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MagyarRealme X3 SuperZoom Smartphone Review - Scores some major points thanks to attention to detail
The powerful hardware performs very well – but not better than the "normal" Snapdragon 855 in the Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite and the Google Pixel 4, both of which feature less RAM.
Realme positions the X3 SuperZoom as a flagship in its product stack. The X3 SuperZoom offers not only a great camera system but also a 120 Hz display. In India, there is a version of the X3 with a 12 MP telephoto lens instead of the 5x zoom periscope camera, which costs 200 Euros (~$237) less.
Comparison Devices
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Drive | Size | Resolution | Best Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 83.5 % | 08/2020 | Realme X3 SuperZoom SD 855+, Adreno 640 | 202 g | 256 GB UFS 3.0 Flash | 6.60" | 2400x1080 | |
| 86 % | 02/2020 | Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite SD 855, Adreno 640 | 186 g | 128 GB UFS 3.0 Flash | 6.70" | 2400x1080 | |
| 83.8 % | 01/2020 | Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Pro SD 730G, Adreno 618 | 208 g | 256 GB UFS 2.0 Flash | 6.47" | 2340x1080 | |
| 85.7 % | 11/2019 | Google Pixel 4 SD 855, Adreno 640 | 162 g | 64 GB UFS 2.1 Flash | 5.70" | 2280x1080 |
Case - A cut-out camera on the front
The 208-gramme plastic case of the X3 comes in two colour schemes: Arctic White and Glacier Blue. The back of our review device has a matte, shimmering, premium-feeling finish. The European model has a CE mark and a crossed-out wheelie bin symbol on the back. This is certainly not something the designers of the smartphone imagined would be on the back of their finished product.
The camera system protrudes 1.5 mm from the device. However, if you put the included protective case on, then the smartphone will lie flush with the table. The display is protected by Gorilla Glass 5, and there is a screen protector in the box. There is a cut-out for the dual-camera system in the upper left corner of the screen.
Connectivity - A lot of nonexpandable storage
The Realme X3 retails for almost 500 Euros (~$594). For this money, users will get 12 GB of RAM, 256 GB of fast internal memory and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 Plus.
The X3 features neither an SD card slot nor a 3.5-mm headphone jack. Those who like to listen to music with the wired headphones will need a set with a USB-C plug. The Type-C port operates at USB 2.0 speeds. The smartphone supports Widevine DRM Level 1 and Camera2 API Level 3, which means that there should be no issues when streaming movies from VOD services or taking photographs with third-party camera applications.
Software - A lot of Google apps, but proprietary applications for audio and video playback
The smartphone runs Android 10 with a proprietary launcher known as Realme UI V1.0. The security patches were last updated on June 5th. Our review device comes with Game Space
, which is an application that puts all of the user’s games in one place. Users can also make games only appear in Game Space
, which means that they will be hidden on the home screen and in the app drawer. The X3 comes with proprietary music and video players. Google Play Music is not included, but Google Play Movies & TV is preinstalled, just like many other Google applications such as Google Podcasts and Google Drive/Google One.
Communication and GPS – 2x2 MIMO for fast transfer speeds
Thanks to 2x2 MIMO technology, the Realme smartphone achieves much better transfer rates with our reference-grade route Netgear Nighthawk AX 12 than our other competing devices.
The X3 supports the 1900-MHz UMTS frequency band. All LTE bands relevant for Europe and North America are supported.
| Networking | |
| iperf3 transmit AX12 | |
| Realme X3 SuperZoom | |
| Google Pixel 4 | |
| Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite | |
| Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Pro | |
| iperf3 receive AX12 | |
| Realme X3 SuperZoom | |
| Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite | |
| Google Pixel 4 | |
| Average of class Smartphone (last 2 years) | |
| Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Pro | |
For geolocation, the Realme smartphone relies on the following navigation systems: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou and Japan’s Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS). Both outdoors and indoors, the user's location is acquired with a margin of error of a few meters.
During our bike ride around town, the X3 was almost as accurate at mapping the route we took as the professional navigator Garmin Edge 500.
Telephony and Call Quality
The Realme smartphone comes with Google’s Phone application. The call quality is good. Thanks to a loud ear speaker, the conversation partner is easy to understand even outdoors.
Cameras - Quad-camera system with 5x zoom
The quad-camera system of the X3 SuperZoom includes a 64 MP sensor with a wide aperture, a 2 MP macro shooter, an 8 MP ultra-wide angle camera and an 8 MP periscope lens with 5x zoom. Combined together, the ultra-wide angle camera and the periscope camera offer a focal length range of 16 to 124 mm.
The camera application offers a Pro mode and several other modes, many of which are dedicated to night-time photography. In star mode, the camera takes 10 pictures with long exposure times and then stitches them together using a multi-frame synthesis algorithm. The macro shooter rounds off the versatile camera system.
The dual front camera supports HDR. In addition to beauty filters, there is also a monochrome and several other filters, which can be used to make old structures look like they have some character as in our selfie shot.
We compare the photographs taken with the X3 with the pictures we shot with the Oppo Find X2 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S20 and the Canon EOS 70D. The X3 has the worst colour reproduction in the photograph of the hare. In the zoomed-in images, the colours look off and washed-out. Here, the competitors from Samsung and Oppo do a better job. At first glance, the 64 MP wide-aperture camera delivers good results under low-light conditions. However, compared to the competition, the images captured with the X3 do not seem as sharp.
Image Comparison
Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.
Scene 1Scene 2Scene 3Scene 4Scene 5
Shots taken under controlled lighting conditions confirm the poor colour accuracy: No colours in the shot of the ColorChecker Passport are faithfully reproduced.
We can see noise in the centre of the photograph of our test chart. It is even worse at the edges.
Accessories and Warranty - Transparent protective case is included
The box includes a USB Type-C cable, 30-watt fast charger, protective case, screen protector, SIM card removal tool, warranty information and a quick-start guide.
The smartphone has a 24-month warranty. The charger and the cable come with a 12-month warranty.
Input Devices & Handling - Fingerprint scanner on the side
Oppo's daughter company Realme put a reliable fingerprint sensor on the side of the X3 SuperZoom. The smartphone can also be unlocked via face recognition.
Google’s GBoard serves as the default virtual keyboard. Users can customise the size, change the layout and hide/unhide the number row.
Display - Supports a 120 Hz refresh rate
The 6.6-inch display is not especially bright and is not as uniformly lit as the screens of the Pixel 4 and the Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite. The display supports the following refresh rates: 60 Hz, 90 Hz and 120 Hz. If users opt to go for an adaptive refresh rate, then the smartphone will automatically adjust the refresh rate to strike an optimal balance between smoothness and power consumption.
According to the touchscreen test in the AnTuTu benchmark, the display can only recognise inputs from eight fingers at the same time, which is quite unusual. Usually, smartphones in this price range can recognise 10 inputs at the same time; when that is not the case, the number drops to five.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 88 %
Center on Battery: 439 cd/m²
Contrast: 1756:1 (Black: 0.25 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 6.5 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 7.6 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
98.4% sRGB (Calman 2D)
| Realme X3 SuperZoom IPS, 2400x1080, 6.60 | Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite Super AMOLED Plus, 2400x1080, 6.70 | Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Pro AMOLED, 2340x1080, 6.47 | Google Pixel 4 OLED, 2280x1080, 5.70 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | 45% | 30% | 54% | |
| Brightness middle | 439 | 622 42% | 579 32% | 554 26% |
| Brightness | 414 | 630 52% | 576 39% | 550 33% |
| Brightness Distribution | 88 | 96 9% | 89 1% | 94 7% |
| Black Level * | 0.25 | |||
| Contrast | 1756 | |||
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 6.5 | 2.7 58% | 4.61 29% | 0.8 88% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 11.4 | 5.9 48% | 7.72 32% | 1.4 88% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 7.6 | 3 61% | 4.2 45% | 1.3 83% |
| CCT | 8098 80% | 6246 104% | 7201 90% | 6213 105% |
| Gamma | 2.09 105% | 2.244 98% | 2.22 99% |
* ... smaller is better
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM not detected |  | ||
In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 17924 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. | |||
Thanks to a low black value, the Realme smartphone has a good contrast ratio of 1756:1, despite its mediocre brightness. The screen covers almost 100% of the sRGB colour space. We use a spectrophotometer and Portrait Displays' CalMAN software to analyse the colour reproduction of the display. Our analysis reveals that the blues are oversaturated, which is why the colours appear quite cool.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 15.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 6.8 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 8.4 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 31 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (21.5 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 28 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 14.8 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 13.2 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows relatively slow response rates in our tests and may be too slow for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 32 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (33.7 ms). | ||
In direct sunlight the reflective screen is barely legible. The screen is easy to read in the shade. The IPS panel offers good viewing angles.
Performance - Realme smartphone is not that impressive when compared to the rest of the competition
The Snapdragon 855+ is a version of the Snapdragon 855 that features higher CPU and GPU clocks. The high-performance Prime core is clocked at 2.96 GHz compared to 2.84 GHz in the normal Snapdragon 855, which is why the 855+ offers better single-core performance.
The X3 should have an upper hand in terms of computing power over the Galaxy S10 Lite and the Pixel 4, because both of the aforementioned devices come with a normal
Snapdragon 855 and less RAM. However, the three smartphones delivers roughly equivalent results in the benchmarks, with the top performer switching from benchmark to benchmark. Only the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Pro with the Snapdragon 730G is considerably slower than the three above-mentioned devices.
| GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7 | |
| T-Rex Onscreen (sort by value) | |
| Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite | |
| Google Pixel 4 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ / 855 Plus (59 - 61, n=4) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (22 - 165, n=182, last 2 years) | |
| 1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen (sort by value) | |
| Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite | |
| Google Pixel 4 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ / 855 Plus (166 - 185, n=4) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (19 - 791, n=182, last 2 years) | |
| AnTuTu v8 - Total Score (sort by value) | |
| Realme X3 SuperZoom | |
| Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite | |
| Google Pixel 4 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ / 855 Plus (462125 - 501784, n=4) | |
When browsing the Internet, the X3 offers a smooth and responsive experience. In the browser benchmarks, the Realme smartphone does better than the rest of the competition.
| Jetstream 2 - Total Score | |
| Average of class Smartphone (13.8 - 351, n=172, last 2 years) | |
| Realme X3 SuperZoom (Chrome 83) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ / 855 Plus (62.4 - 70.9, n=5) | |
| Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite (Chrome 80) | |
| Google Pixel 4 (Chrome 78) | |
| JetStream 1.1 - Total Score | |
| Realme X3 SuperZoom (Chrome 83) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ / 855 Plus (113.9 - 120.8, n=5) | |
| Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite (Chrome 80) | |
| Google Pixel 4 (Chrome 78) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (last 2 years) | |
| WebXPRT 3 - Overall | |
| Average of class Smartphone (39 - 304, n=122, last 2 years) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ / 855 Plus (89 - 111, n=5) | |
| Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite (Chrome 80) | |
| Google Pixel 4 (Chrome 78) | |
| Realme X3 SuperZoom (Chrome 83) | |
| Octane V2 - Total Score | |
| Average of class Smartphone (4633 - 89112, n=210, last 2 years) | |
| Realme X3 SuperZoom (Chrome 83) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ / 855 Plus (23781 - 25353, n=5) | |
| Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite (Chrome 80) | |
| Google Pixel 4 (Chrome 78) | |
| Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total | |
| Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite (Chrome 80) | |
| Google Pixel 4 (Chrome 78) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ / 855 Plus (2007 - 2134, n=5) | |
| Realme X3 SuperZoom (Chrome 83) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (388 - 9999, n=172, last 2 years) | |
* ... smaller is better
The internal storage of the X3 is nonexpandable. Thanks to the UFS 3.0 memory, the X3 offers great write and read speeds. This is why it is able to beat the Galaxy S10 Lite, which also features very fast memory.
| Realme X3 SuperZoom | Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite | Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Pro | Google Pixel 4 | Average 256 GB UFS 3.0 Flash | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AndroBench 3-5 | -7% | -55% | -45% | -1% | 39% | |
| Sequential Read 256KB | 1513 | 1489 -2% | 499.2 -67% | 655 -57% | 1573 ? 4% | 1505 ? -1% |
| Sequential Write 256KB | 531 | 525 -1% | 205.1 -61% | 247.7 -53% | 559 ? 5% | 1112 ? 109% |
| Random Read 4KB | 212.7 | 191.7 -10% | 119.2 -44% | 122.4 -42% | 209 ? -2% | 247 ? 16% |
| Random Write 4KB | 207.1 | 173.5 -16% | 108.5 -48% | 146.6 -29% | 186.4 ? -10% | 271 ? 31% |
Gaming - SoC and plenty of internal storage ensure a lot of joyful moments
The 20:9 display has a native resolution of 2400x1080 and a refresh rate of 120 Hz. That being said, gaming at high refresh rates is going to drain the battery very fast.
Because the X3 comes with the Snapdragon 855+ and 12 GB, it is able to run all the latest titles smoothly. The integrated Adreno 640 functions without any issues and provides a great level of GPU performance. In our gaming test with Riptide GP: Renegade, all sensors worked well.
Emissions - Dolby Atmos sound
Temperature
The liquid cooling system of the Realme X3 reduces core temperatures significantly. Under load, the surface temperatures of the smartphone reached 38.5 °C (101.3 °F). This is good news for those who like to game on their smartphone for long periods of time.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 38.5 °C / 101 F, compared to the average of 35 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 56 °C for the class Smartphone.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 36.8 °C / 98 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 28 °C / 82 F, compared to the device average of 32.7 °C / 91 F.
Speakers
The mono speaker at the bottom offers a good maximum volume and an acceptable sound quality. The audio does not become distorted even at high volume. Realme’s Music Player features support for Dolby Atmos and offers audio profiles for gamers, movie lovers and music aficionados.
Realme X3 SuperZoom audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (88.2 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 29.3% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (10.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 4.3% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (4.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 6.5% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (3.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (21.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 33% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 58% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 54% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 39% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (88.9 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 30% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (11.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 3.4% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (3.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 6.9% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (4% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (22% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 39% of all tested devices in this class were better, 7% similar, 54% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 58% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 35% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Battery Life - The 30-watt charger is fast
Energy Consumption
Under load, the Realme X3 draws more power than other competing devices - even those with a very similar SoC. The 4200-mAh battery takes about an hour to fully charge with the included 30-watt charger, which is why we recommend that you use it.
| Off / Standby |   0.02 / 0.31 Watt |
| Idle |  0.73 / 1.97 / 1.99 Watt |
| Load |
5.04 / 9.2 Watt |
    
| |
| Realme X3 SuperZoom 4200 mAh | Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite 4500 mAh | Google Pixel 4 2800 mAh | Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ / 855 Plus | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | 18% | 1% | -13% | 4% | |
| Idle Minimum * | 0.73 | 0.58 21% | 1.01 -38% | 1.183 ? -62% | 0.897 ? -23% |
| Idle Average * | 1.97 | 1.55 21% | 1.63 17% | 1.883 ? 4% | 1.452 ? 26% |
| Idle Maximum * | 1.99 | 1.64 18% | 1.69 15% | 2.32 ? -17% | 1.629 ? 18% |
| Load Average * | 5.04 | 4.29 15% | 4.67 7% | 4.91 ? 3% | 5.55 ? -10% |
| Load Maximum * | 9.2 | 8.03 13% | 8.78 5% | 8.59 ? 7% | 8.31 ? 10% |
* ... smaller is better
Battery Life
At the standard refresh rate of 60 Hz, the X3 lasts for a long time. It achieves a battery runtime of almost 22 hours in our reality-oriented Wi-Fi test. The large amount of RAM serves to improve battery life, because a lot of applications can be stored in random access memory at a time, which means that the SoC does not have to relaunch them each time users switch between applications.
| Realme X3 SuperZoom 4200 mAh | Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite 4500 mAh | Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Pro 5260 mAh | Google Pixel 4 2800 mAh | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | -37% | -15% | -65% | |
| WiFi v1.3 | 1311 | 823 -37% | 1112 -15% | 460 -65% |
| Reader / Idle | 2504 | 1007 | ||
| H.264 | 1183 | 617 | ||
| Load | 222 | 185 |
Pros
Cons
Verdict - Good overall package
The Realme X3 SuperZoom is a good smartphone, even without its special camera setup.
Even if the combination of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ and 12 GB RAM is not enough to trounce the competition, it is still more than good enough for running all current applications and games. The X3 also comes with fast UFS 3.0 memory, fast Wi-Fi and a 120 Hz screen.
Besides a fast SoC and plenty of RAM, the Realme X3 SuperZoom also offers fast internal storage and great Wi-Fi speeds. Moreover, the smartphone supports most satellite navigation systems, Widevine DRM and the most important APIs for third-party applications.
The 3X offers plenty of internal storage, which is why the lack of an SD card slot is not such a big deal. However, if you like to take high-resolution photographs and game (titles such as Fortnite usually require 2 to 3 GB of free storage space), then it is safe to say that you will eventually run out of storage space and when that happens you will have to come up with a solution that does not involve inserting an SD card.
Realme did not spare any costs on the certifications. Its flagship supports Widevine DRM Level 1 and APIs necessary for third-party camera applications.
Realme X3 SuperZoom
-
07/06/2020 v7
Inge Schwabe
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