Realme GT Neo 3T Review

Realme continues to win the hearts of USA users, releasing more and more interesting pre-flagship smartphones over and over again. The novelty of this season is Realme GT Neo 3T, which is actively claiming the title of New Year's bestseller. Even though that Realme devices have long aroused my interest (largely due to the laudatory reviews of colleagues and acquaintances), Realme GT Neo 3T became the first brand device for me. Therefore, having finally satisfied my curiosity and found out what is so special about them, I hasten to tell you about the Realme GT Neo 3T chips that I managed to find in a couple of weeks of use. Let's go!

Snapdragon 870

Realme GT Neo 3T is not a flagship in the usual sense, but it offers many flagship features, including a Snapdragon 870 5G chip combined with Adreno 650 graphics. Let me remind you, this is a slightly improved Snapdragon 865, which was installed in top Android smartphones 2020, such as Xiaomi Mi 10 and Samsung Galaxy S20. And, most importantly, this is the latest flagship Qualcomm chip that does not suffer from heat and throttling under load. CPU:

• Snapdragon 870. At the same time, although as many as three generations of “dragons” have already changed, Snapdragon 870 5G is still powerful – it pulls any games, and even more so software without any problems.
• System. The system works smartly – in this regard, using Realme GT Neo 3T is a pleasure. After Pixel 6A and Pixel 7, it was even somewhat unusual for me that the smartphone practically does not heat up even under load – they did a good job on the cooling system in Realme.
• RAM. As for memory, the smartphone is equipped with 8 GB of RAM, which can be expanded with built-in storage. Thus, you can add 2, 3 or 5 GB, getting a total of up to 13 GB of “RAM”. Built-in memory, 128 or 256 GB, depending on the version.

Remarkable display

Realme GT Neo 3T has a 6.62” AMOLED display with FHD+ (1080 × 2400) resolution and a ppi density of 397 PPI, which is quite comfortable for the eyes. Display:

• HDR 10+. Peak brightness reaches 1300 nits, which is truly flagship level. Accordingly, content with HDR 10+ is supported.
• 120 Hz. The refresh rate is also flagship – 120 Hz, not every new iPhone supports it. In the settings, by the way, you can set both a reduced frequency of 60 Hz to save battery, and a “smart” mode that will automatically change the frequency (120 and 60 Hz) depending on the content on the screen. There are no intermediate values since the matrix is ​​not LTPO.
• DC Dimming. For those sensitive to PWM, there is DC Dimming, which can be found in the developer options.
• Light sensor. I would like to note the correct operation of the light sensor – during the entire testing period, I practically did not turn the brightness adjustment slider. In many Android devices, this is a real pain, but here I generally forgot about such a problem.
• P3. In the settings, you can set the mode from several color modes of the screen, but I found the most comfortable standard “Vivid Colors”, which declares an extended P3 color gamut. You can also adjust the temperature of the display with the slider.
• O1 Ultra Vision. Separately, the settings of the proprietary O1 Ultra Vision engine have been made, thanks to which you can increase the clarity of the picture, convert SDR to HDR or increase the brightness when viewing HDR content. It’s definitely worth trying to switch these settings, but I won’t advise specific parameters – everything is individual here, who likes which picture more.
• Always On. Other pluses are the rich customization options for the Always-On mode, templates for which you can create from your images, photos, and even a silhouette. It will absolutely be helpful for someone, but on the lock screen I prefer the Realme branded mascot.

Charging

Realme GT Neo 3T supports proprietary Super Dart fast charging protocol with power up to 80W, at the same time, inside the smartphone. The battery is divided into two cells of 2500 mAh each (5000 mAh in total), which are replenished with energy in parallel. Charging:

• 50%. As a result, the device is charged to 50% in less than 15 minutes, and it takes a little more than half an hour to fully charge. For me, as for a person who uses the iPhone most of the time, it seems like some kind of magic – I didn’t have time to put my smartphone on charge, but it is already charged.
• Charging block. It is important that the charging block is already in the box with the smartphone, and it is 80-watt, you do not need to buy anything else. In our time – unprecedented generosity!
• Optimized charging. If you are worried about battery wear and tear with such a powerful charge, then Realme did not forget to add optimized charging. It will be relevant for overnight charging of the smartphone: the system remembers when you usually unplug the device from the outlet and will try to bring the battery to 100% by this time.
• Express mode. And if you need to recharge during the day, then the proprietary express mode will work. This is convenient because taking care of the life of the battery, you do not have to use some slow block from old stocks for nightly charging.
• Autonomy. There are no complaints about autonomy – Realme GT Neo 3T lives in moderate mode for a comfortable day and a half. If the smartphone is loaded more than usual, then from morning to evening, and there is still a little left in reserve.

Body

I don't like all the bold decisions of Chinese smartphone designers regarding the back panels, but Realme still manages to beat them with taste. A year ago, we were surprised by Realme GT Master Edition with case cover and Realme GT with bright yellow eco leather.

This year, Realme GT Neo 3T features a checkerboard pattern in the style of the finish flag, hinting at racing performance. And here I am deeply sorry, that an overly conservative black sample without this feature came to my review, even if in the light the matte cover shimmers nicely, giving off dark gray shades. If I were buying such a device for myself, I would definitely stop at the white or yellow version. Agree, original and tasteful!

The camera block is also played neatly and stylishly, nothing more is required. And then after the announcement of TECNO Phantom X2 I still can’t sleep peacefully, I have nightmares. Here I will note a cool solution in terms of ergonomics – the volume rocker and the lock button are spaced on opposite sides of the case. A trifle, but convenient.

Realme UI 3.0

After MIUI, Realme's proprietary UI 3.0 shell seemed like a breath of fresh air to me. Everything is neat, smooth, beautiful and yet functional. UI Design:

• Customization. Customization is present, but there is no feeling of settings for settings. If you want to avoid bothering, use it as is, that's fine too. And if you hope to adjust something, then there is no problem digging into the settings.
• Software. And most importantly – there is nothing superfluous: advertising, some heaped useless screens on the desktop, heaps of pre-installed or semi-pre-installed software. Only daddy “Popular” with shortcuts to download software required by law, but it is also removed in a couple of taps. There are no wallpaper carousels and other incomprehensible garbage that you have to turn off, catching in the wilds of settings.
• Shell operation. The shell works quickly, the curtain of notifications and switches is almost a reference – everything is at hand, and its opening is accompanied by a nice animation. You can make the system colors adjust to the installed wallpaper – a pleasant thing. In my opinion, this is much better than installing third-party themes, which in 99% of cases make the interface worse.
• Comparison. Perhaps Realme UI is not up to the Pixel or Samsung shell yet, but for me, it is much nicer, EMUI and other Chinese interfaces.

However, there are a couple of things I didn't like.

First, this is the left screen of Google Discover that cannot be disabled in the launcher settings. Even in Pixel it can be easily turned off, and in Xiaomi too. Here, to remove Discover, I had to delve into one well-known forum, and then in the terminal, remembering the commands for ADB. But then he breathed a sigh of relief. Secondly, this is a gesture of minimizing applications from the bottom edge to the center – quite often it leads me not to go to the home screen, but to switch to the previous open application. We have to make the gesture more accurate and precise than I'm used to on other smartphones, more perpendicular to the bottom edge. Where – then in Realme they still managed to work out the control swipes? I hope they fix it.

Amazing dynamics and pleasant tactile feedback

It's rare to find good sound from speakers in Android smartphones, especially among Chinese sub-flagships. But even here, Realme GT Neo 3T managed to break my stereotypes. Sound:

• Dolby Atmos. The stereo speakers in the device are wonderful - the sound is clear, pleasant, to some extent even voluminous, as far as it can be in a smartphone. Realme marketers even announced support for Dolby Atmos.
• Sound. Of course, you can’t squeeze out the sound like in a cinema from a smartphone, and there is practically no bass, however, among competitors and even more expensive smartphones, Realme sounds more than worthy.
• Vibration motor. Realme GT Neo 3T, judging by the sensations, received a linear vibration motor. Tactile to the iPhone, Samsung or Pixel, it does not hold out, but overall, I liked it. You can feel a neat, barely noticeable return, including during “walks” through the system.

Otherwise, just fine

A couple more things to note: unlocking and the camera. Then I decided to combine these capabilities because these capabilities of the device are simply at a good level and do not stand out as something special. The fingerprint scanner is located under the display. It does not differ in some kind of super-speed scanning - it will not work with a short touch to unlock the device. But at the same time, the scanner is not thoughtful, it is enough to hold your finger for 0.5 seconds. There are no complaints about the accuracy, works even in the cold with frozen fingers. The only gripe is the location.

The scanner is too close to the bottom edge, and given the considerable dimensions of the smartphone, you have to reach for it. Three centimeters higher, and it would be good. Face unlock using the front camera is also available - it works well, in the vast majority of cases it does its job.

Cameras

• Main: 64 MP, f/1.8, 25 mm
• Ultra-Wide: 8MP, f/2.3, 119°, 16 mm.
• Macro: 2 MP, f/2.4, 21 mm, 4 cm away from the subject.
• Front: 16MP, f/2.5, 26 mm

None of the cameras have optical stabilization, only digital. Video recording up to 4K@60 is supported only on the main module, other cameras record only up to 1080p 60fps. The result, in my opinion, is quite decent for its class, especially regarding night shooting, but no surprises.

Realme Neo 3T VS Xiaomi 12T

Conclusion

I have no significant complaints about the device, and even insignificant ones, except maybe:

• Plastic body (even edges);
• No memory card slot;
• No wireless charging.