Realme GT Neo 3 (150W) First Impressions: Super-Quick Charging With a Side of Gaming

The Realme GT Neo 2 (Review) met my expectations for a gaming-grade smartphone, and now, its successor seems to be following the same formula. The Realme GT Neo 3 has some new features that bring it up to speed with the premium smartphones of 2022. Let's take a closer look at this gaming-friendly smartphone from Realme.

There are two distinct models – the Realme GT Neo 3 and Realme GT Neo 3 (150W). The model that supports 80W fast charging comes in two options, with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage priced at Rs. 36,999, or with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage priced at Rs. 38,999. The other model of the GT Neo 3 supports 150W charging and comes with a 150W charger in the box. It also has 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage and is priced at Rs. 42,999 in India. The two models have different battery capacities: the 80W ones have 5,000mAh batteries, while the 150W model has a 4,500mAh battery.

The Realme GT Neo 3 (150W) comes with a charger, charging cable, and TPU case

I have the top-end 150W model with me. In terms of design, it looks similar to its predecessor. The phone has a polycarbonate frame and a matte glass back panel much like the GT Neo 2. It does not feel too heavy at 188g. The only big design change is that it has two racing stripes on the back for a sporty look. There are three colourways to choose from – Nitro Blue, Sprint White and Asphalt Black. The Asphalt Black finish looks more subtle as it does not feature the racing stripes.

The Realme GT Neo 3 has a 6.7-inch full-HD+ AMOLED display with Corning's Gorilla Glass 5 cover glass for scratch protection. The display has a 120Hz peak refresh rate and a thinner bottom bezel than the GT Neo 2.

The Realme GT Neo 3 (150W) has a 6.7-inch full HD+ AMOLED panel with a 120Hz peak refresh rate

The highlight of the Realme GT Neo 3 (150W) is its 150W charging capability. Realme claims that the 150W model is equipped with its own "Ultradart" adaptive charging controller. You should be able to get to 50 percent in just five minutes. 

The phone's battery is split into two units, each with a capacity of 2,250mAh. When it comes to safety , Realme claims that its fast-charging system is certified by TUV Rheinland. A Smart MCU Control Management System is said to instantly disconnect the battery from its power source if it detects that something has gone wrong. The company also claims that its charging system ensures that the battery can retain 80 percent of its holding capacity after 1,600 charge and discharge cycles.

One massive change with the new GT Neo 3 is that it has a MediaTek Dimensity 8100 SoC inside. This new processor competes with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 888 and 870 SoCs, but you will have to wait for my full review to see how they compare in terms of day-to-day performance and games. Realme says it has implemented a second dedicated display processor, which it claims should help accelerate features such as Motion Estimation, Motion Compensation (MEMC) and also reduce the GPU's load and overall power consumption.

The one major shortcoming I pointed out in my review of the Realme GT Neo 2 was its camera performance, which was strictly average. While the primary camera in the GT Neo 3 seems like a downgrade in terms of sensor resolution, the new 50-megapixel sensor has optical image stabilisation (OIS). This should help the Realme GT Neo 3 capture sharper photos in all kinds of lighting conditions, but especially in low light. The 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera is the same as before, along with the 2-megapixel macro camera. A 16-megapixel front-facing camera is in charge of selfies.

The 150W charger included with the Realme GT Neo 3 (150W) is quite large

The phone runs Realme UI 3 with Android 12 as the base. It seems to have all the regular Android 12 features in place, but I did notice plenty of preinstalled third-party apps.

The Realme GT Neo 3 seems to be a capable gaming smartphone on paper. It has a 120Hz refresh rate, a new MediaTek Dimensity 8100 SoC, and offers incredibly quick 150W charging. The primary camera also features OIS, which is not often found in cameras in this segment. Is the GT Neo 3 a good enough upgrade over its predecessor and more importantly, how does it compare to the newly launched OnePlus 10R, which has pretty much identical specifications? We'll find out all that and more in my full review, so stay tuned.

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