Realme GT Neo Three Evaluation: Want for Velocity

Realme’s GT line takes its identify from the world of motorsports, so it ought to come as no shock that pace is of the essence within the new GT Neo 3.

From the racing stripes throughout the again to the inclusion of the quickest wired charging in any telephone proper now – a frankly ridiculous 150W – this telephone is designed for pace freaks.

However regardless of that, it’s additionally a satisfying, well-rounded telephone that ticks loads of bins and solely hardly ever slams the brakes.

Design and construct

Glass again, plastic body
Daring racing-stripe design
Surprisingly slim and lightweight

The very first thing you’ll discover concerning the GT Neo Three might be the outlandish rear design. Realme isn’t any stranger to daring aesthetics, and the racing stripe are comparatively restrained by the corporate’s common requirements.

I’ve been testing the Dash White model of the telephone, with black stripes working throughout the digital camera, whereas the Nitro Blue mannequin sees white stripes reduce via a navy physique, paying homage to a 1960s AC Cobra. Should you’d slightly have one thing a bit extra restrained, the Asphalt Black mannequin is simply that – black.

The rear of the GT Neo Three is made out of matt AG glass, with a flippantly frosted end to cut back fingerprints. Realme has one way or the other made the glass really feel like plastic and, mixed with the actually-plastic body, the telephone does really feel a bit low cost within the hand. Given that tumbler brings with it apparent sturdiness downsides, if the telephone goes to really feel this plasticky then it would as nicely simply be created from it anyway.

That slight low cost feeling is partly all the way down to how impressively gentle the telephone is. At 188g, it feels extra light-weight than you’d count on for a telephone with a 6.7in show, and at 8.2mm thick it’s skinny and cozy within the hand too. Don’t get me mistaken, it is a large telephone, but it surely doesn’t at all times really feel like one.

One draw back to a telephone with an amazing design is that you just’ll in all probability find yourself overlaying it in a case, and that’s as true as ever right here. Whereas Gorilla Glass 5 is discovered on the telephone’s entrance, there’s no such safety on the again, and no IP ranking for water and dust-resistance – so that you’ll need an additional layer to maintain this protected.

Show and audio

Giant 6.7in display screen
120Hz OLED with HDR help
Stereo audio system

The GT Neo 3’s show isn’t fairly market-leading, but it surely’s definitely no slouch. The flat 6.7in panel has a raft of spectacular specs: OLED, 120Hz refresh price, and HDR10+ help.

In observe, it seems sharp. Colors are vibrant and punchy, viewing angles are good, and the 120Hz refresh price shines via with clean animations.

Dearer telephones supply upgrades like curved edges, dynamic LTPO refresh charges, and improved peak brightness, however for the overwhelming majority of customers the GT Neo 3’s providing will likely be greater than sufficient.

The show right here additionally affords an in-display fingerprint scanner, which has labored and not using a hitch.

It’s an analogous story with the telephone’s stereo audio system. These is not the crispest or richest audio round, however providing any stereo help is spectacular at this telephone’s value. As you’d count on nowadays, there’s no devoted headphone jack.

Specs and efficiency

Impressively quick Dimensity 8100 chip
As much as 12GB RAM and 256GB storage
5G help

The GT Neo Three is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 8100 chipset, a 5nm chip that’s designed for extra inexpensive flagships.

The telephone carried out exceptionally nicely in our benchmark exams, even beating some Snapdragon Eight Gen 1 telephones on the CPU-focussed Geekbench 5 take a look at, although scores are extra according to the competitors on the graphics-heavy GFXBench exams.

That CPU benchmark flatters the telephone a bit, but it surely’s nonetheless undeniably nippy in observe. I’ve not hit any lag or stuttering in my time utilizing the telephone, and it’s able to multi-tasking with ease and taking part in the most recent Android video games with wonderful body charges.

Should you like it’s also possible to allow the optionally available ‘GT mode’, which can supposedly “considerably enhance your telephone’s efficiency.” It didn’t make a jot of distinction once I re-ran the benchmarks nevertheless, so I’m unsure how a lot influence it actually has. In any case, the telephone is quick sufficient with out that you just needn’t fear.

My evaluation unit is paired with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage – the one model out there right here within the UK, although in some markets you’ll discover a cheaper mannequin with 8GB RAM. Observe that the storage isn’t expandable, so 256GB (minus the area for the OS) is all that you just get.

The Dimensity 8100 brings with it help for Sub6 5G – the most typical sort exterior the US. There’s additionally Wi-Fi 6, NFC, and the most recent Bluetooth 5.Three commonplace.

Battery and charging

Absurdly quick 150W charging
Strong battery life
Choice of a model with slower charging

Let’s get the complicated bit out of the way in which first: there are two variations of the GT Neo 3, however not in all places.

I’ve been reviewing a mannequin with 150W charging speeds and a 4500mAh battery – the one model on sale within the UK. However in different nations, together with India and components of Europe, there’s additionally a second mannequin which drops to slower 80W charging however has an even bigger 5000mAh battery to make up for it. I haven’t examined this model, so my feedback on battery and charging solely apply to 150W variant.

Nonetheless, that is undoubtedly the thrilling one. 150W is at present the quickest wired charging of any telephone in the marketplace – sufficient to high the telephone as much as full in lower than 15 minutes, or hitting 50% in simply 5 minutes.

That’s provided that you allow the optionally available ‘Speedy charging’ setting, which Realme warns may even see the telephone “get a bit hotter throughout charging.” Should you desire to depart it off you received’t miss out by an excessive amount of although – with out speedy charging the telephone nonetheless gained 88% of cost in 15 minutes in my take a look at, and was as much as full nicely earlier than the half-hour mark.

That impressively quick wired charging means Realme determined to omit wi-fi charging solely, however for a lot of I believe that’s a good trade-off.

Battery isn’t unhealthy both. Though the 150W mannequin packs a barely smaller-capacity cell, I’ve nonetheless discovered the telephone simply lasts a full day and sometimes nicely right into a second. A good rating of a bit over 10 hours on our PCMark battery take a look at reinforces the purpose. This isn’t the longest-lasting telephone round, but it surely ought to final lengthy sufficient for many.

Realme can also be bullish about battery well being – presumably to reassure these frightened that the additional quick charging would possibly trigger long-term injury. The corporate says that the telephone ought to nonetheless have 80% of its unique battery capability left after 1600 cost cycles, which equates to 4 or 5 years of use.

Though I clearly can’t take a look at that myself, I can say that it’s far past present business averages. That implies that even when Realme is massaging its numbers a bit, I’d nonetheless count on the GT Neo 3’s battery life to be in higher form than most telephones after a couple of years of use.

Digital camera and video

Succesful predominant digital camera – particularly in good gentle
Common ultrawide
First rate selfie digital camera

It’s truthful to say that cameras aren’t the principle focus of the GT Neo 3, so if it has a weak spot it’s in all probability right here. That’s to not say the digital camera setup right here is unhealthy although – it is simply restricted.

The principle digital camera impresses. Utilizing the 50Mp Sony IMX766 sensor, this optically stabilised shooter is fairly wonderful in daylight, and also you’d be hard-pressed to tug the outcomes aside from flagship telephones at a look.

The OIS helps it maintain its personal in low gentle too. At evening it’s clearer that this isn’t a flagship-grade digital camera, however whether or not within the common taking pictures mode or the devoted evening mode, you’ll get pictures which can be ok to share on social media, even when they don’t seem to be pixel-perfect.

Issues drop off a bit with the 8Mp ultrawide. That is first rate within the daytime, although there’s positively a drop intimately from the principle digital camera, and colors are typically rather less interesting. At evening it’s plain disappointing, held again by the smaller sensor and lack of stabilisation – do not use this in low gentle until you actually must.

Lastly, the third rear lens is an affordable 2Mp macro digital camera. These are actually a standard means of creating up the numbers on inexpensive Android telephones, and that is no totally different. Photographs are nice so long as the sunshine is vibrant, however focus is difficult to take care of, and you’ll normally get simply nearly as good outcomes – if not higher – from the principle lens anyway.

Happily, the selfie digital camera fares higher. At 16Mp it’s no shock this isn’t fairly as sharp as the principle rear digital camera, however element and dynamic vary are each good, and the digital camera handles pores and skin tones rather well. The portrait mode bokeh is a bit aggressive – observe how a lot it’s blurred my hair – however outcomes are engaging as long as you don’t look too intently.

The rear digital camera can shoot video at as much as 4K and 60fps, and the OIS helps preserve footage good and steady. Entrance-facing video is restricted to 1080p, and lacks that stabilisation nevertheless.

Software program and updates

Runs Android 12 out of the field
Realme UI is straightforward to make use of, however there’s bloatware
Two Android updates promised

The GT Neo Three ships with Android 12 out of the field, with Realme UI 3.Zero on high.

Realme UI is predicated closely on mother or father firm Oppo’s ColorOS, so when you’ve ever used an Oppo telephone it is going to really feel acquainted.

That’s no unhealthy factor, as a result of ColorOS – and by extension Realme UI – is without doubt one of the higher Android skins on the market. The software program is deeply customisable, with an enormous quantity of flexibility in how your telephone seems and feels.

For instance, Realme has at all times allowed customers to tweak all the pieces from the form and measurement of their app icons to the animation utilized by the fingerprint sensor. This has now been bolstered by the addition of the Android 12-powered choice to vary the colors of the system-wide interface primarily based in your wallpaper – although that can restrict you to utilizing static, slightly than dynamic, wallpapers.

The one actual draw back to the day-to-day software program expertise right here is that Realme has included a couple of pre-installed apps you in all probability don’t need. Probably the most egregious are a set of video games – Block Puzzle, Tile Grasp 3D, and the ever-curious Solitaire Fish World – however you’ll additionally must put up with a wide range of Oppo’s in-house apps for all the pieces from transcription to file sharing.

The opposite problem is updates. Realme guarantees that the GT Neo Three will obtain two Android model updates – so Android 13 and 14 – after which an additional third yr of safety patches.

This isn’t a foul dedication, but it surely does lag behind the likes of Google and Samsung. Android producers are slowly transferring to enhance long-term software program help, and proper now Realme is lagging barely behind the pack.

Value and availability

The Realme GT Neo Three is out now in Asia – together with China and India – and goes on sale throughout Europe and the UK on 15 June. You shouldn’t count on it to ever launch within the US.

Pricing varies a bit due to the assorted variations. The 150W charging mannequin I’ve reviewed, with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage, prices £599 within the UK and ₹42,999 in India.

The slower charging 80W model is cheaper, ranging from ₹36,999 in India, however this mannequin isn’t launching within the UK – although will likely be on sale in some components of Europe.

The pricing places the GT Neo Three firmly on the upper-end of the mid-range market, and truly dearer than the £499/€549/₹34,999 Realme GT 2. Should you’d slightly go cheaper nonetheless, the Realme GT Neo 3T shares loads of the Neo 3’s specs, dropping to 80W charging and the older Snapdragon 870 chip, and prices simply £369.

Exterior of Realme’s line, the telephone’s strongest competitors within the UK and Europe is the considerably cheaper OnePlus Nord 2T. At £369/€399 this telephone packs an solely barely slower chipset, still-excellent 80W charging, and basically the identical digital camera because the GT Neo 3. The Realme telephone is certainly quicker, however is it £230 quicker?

Try our information to the very best mid-range telephones for extra choices, or the very best Realme telephones to see how the remainder of the line-up compares.

Verdict

Whereas the GT Neo 3’s advertising and marketing could also be all about pace, that is an unexpectedly well-rounded providing.

Positive, it’s quick – with 150W charging and a flagship chipset that ought to come as no shock. However with a good show, snazzy design, and succesful predominant digital camera it has extra to supply than that.

It’s not good in fact. Whereas the telephone seems good it does really feel a bit low cost, and the principle digital camera is let down by disappointing extra lenses. Bits of bloatware frustrate a bit too, and at this value there ought to actually be a minimum of yet one more Android model replace down the road.

However none of those flaws ought to be deal-breakers, and when you just like the racing stripe look and need to get a full cost within the time it takes you to bathe each morning, the GT Neo Three is a superb choice.

Specs
Realme GT Neo 3: Specs

Android 12 with Realme UI 3.0

6.62in Full HD+ AMOLED, 120Hz, HDR10+

MediaTek Dimensity 8100 chipset

8/12GB RAM

256GB inner storage (UFS 3.1)

50Mp, f/1.9 predominant digital camera with OIS
8Mp, f/2.Three ultrawide
2Mp, f/2.four macro

16Mp, f/2.5 selfie digital camera
Stereo audio system

Fingerprint scanner (in-screen)

Wi-Fi 6

Bluetooth 5.3

GPS