-life but means a lot in the fast-charging tech domain.

As fast as the battery life is concerned, the 4,500mAh battery lasted for a day with a moderate usage in our testing and needs a refueling on the same day if you are a power user. I would recommend the 80W variant of the Realme GT Neo 3 to power users as it comes equipped with a 5,000mAh battery cell that should offer longer battery life with a similar usage type.

 

Realme GT Neo 3 Hardware & Software

Our review unit arrived with 12GB LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB UFS 3.1 storage. The handset is running on the Realme UI 3.0 based on Android 12 and is powered by the all-new MediaTek Dimensity 8100 chipset. The new MediaTek processor is theoretically comparable to the powerful Snapdragon 888, which we had tested on devices like the OnePlus 9RT, Vivo X60 Pro+, OnePlus 9 Pro, and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3, etc. The MediaTek chipset uses Mali-G610 GPU to handle graphics-intensive tasks.

Realme GT Neo 3 As A Daily Driver

The powerful hardware and the latest software ensured smooth performance all day long. The phone handles multitasking and intense gaming without breaking a sweat; however, some of the most popular games don't run at maximum settings.

It's not the CPU+GPU fault as demanding games like Genshin Impact sailed smoothly even at higher settings. This isn't surprising as the MediaTek 8100 is a fairly new CPU and the developers will take some time to optimize games for the new hardware.

As far as day-to-day phone tasks such as dialler, WhatsApp, camera usage, app loading & switching, and UI navigation are concerned, the Realme GT Neo 3 feels as fast as a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 powered handset. Most important, the Realme GT Neo 3 is quite good at managing heat signatures. The core temperature never spiked to alarming levels, something we experienced on recent premium Android flagships running on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset.

Runs Cooler Than Most 2022 Flagship Smartphones

Either the CPU is better optimized, or the phone's built-in vapor cooling chamber is extremely efficient at dissipating the heat. Whatever the reason is, the Realme GT Neo 3 runs cooler than most 2022 flagship smartphones, which gives you more headroom for intense gaming, camera usage, and multitasking. Moving on, the handset also offers a blazing fast in-screen fingerprint scanner and solid connectivity performance with Bluetooth, 4G LTE, and Wi-Fi.

Realme GT Neo 3 As A Multimedia Smartphone

Like most value flagships and premium handsets in 2022, the Realme GT Neo 3 is also a very good handset for video streaming and enjoying games. This is made possible by a 6.7-inch flat FHD+ AMOLED panel with an impressive screen-to-body ratio of 94.2%.

The sleek bezels ensure an immersive viewing experience, which is further complemented by a peak brightness of 1000nits and vivid color reproduction, thanks to a 10-bit panel offering 1.07 billion colors with a color accuracy rating- of JNCD ≈ 0.4.

These figures ensure impressive video playback and gaming experience in most lighting situations. Add to this a pair of loud-sounding speakers that compensates for the lack of a 3.5mm audio jack to a good extent. Overall, if you spend a good time watching movies and playing games on your handset, the GT Neo 3 won't let you down.

Realme GT Neo 3 Cameras- 50MP Primary Sensor Is The Showstopper

• The Realme GT Neo 3 has a triple-lens camera system featuring a 50MP Sony IMX766 OIS-enabled sensor, an 8MP 119-degree wide-angle sensor, and a 2MP macro sensor.
• The star of the show is the 50MP OIS+EIS enabled primary sensor as it captures detailed images in daylight and sharp pictures in challenging lighting.
• The video output (1080p/4K 60fps) is equally impressive from the main camera. The video feed comes out steady and crisp.

Disable AI For A Natural Color Output

• Images from all three lenses look a bit contrasty and show warmer tones.
• Enabling AI further boosts up colors and contrast and should be kept disabled if you prefer natural color output.
• The primary sensor's focusing speed and accuracy is impressive and we barely got blurry shots.
• The Realme GT Neo 3 lacks a dedicated depth sensor, which shows in results. The bokeh can be pretty inconsistent and intense at times. Some portraits end up looking very unnatural.

Wide-Angle Lens Mostly Good For Daylight Photography

• Low-light shots come out good if you are clicking from the 50MP OIS-enabled sensor. The wide-angle sensor disappoints in low-light scenarios.
• The camera also packs a range of software features (Street mode, ) that allow you to experiment with mobile photography.

Missing Features That Could Have Added More Value

The Realme GT Neo 3 lacks some important features that could have made it a better overall package at Rs. 43,000. The smartphone lacks official IP ratings and wireless charging, two critical features missing from this price segment. The company is promising two years of OS upgrades for a value flagship, which is disappointing. The high number of bloatware (Check the above picture) makes things worse.

Moving on, the choice of camera sensors is questionable. Realme could have offered a better wide-angle sensor at this price point. The 2MP macro sensor could have been replaced by a telephoto sensor to make photography more effective. Lastly, the popular game titles need to be optimized for the new chipset, which should happen a few months down the line.

Verdict

The Realme GT Neo 3 is all about speed. It has the fastest fast-charging tech and a new Mediatek chip that ensures fast and smooth performance all-day long. A 15-minute refuel is enough to deliver a day's battery life with moderate usage. Having said that, if you are primarily looking for the fastest fast-charging handset, the GT Neo 3 150W is the best option. The 80W variant can help you save up to 7,000 if you can compromise on some charging speed.

Moving on, if you are spending close to Rs. 43,000, the OnePlus 9RT can be considered for its premium design and better software experience. Then you can consider the Realme GT 2 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE if you can stretch the budget to some extra thousand. The GT 2 Pro is the most affordable Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 handset and brings a good overall performance.

The Galaxy S21 FE on the other hand offers some sought-after features such as water-dust proof design, good camera performance, and better software experience.