Realme GT Neo 3 quick review: The fast battery charging will appeal to buyers

The Neo phones in Realme’s GT series are all about high performance and will appeal to gamers. Last year’s GT Neo 2 brought a wacky design and an interesting set of specifications to lure gamers. Realme has now launched the successor and it is very obviously called the GT Neo 3. This time, the company tried to up its game by giving the GT Neo 3 a Le Mans makeover. Those interested in car races will relate to that, but for regular people, it is a design inspired by race tracks. Apart from the design, the GT Neo 3 brings specifications that will not disappoint gamers.

The GT Neo 3 has the goodness of a premium phone. A fast processor with 5G? Check. An AMOLED display with a high refresh rate? Check. Stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos? Check. And over everything else, probably the fastest battery charging technology of 150W? Check. The GT Neo 3, according to the company, represents those who want everything done in a jiffy. And to test that, I spent some time with the GT Neo 3. Here are my first impressions.

Realme GT Neo 3 design and display

Credit where it’s due, Realme has never shied away from experimenting with phone designs. For instance, the GT Neo 3 has two stripes running through the camera bump on the back that come in two different colours, blue and white. This design gives the GT Neo 3 a sporty look and I think gamers will appreciate that. Other users might like the design, too, but if they are not a fan, Realme has an Asphalt Black colour option that has a muted shade and will appeal to their sober taste.

It is good that Realme thought of giving users more choices in terms of design. Everything from here just gets better. The display on the Realme GT Neo 3 measures 6.7-inches in size. It is a big screen, so not only is gaming enjoyable, but binge-watchers will have a good time catching up on their favourite shows and movies on the GT Neo 3. It is an AMOLED panel, so everything looks vibrant and the blacks look amazing on it. The support for up to 120Hz refresh rate is meant for gamers mostly, but regular users will appreciate that because of this feature, the animations and scrolling become smooth.

Realme GT Neo 3 performance and battery

Inside the GT Neo 3, you get an octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 8100 processor that supports 5G. It is one of the seasoned processors that not only offer a fast performance but also do that in a sustainable manner. In other words, the processor is not power-hungry. It minimises the load when you do not want it, thereby saving battery life. For most games, such as Battlegrounds Mobile India and Genshin Impact, the processor should be fast enough.

One thing that I want to nitpick is the bloatware on the Realme GT Neo 3. Despite being a premium phone, the GT Neo 3 has many pre-installed apps. Some of them can be uninstalled but the others are permanent. There are also advertisements in certain system apps. I do not think it was the right decision by Realme to go for ad-run software on the GT Neo 3.

The biggest selling point of the Realme GT Neo 3 is its high-charging speed. There are two configurations: 80W and 150W. For those who cannot patiently wait for even half an hour, the 150W technology fills the juice in around 20 minutes while topping up half of it takes just 5 minutes. This is one of the fastest ways to charge your smartphone right now. But in case this is not a priority for you, Realme has a slightly slower 80W variant that, although slower than the 150W technology, brings better charging speeds than the company’s 65W technology. Realme claims that 80W technology will give full juice in around 32 minutes, which is less than 35-40 minutes that the latter technology takes.

A high-speed battery charging technology raises concerns around the safety of the battery, but Realme has promised it has conducted several tests and said the battery can easily offer 1600 charge cycles without any worries. That is a long time to test the claim, but my initial observation is positive.

Realme GT Neo 3 camera

While Realme has not stressed the GT Neo 3 is meant for photographers, it brings good cameras. It uses the same camera as the GT 2 Pro. What Realme is referring to is the 50-megapixel Sony IMX766 sensor that was last year’s flagship sensor for Android phones. I clicked a few photos and found the photos retained a lot of details with proper lighting. I could not do tricky photography during my time, but I will make sure I tell you how well this camera performs under different conditions. The rear camera system also has an 8-megapixel ultrawide camera and a 2-megapixel macro camera that will appeal to people who want them.

The selfies on the GT Neo 3 are handled by a 16-megapixel camera that sits inside a punch-hole. This time, the punch-hole is located right at the centre of the display, which is not a matter of concern at all.

Realme GT Neo 3 first impressions

Realme’s brand-new GT Neo 3 has many feathers in its cap. It has got one of the world’s fastest-charging capabilities and if that is what you would prefer on your phone, the GT Neo 3 comes across as a good phone. I have yet to test the phone fully, which is why I will reserve my opinion for now. The phone starts at Rs 36,999 for the 80W variant and Rs 42,999 for the 150W variant, but you will be able to get a flat discount of Rs 7,000 by using an SBI credit card.