Realme GT Neo 3 Review: After Using Some time My Opinion and Details

REASONS TO BUY

+  World's fastest charging (at launch)

+  Decent display (120Hz, 1300 nits)

+  Attractive price point

REASONS TO AVOID

-  Software irks – notification issues and added bloatware

-  Dimensity 8100 powerful – but not foolproof

-  No wireless charging

-  So-so cameras array

With so many Android phones on the market, new handsets require a distinct selling point to stand out from the crowd. Which is exactly what Realme delivers with the GT Neo 3: when this flagship was announced at Mobile World Congress 2022, it coincided with the unveiling of the world's fastest charging technology.

How quickly? Realme's 150W UltraDart Fast Charge is so fast that it can recharge half of the GT Neo 3's battery in just 5 minutes at the wall outlet. People, five minutes is insanely fast! Just as I was on the show floor when I first saw the charging in action, I was impressed.

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But does having the world's fastest charging on your phone mean that other features will suffer as a result? I've had the Realme GT Neo 3 for over two weeks now, and in this review, I'll reveal both its superpowers and its superirritations.

REALME GT NEO 3 REVIEW: PRICE AND RELEASE DATE

The 12GB RAM 256GB ROM version will cost £599.99 when it goes on sale on June 8th. Some retailers in the United States and Australia may offer import options. In India, where the phone has been available since April 29, the handset costs 42999INR.

You can use the embedded widget below to get real-time stock and pricing updates from a variety of vendors in order to find the best available price. Other variants with more/less RAM and ROM options are available to provide a variety of options to best suit your needs.

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REALME GT NEO 3 REVIEW: DESIGN AND DISPLAY

(Image credit: realme)

Because it's a GT – Grand Touring in the car world, i.e. the best specification of its kind – I was half expecting my Realme GT Neo 3 review loan unit to have the racing stripes associated with that vision. No, I have the Asphalt Black model, which is an off-black with some green hues in certain lighting situations at certain angles.

This Realme GT Neo 3 finish isn't going to draw as much attention as a pair of racing stripes or a bright yellow finish, but I like it. It's super smooth to the touch, highly resistant to fingerprints, and comes with a case to keep it from sliding off pretty much any surface it's resting on.

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However, I wish Realme had given that situation more thought. It's simple flexible plastic that doesn't improve the phone's appearance, is ill-fitting, and makes it feel much larger – in a bad way. So, after a week, I took the plunge and removed both the case and the screen protector, and I was instantly happier (and much more risk averse, to be fair).

When not hidden behind such shrouds, the Realme GT Neo 3 is an Android phone that, with all due respect, looks like most other flat-screen Android phones released these days: trim-ish bezel, single punch-hole camera cutout, and the standard 6.7-inch diagonal screen scale of the day. Which isn't a bad thing; in fact, such familiarity is beneficial.

From my point of view, the only ambiguity is the button layout: the power button is on the left (facing the screen), while the volume up and down buttons are on the right. It makes tasks like taking a screenshot feel a little unnatural, but this is a layout I've grown accustomed to, and one that Realme strongly favors. At the very least, it distinguishes it from the crowd.

The Realme GT Neo 3's screen, on the other hand, is one of its selling points: at 6.7-inches diagonally, it's the typical large-yet-not-too-large scale that feels just about right to me. It's not too tall, not too wide, and it just fits in your hand – as long as you don't use the case, which I did at first.

The 1080 x 2412 pixel OLED panel has a 20:9 aspect ratio and delivers a decent level of sharpness, while the presence of 120Hz fast refresh can help with smoothing out animations in various apps (or leave this set to Auto-select, which is what I ended up going for, where the software picks between 60Hz and 120Hz per app, as it thinks is best).

This panel has a lot of brightness, as well as HDR (high dynamic range) compatibility to make videos pop, and it can display a lot of colors. You can also choose how those colors appear, with a skew of Vivid (P3 gamut), Natural (softer colors), or Pro mode (widest gamut for brighter colours). Things were a little cool by default, but there's a Screen Color Temperature slider to adjust between Cooler, Default, and Warmer, so I used it to get things just right.

REALME GT NEO 3 REVIEW: CAMERAS

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(Image credit: realme)

Cameras are an important part of any phone's design these days, and the Realme GT Neo 3 has three on the back: a 50-megapixel main, an 8MP ultra-wide, and a 2MP macro.

Let me start with the negative: the macro lens is completely useless, as it is on any phone in my opinion, so ignore it and consider the GT Neo 3 to be a dual camera device.

The wide-angle lens cannot provide the most precise detail, as seen in the corners of the aeroplane shot in the gallery below, but its shots are still acceptable. There's also HDR (high dynamic range) adjustment to help with backlighting and overall balance.

But there's some good news: I think the main camera is fairly capable, thanks to the use of a decent sensor (Sony IMX766) and high resolution (50MP), which gives the sensor enough data to squash into smaller-scale but relatively detailed shots.

The camera app itself is also quick to respond, with a snappy shutter and easily accessible options to turn on/off HDR mode, AI scene enhancer, adjust aspect ratio, flash, and other features.

There are also additional shooting modes, such as Portrait and the 50M mode, which provides a full-fat 50-megapixel resolution. The macro mode is difficult to find, which is probably for the best because it's useless anyway – just use the main lens to shoot closer up.

With 50-megapixels at your disposal, the 2x digital zoom isn't a total waste of time, so if you need to get a little closer to the action, a simple tap on the single tree' icon will take you into 2x (just as the 'tree trio' will take you into the 0.6x ultra-wide).

REALME GT NEO 3 REVIEW: PERFORMANCE AND BATTERY

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(Image credit: realme)

An interesting fact is that the Realme GT Neo 3 does not have the same hardware in each of its international editions. This unit, which was received in the UK and, I believe, is the same as the other European 150W handsets, is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 8100 processor (some may feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 instead, just not in the aforementioned geographic regions).

MediaTek is really on the rise, with decent chipsets that can compete with the best, including the 8100. And with 12GB RAM to play with in this review handset, loading up a boatload of apps is no problem at all. However, I've discovered that Dimensity 8100 isn't completely foolproof – in some games, such as South Park: Phone Destroyer, I've noticed minor stutters on occasion.

It has had no effect on my gameplay. Realme does include some decent gaming features, such as Game Focus Mode, which you can access by swiping in from the side after an app has loaded and allowing it to automatically block calls, alarms, notifications, quick settings, navigation, and the like. The same tab that launches also displays temperature, battery life, and even higher performance settings (there's a GT mode, of course).

Overall, the Realme GT Neo 3 has no trouble loading multiple apps and games and navigating around them smoothly. But just because I've done it successfully doesn't mean that everything is a success: the biggest issue Realme has is with software, specifically notifications.

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As with many Far Eastern phone companies, there is a tendency to layer own-brand software over Google's Android, which alters how things work. It's extremely efficient from what I've seen, but it can be extremely inefficient from a practical standpoint. After a week of using Realme's UI 3.0 software, my WhatsApp notifications essentially stopped unless I opened the app. Some tweaking of the deeper per-app notifications appears to have reduced the delay, but it's still unreliable, and the software is the primary reason I wouldn't buy this phone.

One of the main reasons I'd buy the Realme GT Neo 3 is the insanely fast 150W charging. With the right plug, it truly zooms away. It also does not overheat the handset, which is something that many competitors do. It's also extremely fast.

That's important because the large 5,000mAh battery capacity doesn't last for long. You can help by lowering the refresh rate, turning things off in the background, and so on, but that's not how I use any phone. Yes, it will get you through a day, at around 14 hours before going into the red zone, but the top end of its battery appears to be rapidly depleted.

Another issue to be aware of is that Realme has decided to release an 80W version of the GT Neo 3 for the EU market for whatever reason (not the UK though). This obviously charges at a much slower rate, roughly half the speed. It also complicates the decision to purchase the world's fastest-charging phone. Oh, and there's also a Realme GT Neo 3T, yup, T, which I don't understand – Realme simply has a problem with releasing too many phones in a given range.

(Image credit: realme)

REALME GT NEO 3 REVIEW: VERDICT

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The Realme GT Neo 3 is a largely accomplished flagship at a fraction of the price, complete with some eye-catching headlines that I've found impressive, such as a bright and fast-refresh display, as well as unrivaled 150W fast-charging in today's market.

However, I find its software to be occasionally clunky – including various notification hazards – and its so-so cameras keep it from truly competing with the best in its category. And, as we'll see below, there's a lot of competition.

However, the Realme GT Neo 3's insane charging speed is impressive, and for some, it will be worth the ticket price alone. If only the software experience could keep it on track, it would be a better life in the fast lane.