Realme has launched two new smartphones, the budget phone Realme 3i and the midranger Realme X with a pop-up camera. The Realme 3i is on the affordable end, costs as low as Rs 7,999 and offers a diamond-cut design, a notch screen, 4,230 mAh battery, and more. Here’s our quick review of the Realme 3i.
Realme 3i Specifications
- Display: 6.22-inch IPS LCD display, HD+ resolution (1520 x 720 pixels), 19:9 aspect ratio, 450 nits brightness, Corning Gorilla Glass 3
- Software: ColorOS 6.0 based on Android 9 Pie
- Fingerprint Scanner | Face Unlock: Yes, at the back | Yes
- CPU: Up to 2.0 GHz octa-core Cortex-A53 processor, 12nm MediaTek Helio P60 SoC, 64-bit
- GPU: Mali-G72 MP3
- Memory: 3 GB OR 4 GB RAM
- Storage: 32 GB OR 64 GB internal, expands via microSD card up to 256 GB (dedicated slot)
- Main Camera: Dual Cameras (13 MP + 2 MP)
13 MP main camera with f/1.8 aperture, PDAF
2 MP depth camera f/2.4 aperture - Selfie Camera: 13 MP f/2.0 aperture
- Connectivity: micro USB, 3.5 mm jack Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS
- Cellular: 4G LTE, 2x nano SIM (GSM), Dual-VoLTE support
- Battery: 4,230 mAh
- Colors: Diamond Blue, Diamond Black, and Diamond Red
- Price: ₹7,999 (3 GB + 32 GB), ₹9,999 (4 GB + 64 GB)
- Availability: 23rd July via Flipkart and Realme website
Design & Display
The Realme 3i is trim down variant of the actual Realme 3 launched more than two months ago. In terms of performance, the Realme 3i is slightly below the Realme 3. It packs a MediaTek Helio P60 versus the MediaTek Helio P70 available on the Realme 3 and Realme U1.
While the Realme 3 and Realme U1 both offer a glass-like design at the back, the Realme 3i has a different design inspired by the Realme C2. The back has a stunning diamond-cut smudge-proof design which gives diamond-like patterns when light falls on it.
The phone has a unibody design, the body is made from polycarbonate materials. The front has a notch on its display which is a 6.22-inch 19:9 IPS HD+ and the back has a dual-camera setup alongwith a fingerprint scanner.
On the specs side, the Realme 3i is powered by the MediaTek Helio P60 octa-core SoC clocked at 2.0 GHz and coupled with Mali-G72 MP3 GPU. It comes in two variants – 3 GB RAM with 32 GB storage, and 4 GB RAM with 64 GB storage.
The storage can be further expanded up to 256 GB via a microSD card. It is fueled by a 4,230 mAh battery with standard 10W charging i.e. with a 5V and 2A charger.
The phone has a 3.5 mm jack, micro USB port, loudspeakers, and a microphone at the bottom. The right side has a power button while the left side has volume control and a triple-slot SIM tray which carries two nano SIM slots and a dedicated microSD card slot.
Software & User Interface
Moving to the software side, the Realme 3i has the newest ColorOS version 6.0 which is based on the Android 9 Pie and comes with a security patch level dated 5th May 2019. ColorOS has a number of additions which you don’t find on the stock Android.
In our initial usage, the interface was smooth and lag-free. Just like the rest of the ColorOS versions, this one also has bloatware pre-installed on the phone, although you can remove it if not needed.
Cameras
For imaging, the Realme 3i has dual cameras on the back, 13 MP + 2 MP. The 13 MP is the main camera with f/1.8 aperture and the 2 MP is the depth sensor for the Portrait mode.
Other camera features include the Chroma Boost, Nightscape, Expert, Slo-Mo, AI Beautification, Panorama, and Time-Lapse. The camera can record up to 1080p videos and 120fps slow-motion 720p videos.
Here are some photo samples we took from the Realme 3i camera and they were quite impressive.
Realme 3i Camera Samples
Early Verdict
The Realme 3i comes in Diamond Blue, Diamond Black and Diamond Red colors and it is priced at Rs 7,999 for the base variant 3 GB + 32 GB and Rs 9,999 for 4 GB + 64 GB variant. At this price, the Realme 3i seems convincing, not only it has decent hardware, but a good camera package and a battery enough to last long for the day.
Here’s our full unboxing video of the Realme 3i and its features overview.
