Initial Verdict: The realme GT Neo 3 in this review could be one of our top midrange picks this year. Its balanced combination of a brilliant display, powerful processor, outstanding battery life, and smooth UI make it a complete package that’s difficult to ignore. 

Pros

• Superb display
• Plenty of processing power
• Blazing fast charging

Cons

• Tons of bloatware

realme GT Neo 3 Review Specs

• Dimensity 8100 processor
• 8GB RAM
• 256GB UFS 3.1 internal storage
• 6.7-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display, 120hz refresh rate, HDR10+
• 50-megapixel f/1.8 IMX 766 main camera with PDAF and OIS; 8-megapixel f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle camera; 2-megapixel f/2.4 macro camera
• 16-megapixel selfie camera
• Dual SIM
• 4G, LTE, 5G
• WiFi 6, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS
• In-display fingerprint scanner, Stainless steel vapor cooling
• Stereo speakers, Dolby Atmos, Hi-Res Audio
• 5000mAh battery
• 80W charging
• Android 12, realmeUI 3.0

Unboxing and Packaging Contents

The box of the realme GT Neo 3 stands out quite a bit. It’s quite a bit taller than your typical smartphone packaging. Upon opening, you are greeted by the typical realme suite of paperwork containing guides and other useful information.

Under this layer you’ll find the device, which is directly on top of the USB Type-C cable, jelly case, and quick charging power brick. You read that right, the realme GT Neo 3 still comes with a free charger in 2022 in a time where that’s quickly becoming the exception rather than the rule.

Design

The realme GT Neo 3 may not have limited anime themes like the Naruto version, but its bright royal blue-colored back would still be considered flashy. A grey stripe runs along the camera module all the way to the bottom.

Photo courtesy of BJ Motors 

If anything, it reminds us of the signature shade on the older-model Dodge Viper.

Two smaller lenses can be spotted below the main sensor, separated by the LED flash.

The design up front is pretty clean. At the center is the selfie camera, which is where we’d prefer it to be although we know that this is a hotly-debated topic. Bezels are kept to the minimum expected of a device in 2022.

On the device’s side are the volume rockers for adjusting the sounds coming out of the smartphone. One comment we have is that there aren’t in a conventional position at the top section of the device, with realme opting for central placement. It admittedly just takes some getting used to.

At the bottom, meanwhile, rest the USB Type-C port, bottom-firing speakers, and the SIM tray.

Material-wise, this plastic finish is something we’ve seen executed on other devices as well. The uninitiated could even possibly mistake it as a matte aluminum layer surrounding the device components. The glass used is Corning Gorilla Glass 5.

Display and Speakers

We didn’t have to use this smartphone very long to admit that the display is arguably at the top of its class. Spanning 6.7 inches, it’s a size that is expansive enough to enjoy most content but still fits snugly in the hand.

Donning the ever-popular AMOLED technology, the colors are unquestionably vivid and pop out with HDR10+. It’s still balanced though especially when compared side-by-side with other screens with similar technical specs. Brightness won’t be an issue here even in broad daylight.

Scrolling is buttery-smooth thanks to the 120Hz display. Moving panel to panel flows like water, while the option remains to move to a lower rate if deemed unnecessary.

The only real “flaw” you could point out is the 1080p resolution, but most people wouldn’t notice the difference unless they looked extremely closely and pixel peeped.

The speakers, on the other hand, are just fine. The bottom-firing speakers output noticeably louder sound than the top, and the onboard chip decides which sounds should be prioritized when playing clips.

Cameras

Embedded in this device’s rear side is a rectangular camera module finished in a starry night sky blue finish. At the center is a 50-megapixel Sony IMX 766 sensor with PDAF and OIS. It’s a tried-and-tested sensor that can also be spotted in recognizable devices such as the OnePlus 10T, Nothing Phone 1, Oppo Reno8, and many others.

This is supported by an 8-megapixel ultrawide snapper and a 2-megapixel macro. At the front, meanwhile, is a 16-megapixel selfie camera.

As seen in these photos, the realme GT Neo 3 handles shots quite well. Details and colors are well-represented and no one could argue that these shots are unusable in any setting whatsoever. Its main sensor is undoubtedly excellent, with the ultrawide and macro cameras acting as reliable supports within the system.

realme claims to have optimized outdoor shots with their own suite of software trickery, aptly titled “Street Photography 2.0” for its enhancement of outdoor shots. The shot seen here displays all the details quite well and brings with it the spirit of a random gloomy afternoon in the Greenhills area.

Internals and Battery

At the core of the realme GT Neo 3 in this review is the esteemed Dimensity 8100 chipset. It is well known at this point that this specific processor is one of the brand’s most impressive efforts, due to its excellent execution of the balance between thermal management and processing power. Some even call it a more stable Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, a superb compliment considering the latter is a flagship chip.

Reputation isn’t enough to get this device past our strenuous exams. We put these claims to the test through real-world use and some benchmarks. The realme GT Neo 3 didn’t even break a sweat when going through everyday tasks such as browsing and media consumption. This could partly be due to the polish of realme UI, although we suspect that the tons of bloatware on the phone out of the box does no favors for its speed.

In order to obtain quantitative data on the smartphone’s performance, we installed some of the most popular benchmarking apps to see how it does compared to other devices within its segment.

We used the POCO F4 GT and the Nothing Phone (1) as reference points – two devices in a similar segment that we’ve reviewed and enjoyed as well.

There are some shocking results here. The most surprising fact is that this realme smartphone is the second highest score on our Geekbench 5 Multi-Core ranking in 2022. No other phone crossed the 4000 mark even in 2021, which means it’s the second highest of all time with a score of 4032. It plays second fiddle to the ASUS ROG Phone 6 Pro, a device specifically built to demolish games. Despite this, it only loses out by a measly 100-200 points. Clumped together with 8GB of RAM, it is a multitasking menace. It trades blows pretty evenly with the POCO F4 GT.

When it comes to pure performance, the realme GT Neo 3 should be taken seriously as a prime contender.

Plugging in the device to the 80W rapid charger brought the phone’s 5000 mAh battery from 5% to a whopping 70% in just 30 minutes. We’ll release battery life tests later on.

Wrap-up and Initial Conclusions

The realme GT Neo 3 we have for this review is surely an upside for technology this year. It packages together everything you could possibly need from a smartphone and wraps it together with a ribbon on top – with only one flaw in the form of bloatware that can be addressed with some tinkering.

We would easily recommend this device to just about anyone.

realme GT Neo 3 Review Price Philippines

It is only available in a single 8/256GB variant with a local SRP of PHP 29,999. However, it will be reduced to PHP 25,999 within the period of July 29-31 to celebrate its launch. As a Lazada exclusive, click here to access its product page.

Check out the official realme site here for more details on the phone.