Realme X3 SuperZoom high-end smartphone launches with unbeatable price

Realme is once again setting the standard for affordable premium handhelds with the freshly launched X3 SuperZoom model. In order to keep the price as low as possible, Realme had to make some compromises, but the overall value proposition is still unbeatable when we compare this model to other more prominent brands. The phone is now available in the UK for £469 (US$570).

As far as premium features go, the X3 SuperZoom comes powered with a Snapdragon 855+ SoC coupled with 12 GB of LPDDR4x RAM and 256 GB UFS 3.0 storage, so the performance figures are up there. The 6.6-inch 2,400 x 1080 LCD has a 120 Hz refresh rate like most 2020 flagships, while the camera setup includes dual selfie shooters (32 MP + 8MP ) and a periscope 5x zoom 8 MP camera on the back along with a 64 MP primary cam, an 8 MP ultra-wide cam, as well as a 2 MP macro cam. There also is a 4,200 mAh battery with the 30 W Dart Flash Charge feature that fully charges the battery in 55 minutes.

Android Police reviewer Scott Scrivens has had the possibility to test a pre-production X3 SuperZoom model and encountered a few problems. First of all, the display suffers from backlight bleeding in the bottom corners area and around the punch-hole selfie cams. Then, the 5x optical / 60x hybrid zoom appears to be working great up until 10x, with everything past that point getting into “muddled oil painting territory.” Audiophiles will probably find the absence of the audio jack quite disconcerting and some users might have expected the fingerprint scanner that is included in the power button to actually have an in-display implementation. This handset is also missing 5G-support.

Overall, the X3 SuperZoom appears to be a solid 2019 flagship with a few 2020 features sprinkled in, plus some toned-down specs that totally justify the unbeatable price.