Realme X3 SuperZoom review: budget flagship with periscope camera

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realme positions itself as a youth brand and builds its lineup accordingly. Bright

colors, many cameras and relatively lowprices. And, it’s worth noting, it’s turning out very well so far: most models are interesting due to their good price-to-feature ratio. The X line is the flagship in the realme model range, and the realme X2 Pro, which has already been in our editorial office, turned out to be very successful. Recently, a new representative was introduced, the realme X3 SuperZoom, which we will get to know today.

What is it?
Why is realme X3 SuperZoom interesting?
What is included?
What does the realme X3 SuperZoom look like?
How good is the screen?
What are the unlock methods?
What about performance, memory, sound and autonomy?
What about the interface?
How good are the cameras?
In the dry residue

What is it?

realme X3 SuperZoom is a smartphone with 6.A 6-inch 120 Hz IPS display, last year’s top-end Snapdragon processor, 8 GB of RAM, a 64 MP main camera with four modules, an NFC module for contactless payment and very fast charging.

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Why is realme X3 SuperZoom interesting?

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As the name implies, the main feature of realmeX3 SuperZoom is its camera. In this case, the rear camera received four modules: a 64-megapixel main camera with f/1.8 optics, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle, a 2-megapixel macro, and an 8-megapixel periscope with optical stabilization and 5x zoom. The maximum zoom is 60x. From the point of view of the internals, everything is in perfect order. Like realme X2 Pro, last year’s flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ processor is installed, RAM is 8 or 12 GB LPDDR4X, and internal memory is 128 or 256 GB, there is no slot for memory cards. The display has a diagonal of 6.6 inches, FullHD+ resolution, but instead of AMOLED (as in realme X2 Pro), they decided to use an IPS matrix, and the refresh rate increased from 90 to 120 Hz. As a result, instead of an under-screen fingerprint scanner, a “regular” one is used. The front camera is double, made in the form of a hole in the screen. It has a 4,200mAh battery with 30W Dart fast charging that should charge the smartphone in less than an hour. Audio capabilities have become a little simpler compared to the Realme X2 Pro: the smartphone does not have stereo speakers or a 3.5 mm jack.

What is included?

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realme X3 SuperZoom comes standard softwaredimensions of a cardboard box in bright yellow-orange color with the model name and main characteristics. The box contains a smartphone, a 30W charger, a USB Type-C cable, a tray eject tool, documentation, and a protective silicone bumper. It is made in such a way that a kind of protective sides are obtained along the perimeter of the screen and the main camera module.

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What does the realme X3 SuperZoom look like?

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No unexpected experiments with appearancerealme decided not to do this, but there are still a couple of strange solutions. If you look at it from the front, everything is pretty standard: a large screen with rounded corners and small frames around the perimeter. Although the chin, it seems to me, could have been made a little smaller. The front camera is double and is made in the form of an oblong hole in the left corner of the screen. It's worth noting that it's not too big. Aesthetically, I like such solutions more than “unibrow” and “droplets”, but this is a matter of taste. The whole thing is covered by 5th generation Gorilla glass. Above the screen is a speaker.

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For some reason, they decided to make the frame out of plastic: usually the first thing to save on the rear roof. In this case, they decided to do the opposite. Silver plastic, quite standard. It is less pleasant tactilely than metal, but it is quite reliable in the hand, and it is too early to say anything about wear resistance. The power button is located on the right side and is combined with a fingerprint scanner. The location seems to me to be quite optimal, both for the thumb of the right hand and the index of the left.

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The volume control buttons are separate and are located on the left side. Standard layout for realme smartphones. How convenient it is - again, the question is very individual.

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Bottom is USB Type-C, speaker, microphone and SIM tray.

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It is double sided and only supports up to two SIM cards. MicroSD cards are not supported.

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On the top face - only an additional microphone.

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The back panel in the smartphone is made of matteglass on which fingerprints are hardly visible. And it is very pleasant tactilely. We had a white version on review. Outwardly, it looks pearlescent, with tints. There is also blue in nature.

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The main camera is placed vertically in the leftupper corner. She protrudes outside the body. But very delicate when compared to a ton of modern smartphones. The upper square module with golden edging is the same periscope with 5x zoom.

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How good is the screen?

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realme X3 SuperZoom has 6.6-inch screen with a resolution of 2400x1080 (aspect ratio 20:9), pixel density - about 399 ppi. Unlike realme X2 Pro, it uses an IPS matrix. Some people like IPS for its more natural color reproduction, while others prefer AMOLED. A matter of taste. The main advantage of the screen is its refresh rate of 120 Hz. The interface, applications, scrolling through lists, news feeds and social networks look much nicer with a high refresh rate than with the standard 60 Hz. The smartphone has the ability to select a fixed rate of 60/120 Hz or enable adaptive mode, in which the frame rate will automatically switch depending on what is happening on the screen. As for the quality of the picture itself on the screen, the colors look nice and quite natural, the pixel density is enough so that the picture does not seem “loose.” The only complaint about the screen is the small amount of brightness. In the summer, in the sun, the image fades greatly and you have to look closely to read the information.

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In the screen settings you can adjust the scaleinterface elements, font size, select one of the display modes (Bright and Soft), adjust the color temperature, select the frequency (as indicated above) and enable the dark interface theme.

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Measurements showed that in “Yarkoe” modethe maximum brightness was 364.375 cd/m². Not enough, as for a modern IPS screen in a fairly advanced smartphone. The black field brightness is 0.405 cd/m², and the static contrast is 900:1. The color gamut is close to sRGB, but the picture noticeably goes into cold shades, the color temperature is approaching 9000K (with a reference of 6500K):

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In “Tenderness” mode (strangename) the maximum brightness is practically the same and is 354.093 cd/m², the black field brightness is 0.397 cd/m², and the static contrast is 892:1. At the same time, the bias towards cold is much less, the picture is closer to natural:

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Comparison with other models:

Device name
White field brightness,
cd / m2
The brightness of the black field,
cd / m2
Contrast

realme X3 SuperZoom
364.375
0.405
900:1

Realme X2 Pro
481.596
0
∞

Nokia 5.3
419.643
0
∞

Realme 6
415.488
0.38
1093:1

Oppo A31
396.694
0.383
1036:1

What are the unlock methods?

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To unlock the smartphone, it is provided“classic” capacitive fingerprint scanner on the side and owner's face recognition system. The scanner works very quickly and error-free. Facial recognition is carried out by the dual front camera; no additional sensors are provided. In general, the recognition speed is good and is not much inferior to the scanner. But, of course, this method cannot be called super safe. In the settings you can enable a couple more useful functions. The smartphone may not recognize a face if the eyes are closed, and there is also an additional backlight function using the screen for working in low light.

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What about performance, memory, sound and autonomy?

In terms of its filling, the smartphone is the same as realme X2Pro. Inside, last year's top-end Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ processor is installed, which still copes with its tasks perfectly and is inferior in performance, in fact, only to the new Snapdragon 865/865+. Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ — это 7-нанометровый процессор с 1×2.96 ГГц ядром Kryo 485, 3×2.42 ГГц Kryo 485 и 4×1.8 ГГц Kryo 485. За графику отвечает ускоритель Adreno 640, который разогнан до 700 MHz. We received a top-end version with 12 GB of RAM and a 256 GB storage device for review. Uses fast LPDDR4X RAM and fast UFS 3.0 storage. There are different performance modes in the settings. Although, in fact, the difference is very small (the screenshots below contain AnTuTu results in normal and performance modes). The realme X3 SuperZoom's performance is absolutely fine; in tests, the results are approximately consistent with smartphones powered by this year's flagship Exynos and Kirin processors. But, of course, they are inferior to Qualcomm Snapdragon 865/865+.

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With cooling, the situation is a little strange. The smartphone uses liquid CO, which the company sketched something like this:

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It is stated that a tube is used forliquid cooling, which consists of a copper element with a diameter of 8 mm, reducing the heat distribution area by 176.9%, and the distribution volume to 410 mm³. Thanks to this, the heating of the internals should be reduced by 12.5%. In practice, the CPU Throttling Test shows different results with different runs. At the same time, the conditions were identical: room temperature, the smartphone was rebooted. In one case, after 7 minutes, an abrupt throttling of up to 68% is observed. In the second case, subsidence begins a little earlier, but not so dramatic, up to 82%. At the same time, the body becomes noticeably warm.

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On the suggested high graphics and COD settingsMobile and PUBG produce consistently high frame rates. It’s comfortable to play and after 10-15 minutes there are no drops in FPS. COD Mobile works great even if you turn all the settings to maximum. With PUBG, everything is somewhat worse: with maximum settings, after 10 minutes, FPS drops already begin.

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Realme's game utility in terms of functionalitysimilar to solutions from other manufacturers, no surprises. A hub with all installed games, a choice of performance levels, disabling notifications, and more.

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With a set of wireless interfaces everything is completeorder: dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, Bluetooth 5.0 LE with support for aptX, aptX HD and LDAC, global positioning systems GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo are supported. There is NFC for contactless payment using Google Pay. In terms of sound, the realme X3 SuperZoom turned out to be more modest than the realme X2 Pro: it lost stereo sound and a headphone jack. It is worth remembering that the adapter and headset are not included. The company mentions a “sophisticated” Tactile Engine vibration response system, which works in games and some instant messengers. Yes, the vibration response feels different from most modern smartphones, but I can’t say that it in any way affects the experience of using the smartphone.

The smartphone has a 4200 mAh battery.A smartphone cannot be called super-survivable, but the battery is quite sufficient for the smartphone to easily survive a whole day of active use. More precisely, a constant LTE/Wi-Fi connection, about 15 minutes of calls, about 20 photos, 40 minutes of games, social networks, mail, some video and web surfing. Screen mode - forced 120 Hz. 30W DART fast charging is supported. More modest than the 50 W of its predecessor, but there is a chance that the battery will last longer. And in terms of time, full charging from the included charger takes just under an hour.

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What about the interface?

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realme X3 SuperZoom runs on Android 10 OSalready familiar to us from previous models of the company with the realme UI 1.0 shell. It's not too different from the “stock” Android: There are some useful additional features and the general design has been redrawn. There is no built-in advertising, like some manufacturers from China. The curtain is standard, there is a mode with a separate application menu (although it can be disabled). Overall, the interface is not cluttered and works quickly.

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Among the useful features, it is worth mentioning the abundantGesture support, both for navigation (the standard keypad is also available) and for additional functions, including the ability to quickly switch to dual-window mode by moving three fingers from bottom to top. There is also a so-called “smart panel” with a set of quick functions and a customizable list of applications for quick launch. The application manager is standard, in the form of a horizontal carousel of cards with the ability to block individual ones.

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Basic set of native applications“essentials” such as a file manager, calculator, voice recorder, compass and data transfer utility are also present. There are not many of them, only the essentials.

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How good are the cameras?

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The main feature of realme X3 SuperZoom is the maincamera with four modules. The main one is 64 MP with f/1.8 aperture and PDAF, ultra-wide-angle is 8 megapixels, f/2.3 with a viewing angle of 119°. But the main pride is the 8 MP periscope module with 5x optical zoom and phase detection autofocus. Mostly periscope modules are still found in more expensive models. Interestingly, this is the only module with optical stabilization. The company added a 2 MP macro module to this set. Videos can be recorded up to 4K/60fps, and there are various stabilization options. The front camera in the smartphone is double, the main module has a resolution of 32 MP, f/2.5, the additional one is 8 MMP, f/2.2, ultra-wide-angle with an angle of 105˚. Useful for shooting with a large group or simply for capturing a wider ” paintings. The proprietary camera application has a fairly familiar appearance with a “carousel” main shooting modes and menus for additional ones. There is HDR (including auto), filters, Ai adjustment and other things that have already become familiar. One interesting point worth noting is the scale switch. There are several standard modes: wide, 1x, 2x (crop from the main camera), 5x (periscope) and 10x. The same 60s is available in the form of a “slider”. Although, as in other models with similar declared magnification, it is not very useful. It is also worth noting that in night mode there are separate settings “astro mode” and “tripod”. In the latter case, you really can’t do without a tripod.

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Don't expect realme X3 SuperZoom camerashooting level of current flagship cameras (which, by the way, will cost 2.5-3 times more). But in reality the camera takes very good pictures. With sufficient lighting, the camera is capable of taking photographs with a wide dynamic range, very good detail and good color rendition. The smartphone copes with night photography, but there is already noise and detail decreases. Original photos at the link.

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The wide-angle camera does a very good job. Even in the evening without much crime.

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As practice has shown, zoom 2x, 5x and 10x is quiteefficient and the photos are quite good. Further on, the detail starts to drop dramatically. At 60s, objects are already noticeably blurry. From an informative point of view, such photos can be useful, from an artistic point of view, not very much.

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Blur background:

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A macro camera in this form is not very useful: low resolution, lack of autofocus and not the fastest optics limit the scenarios of use.

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The smartphone copes very well with video, including in 4K resolution. Frank “flaw” and there are no jerks, the picture is quite smooth.

With a more “aggressive” With an electronic stabilizer, detail drops, but no dramatic increase in picture smoothness is observed:

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In the dry residue

If we consider realme X3 SuperZoom “invacuum” without competitors, it turned out really very well considering the cost. The smartphone has a number of important and interesting advantages. First of all, it’s a good and multifunctional camera with a periscope zoom module and very good video quality. A powerful processor is installed inside, which is quite enough for both everyday tasks and games. The screen has very intelligent color reproduction and a refresh rate of 120 Hz, and may also be of particular interest to fans of IPS screens, of which there are fewer and fewer in the middle and upper price segments. To this should be added a convenient, functional and fast shell that is not overloaded with unnecessary debris, as well as fast charging, thanks to which the smartphone can be fully charged in less than an hour. Unfortunately, there were some nuances. First of all, I was somewhat disappointed by the brightness reserve, which is inferior even to a number of more affordable models. The second point is throttling under long-term loads, which is also noticeable in games. And now about the competitors: in fact, the main one is its predecessor realme X2 Pro, which is a little more expensive. “Iron” part of the smartphones is the same, as is the tray into which you cannot insert a memory card. And now for the differences: realme X2 Pro has an AMOLED screen with a frequency of 90 Hz. Yes, the type of display is a subjective matter, but in terms of brightness it significantly outperforms the hero of today’s review. The second point is sound: the realme X2 Pro has both a 3.5 mm jack and stereo. And the last, cosmetic point is the metal frame, which is still nicer than plastic. In turn, realme X3 SuperZoom will be more interesting to those who are extremely interested in a periscope module with 5x zoom. We have a version with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal memory11,500 UAH.

6 reasons to buy realme X3 SuperZoom:

intelligent multifunctional main camera;
good color rendering of the display and a frequency of 120 Hz;
productive iron;
functional and comfortable shell;
fast charging;
nice looking and frosted glass back.

3 reasons not to buy realme X3 SuperZoom:

throttling under high loads;
a modest margin of display brightness;
There is no microSD slot or 3.5mm headphone jack.

realme X3 SuperZoom

smartphone with 6.6-inch 120-Hz IPS display, last year's top Snapdragon processor, 8 GB of RAM, 64 MP main camera and 5x zoom periscope camera, NFC module for contactless payment and very fast charging.

realme X3 SuperZoom 8/128 GB

realme X3 SuperZoom 12/256 GB

Periscope camera

Specifications realme X3 SuperZoom

Display
IPS, 6.6 inches, 2400×1080, 399 ppi, 120 Hz

Housing
dimensions: 163.8×75.8×8.9 mm, weight: 202 g

CPU
64-bit 7nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus: 1×2.96 GHz Kryo 485, 3×2.42 GHz Kryo 485, 4×1.8 GHz Kryo 485, Adreno 640 700 MHz GPU

RAM
8/12 GB

Flash memory
128/256 GB UFS 3.0

Camera
64 MP (1/1.72″ 0.8µm) with f/1 aperture.8, PDAF + 8 MP periscope, 5x zoom, f/3.4, 124 mm EGF, PDAF, OIS + 8 MP ultra-wide-angle f/2.3, 119˚ + 2 MP macro, f/2.4, video 2160p@60fps; front camera: 32 MP f/2.5 + 8 MP, f/2.2, 105˚

Wireless technology
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ac (dual band, 2.4 and 5 GHz), Bluetooth 5.0 LE, NFC

GPS
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO

Battery
4200 mAh, non-removable, 30 W fast charging

operating system
Android 10 + realmi UI 1.0

Sim card
2xNanoSIM

Additionally
Side-mounted fingerprint scanner

For those that want to know more:

Realme X2 Pro review: 90 Hz screen, Snapdragon 855+ and lightning fast charging
Smartphone review realme 6: anti-crisis price fall
Review of Huawei P Smart Pro (2019): there is never much memory
Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite review: flagship at the minimum
Samsung Galaxy A71 review: potential mid-range bestseller
Vivo V17 review: competitors, get moving!
OPPO Reno2 review: sees what you don't see

Thank you

The editors would like to thank the Citrus chain store for the smartphone kindly provided for review.

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Realme X3 SuperZoom review: budget flagship with periscope camera

What is it?

Why is realme X3 SuperZoom interesting?

What is included?

What does the realme X3 SuperZoom look like?

How good is the screen?

What are the unlock methods?

What about performance, memory, sound and autonomy?

What about the interface?

How good are the cameras?

In the dry residue

realme X3 SuperZoom

For those that want to know more: