REVIEW: Realme 3 Pro brings lots of power and stamina to the mid-range segment, but does it beat the Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro?

Realme 3 Pro is Realme’s answer to Xiaomi’s 48MP camera-toting Redmi te 7 Pro – re are two ways about that. Should it beat Redmi te 7 Pro, Realme 3 Pro will invariably become best value smartphone to get in Rs 10,000-Rs 15,000 price segment. stakes are obviously very high and even though I can tell you straight off bat that re’s clear winner here, at end of day, it doesn’t really matter. Both se phones are so good, it’s a win-win situation for everyone – especially for buyers. Because w, buyers can pick and choose, exactly what y want. And, what y need. 

Realme 3 Pro isn’t me of glass, like Redmi te 7 Pro, but you’ll be hard-pressed to make out difference – especially from afar. multi-layered plastic that Realme is using in Realme 3 Pro exudes an almost glass-like confidence especially in way it reflects light. Realme says design is inspired by Le Mans race track in France – phone has a unique oblique grient colorway and an S-shaped pattern on back that’s visible at specific angles. Realme will be offering Realme 3 Pro in three distinct styles, Nitro Blue, Lightening Purple and Carbon Gray, and each has its own virtue.

Photo by Saurabh Singh

It’s t unibody like Realme 3 but it’s got just right amount of curves so it sticks comfortably in your palm – even though back can be t slippery to hold. power button on right and volume rocker on left are well positioned so reaching m is hassle – also, y offer good tactile feedback. always-on fingerprint reer on back is also just about at right height – it's fast and accurate too.  

All that plastic helps in keeping weight in check as well. Redmi te 7 Pro can be unwieldy at times – Realme 3 Pro is just opposite which is impressive because it is housing an even bigger battery inside.  

That’s t to say that Realme 3 Pro is a better looking and a better feeling phone - I'll still say, Redmi te 7 Pro is best looking and best feeling phone in and around its price point. But, Realme 3 Pro gets close, even with its all plastic shell of a body. Realme could have cut some flab off dual camera module on back though – Realme 3 Pro tends to wobble when placed back facing down. re’s a clear plastic case in box which comes handy. 

Photo by Saurabh Singh

Realme 3 Pro has a 6.3-inch 1080p+ IPS LCD display with a teardrop/waterdrop-style tch and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection. t only does Realme 3 Pro have smaller bezels (including a smaller chin), it has a better-quality screen – compared to Redmi te 7 Pro. It is bright and vivid and has great viewing angles. But it’s t perfect – screen of Realme 3 Pro is a smudge magnet which can be a dampener in outdoor sunny environment. 

Like Redmi te 7 Pro, Realme 3 Pro is also a very powerful phone – difference between two phones is, in fact, user-specific. While Redmi te 7 Pro has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 675, Realme 3 Pro comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 710. Both brands have been publicizing how ir phone is more powerful than or – Xiaomi says SD710 is a one-year-old chipset with an inferior CPU, while Realme says SD710 has a better GPU and can play Fortnite. Both are right but let me try and break it down for you, minus all marketing jargon. 

Photo by Saurabh Singh

Snapdragon 710 is based on a 10nm manufacturing process and has an 8-core CPU (2x2.2GHz Kryo 360 Gold and 6x1.7GHz Kryo 360 Silver) and re 616 GPU. 

Snapdragon 675, on or hand, is based on an 11nm manufacturing process and has an 8-core CPU (2x2.0GHz Kryo 460 Gold and 6x1.7GHz Kryo 460 Silver) and re 612 GPU. 

To sum up: 

- SD675 has a better CPU but SD710 offers more efficiency and a better GPU. 

While rmal efficiency is always a plus, it’s t a deal-breaker in eir of se phones – both Realme 3 Pro and Redmi te 7 Pro run mostly cool as a cucumber and have high-capacity batteries and useful power manment tools to make best out of m. 

Redmi te 7 Pro has a better CPU but it somehow doesn’t feel like a fast(er) phone in comparison to Realme 3 Pro – in fact, in some cases like camera UI, it is sluggish and below par. Software updates can of course fix that, but straight out-of--box, I have found Realme 3 Pro to be a better performing phone across board. And, its better GPU, churns out slightly better frame rates during both basic games like Candy Crush and graphically intensive games like PUBG. Realme 3 Pro also has a thing called game , that helps allocate resources on a per game basis. 

Photo by Saurabh Singh

While I am t a fan of Oppo’s ColorOS, I like direction in which it is going lately.  Realme 3 runs Oppo’s new ColorOS 6 which is based on Android 9 Pie.  ColorOS 6 update brings an all-new ‘borderless’ design and newer fonts, but its ability to allow users to switch to an app drawer interface will invariably be its most talked-about feature in days to come – Oppo and Realme say feature was seemingly requested by many users.  software is surely cleaner and more efficient from one found in past Oppo/Realme phones that were simply a cornucopia of unnecessary settings and features. Also, I can’t stress eugh – Realme 3 Pro doesn’t show any s.  

It’s a tight call in camera department as well – although, I must say, Redmi te 7 Pro has a lot more megapixels (and a newer, more powerful sensor) backing it. Realme 3 Pro has a dual rear camera system on rear consisting of a 16MP (Sony IMX 519, which is famously also same sensor inside OnePlus 6T) sensor with f/1.7 aperture and ar 5MP sensor for depth sensing aka portrait photography. 

While Realme 3 Pro’s dual rear camera system supports AI-based scene recognition, Realme is touting two features as highlights. One being Nightscape which is Realme’s take on night mode we’ve come to see on many phones lately - for cleaner low-light photos with more detail. or being Chroma Boost – for achieving greater dynamic range and more balanced exposure under different lighting scenarios. re are a couple of more interesting features, but more on that later. 

Photo by Saurabh Singh

16MP primary rear camera of Realme 3 Pro can capture some good-looking photos with good amount of detail and mostly spot-on colours in good light. Dynamic range is also good for price in such situations. Chroma boost, when enabled, can bump up dynamic range a bit furr. 5MP secondary depth camera can also capture good portrait shots in good light with good-eugh edge separation and smooth creamy background blur. Realme 3 Pro can also capture good photos in tricky light – and brighter, more detailed photos in low light courtesy Realme’s Nightscape.  

All round, I like camera quality of Redmi te 7 Pro better though – even though its camera app can be frustratingly slow at times. 

But selfies are a whole different ball game – 25MP front camera of Realme 3 Pro s more superior selfies with lots of details in all sorts of lighting conditions.    

Realme 3 Pro, in dition, can also record 960fps (at 720p) super slow-motion videos and supports an Ultra HD mode (in manual) that uses interpolation (although, Realme says, Realme 3 Pro synsizes more real pixels) to capture 64MP photos with seemingly more details.  

Photo by Saurabh Singh

doubt, Realme 3 Pro offers greater versatility – I am sure re would be many who would appreciate and want that. 

Moving on, Realme 3 Pro packs a sizeable 4,045mAh battery with a segment first VOOC 3.0 flash charge. This is one area where a tie seems obvious (both phones have phemenal battery life) – but while Redmi te 7 Pro ships with a 10W charger in box, Realme 3 Pro ships with a 20W fast charger (and proprietary cable) in box that can charge whole thing from 0-100 per cent in just 1 hour 15 minutes.  

I have to say, Realme 3 Pro has left me pleasantly surprised – it is an all-round pack deal doubt. But because it is priced same as Redmi te 7 Pro (Rs 13,999/Rs 16,999) comparisons are but obvious. re are or phones in and around this price range, but let’s face it, this is what you came here for – a Realme 3 Pro versus Redmi te 7 Pro shootout. And as I said earlier, re’s clear winner here. Redmi te 7 Pro, for me, is still budget flagship to beat – and Realme 3 Pro, a capable challenger and a viable alternative. Budget phones indeed are getting very exciting.  

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