Realme P3 Review The Perfect Balance of Performance, Design, and Affordability

Realme has steadily gained attention in the smartphone market by offering high-performance devices at budget-friendly prices. Their latest model, the Realme P3, is another solid entry into the mid-range segment. It offers a balance of performance, features, and design that appeals to a wide range of consumers.

Design and Build Quality

The Realme P3 comes with an appealing design that immediately catches your eye. Sporting a glossy plastic back panel that comes in multiple vibrant colors, the phone has an attractive yet durable look. The device is slim, making it easy to handle, and the edges are rounded for a comfortable grip. While the materials used are not premium (as we would find in flagship phones), the finish and overall feel are quite polished for the price point.

The 5.8-inch display occupies a large part of the front, providing an immersive viewing experience with minimal bezels. The dewdrop notch at the top houses the front-facing camera, which doesn’t take away from the screen real estate. The back panel features a dual-camera setup, aligned vertically in the top left corner. The camera lenses are slightly raised, which is common for phones in this price range.

The Realme P3 is equipped with a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, which is fast and responsive. The volume buttons are located on the left, and the power button on the right, both positioned well for one-handed usage.

Display Quality

Realme has equipped the P3 with a 5.8-inch LCD display that delivers sharp visuals. The resolution of 2340 x 1080 pixels makes text and images look crisp, while the screen’s color accuracy and brightness levels are also quite impressive for the price. It offers 80% screen-to-body ratio, which makes the display even more engaging when consuming media.

While the display isn’t OLED, which is more common in premium phones, the LCD panel does a good job of maintaining accurate colors and decent contrast. The viewing angles are decent as well, though outdoor visibility might suffer a little under direct sunlight, especially at maximum brightness levels.

Performance and Software

Under the hood, the Realme P3 is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 720 processor, coupled with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. The processor is capable of handling daily tasks, light multitasking, and some gaming without much hassle. The Octa-core CPU features a combination of high-performance and power-efficient cores, providing a balanced performance.

While this chipset isn’t the most powerful in the market, it’s more than sufficient for users who aren’t looking for a phone to run the most demanding applications or games at the highest settings. For most users, the Realme P3 offers a smooth experience with no noticeable lag during regular usage. Apps open quickly, and the phone performs well in everyday tasks such as browsing, social media, and light gaming.

The GPU, the Mali-G57 MC3, ensures decent graphics performance for casual gaming. Games like PUBG Mobile and Call of Duty Mobile run well at medium settings. However, you may experience occasional stutter with more graphics-intensive titles.

The Realme P3 runs on Realme UI, based on Android 10. The user interface is clean, offering plenty of customization options. From changing themes to adjusting icon sizes, Realme UI provides a range of personalization options to suit your preferences. The software experience is fairly close to stock Android but with added features like Dark Mode, Gestures, and App Cloning, which makes the phone more user-friendly.

Hardware and Performance

Processor:

Chipset: MediaTek Dimensity 720
- CPU: Octa-core (2x Cortex-A76 2.0 GHz & 6x Cortex-A55 2.0 GHz)
- GPU: Mali-G57 MC3

The MediaTek Dimensity 720 chipset is designed to offer efficiency and smooth performance for mid-range smartphones. The 2 high-performance Cortex-A76 cores ensure that tasks requiring heavy processing (such as light gaming and multitasking) are handled well. The Cortex-A55 cores are used for energy-efficient tasks, helping the phone conserve power when doing simpler tasks like browsing and texting.

The Mali-G57 MC3 GPU provides solid graphical performance. Casual gamers will appreciate the capability to run popular titles like PUBG Mobile and Call of Duty Mobile at decent frame rates.

RAM & Storage:

RAM: 4GB
Storage: 64GB internal storage (expandable via microSD)

The 4GB RAM configuration is standard for budget phones, providing smooth multitasking in most everyday use cases. If you’re someone who prefers having multiple apps open at once or switching between apps frequently, the Realme P3 holds up well in this area.

Software:

Realme UI:
The Realme P3 runs on Realme UI 1.0, which is based on Android 10. While this version is a little dated in terms of software versions, Realme has still managed to make the user interface visually appealing and packed with features.

Customization:
Realme UI provides several customization options such as theme changes, icon pack support, and dark mode. Users can tweak the overall look and feel of the system to suit their preferences.
Gestures:
Realme UI supports gesture navigation, so users can navigate the interface using gestures instead of traditional on-screen buttons. This gives a more modern feel to the phone.
App Cloning:
A great feature for dual-account users, App Cloning allows you to run two instances of apps like WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram simultaneously. This is ideal for those who want to keep their personal and work accounts separate.
Game Space:
Realme UI comes with a Game Space feature that optimizes the phone for gaming. It allows users to block notifications during gameplay, ensure stable frame rates, and adjust performance settings to improve gaming.
Security Features:
The Realme P3 also includes security features like App Lock, Privacy Dashboard, and Face Unlock. The fingerprint scanner is also quick and responsive, enhancing the phone’s security and ease of use.

Camera Performance

One of the standout features of the Realme P3 is its camera setup. The dual rear camera setup comprises a 48 MP primary sensor and a 2 MP depth sensor. The primary camera captures crisp, vibrant photos with excellent detail, especially in good lighting conditions. Realme has done a great job of fine-tuning the camera software to produce shots with natural colors and good dynamic range.

In low-light situations, the Night Mode helps brighten up the image and reduce noise, though the quality isn’t on par with higher-end models. The depth sensor enhances portrait shots by adding a soft bokeh effect, making it easy to take professional-looking photos with blurred backgrounds.

On the front, the Realme P3 comes with a 16 MP selfie camera, capable of producing sharp and clear self-portraits. The AI Beauty Mode works well to enhance skin tone and smooth out imperfections, but it doesn’t overdo it, keeping the photos natural.

For video recording, the Realme P3 supports up to 1080p at 30fps, which is pretty standard for this segment. The camera can capture smooth and steady videos under optimal conditions. However, the lack of 4K recording may disappoint those who seek more advanced video recording features.

Primary Camera:
- 48 MP (f/1.8 aperture)
- Sensor: Samsung S5KGM1
- Lens: Wide angle
The 48 MP sensor captures sharp, vibrant photos in good lighting. The f/1.8 aperture allows for a reasonable amount of light to enter, making low-light photos more acceptable, though not perfect. When combined with AI enhancements, the camera automatically adjusts settings for better exposure, sharpness, and color.
Secondary Camera:
- 2 MP Depth Sensor (f/2.4 aperture)
- Function: Portrait mode, bokeh effect
The 2 MP depth sensor works in tandem with the primary camera to achieve a blurred background (bokeh) effect. While the quality of portrait shots is impressive for the price range, it might not be as refined as flagship devices.

Camera Features:

AI Scene Detection: Automatically detects the type of scene (portrait, food, landscape, etc.) and adjusts the settings accordingly for optimal results.
Nightscape Mode: The Night Mode helps brighten up low-light photos, though the results are not as sharp as on high-end phones with dedicated night photography features.
Ultra Macro Mode: Realme includes a macro mode to capture tiny subjects with detail, though the 2 MP sensor limits its usability in low light.

Front Camera:

16 MP Selfie Camera (f/2.0 aperture)

The 16 MP front-facing camera produces detailed and clear selfies. AI beautification options smooth out skin tones but without making them appear overly artificial. The wide-angle lens captures a broader view in selfies, making group shots or scenic selfies easier.

Video Recording:

1080p at 30fps for both front and rear cameras.
Video stabilization isn’t as strong as flagship devices, but it’s decent for casual recording.

Battery Life

The Realme P3 is equipped with a 4000mAh battery, which provides all-day usage for most users. The phone is efficient in terms of power consumption, thanks to the balance between the MediaTek Dimensity 720 chipset and the optimized Realme UI. On a typical day, the phone can last for about 6-8 hours of screen-on time with moderate usage, including browsing, social media, and some light gaming.

The device supports 18W fast charging, which can charge the phone from 0% to about 50% in under 30 minutes. Although the charging speed is not the fastest in the industry, it’s a good feature for a phone at this price range, ensuring that you can quickly top up when needed.

Connectivity and Other Features

In terms of connectivity, the Realme P3 supports 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 5.0, and GPS. The phone also comes with a 3.5mm headphone jack, which is becoming increasingly rare in mid-range devices, making it a welcome feature for users who still prefer wired audio.

The device also supports dual-SIM functionality, which is great for users who need to manage two numbers at once. The microSD card slot allows for expansion of storage, which is handy for users who tend to store a lot of media on their phones.

The Realme P3 also supports Face Unlock, which works alongside the fingerprint scanner for biometric security. While Face Unlock is convenient, the fingerprint sensor is generally faster and more reliable.

Pros and Cons of the Realme P3

Pros:

Solid build quality with an attractive design.
Good display quality with decent brightness and color accuracy.
Reliable performance for everyday tasks and casual gaming.
Excellent camera setup for the price, with a 48 MP primary sensor.
Decent battery life with 18W fast charging support.
Great value for money considering the features it offers.

Cons:

No 4K video recording support.
The LCD display could be better in terms of outdoor visibility.
Performance may struggle with very demanding applications or games.
The design, while attractive, uses plastic materials that could feel less premium than competitors’ offerings.

Conclusion:

The Realme P3 stands out as an excellent value-for-money smartphone in the mid-range segment. It offers decent performance, a 48 MP camera, a solid battery, and an immersive display—all while remaining affordable. While it doesn’t offer flagship-level performance, it competes very well against its rivals in the same price range and offers great usability for everyday tasks and moderate gaming. If you’re looking for a budget-friendly device that excels in photography and performance for the price, the Realme P3 is a great option to consider.