Realme X3 SuperZoom Review

It's hard not to compare the Realme X3 SuperZoom to the Galaxy S20 Ultra. More than a few specs run parallel to the Samsung heavy hitter, including a 5x optical zoom lens that hit dumb levels of magnification, a 120Hz display, and a flagship class processor. 

This made it impossible to ignore the glaring price difference between the two. I kept wondering if I would pay $1,200 more for the Samsung, if I should, if you should.

This midrange handset is a flagship for Realme, and it rivals the flagships of other brands in many ways. If you're thinking about getting off the plan bandwagon then this is a fabulous device that will make the transition smoother.

SuperZoom

After seeing 100x Space Zoom introduced earlier this year in Samsung’s Galaxy S20 Ultra, it’s both exciting and confusing to see something similar available at mid-tier pricing already. Realme’s zoom maxes out at 60x, which is admittedly 40x less than the Samsung offering, but long range zoom in a cheaper phone is very welcome. And while there's variance in the marketing numbers, both the Realme and Samsung's zoom is based on a 5x optical zoom lens. 

It's not quite fair to pit the two against each other; the S20 Ultra starts at $1,999, which you can pay as little as $699 for the X3 SuperZoom. You can’t expect the same photo quality from a phone less than half the price, but the sheer fact that these intense zoom capabilities can be offered at such staggeringly different price points certainly is interesting.

As with most smartphones featuring long range zoom, the Realme X3 SuperZoom's secret is a 5x optical zoom lens. Once you pass the 5x threshold, the image resulting image is solely digital, effectively cropping in on the 5x image. Image quality takes a deep dive once the digital zoom kicks in, but it’s not as grainy as you might expect thanks to some software trickery.

X3 SuperZoom Optical Zoom camera samples

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These pictures use x2 - x5 optical zoom on the Realme X3 SuperZoom. Click or tap on a picture to expand.

X3 SuperZoom Digital Zoom camera samples

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These pictures use x20 - x60 digital zoom on the Realme X3 SuperZoom. Click or tap on a picture to expand.

You’re not going to be winning any photography contests with the optical zoom, let alone with the digital. But that’s what we’ve come to expect from smartphone photography anyway. On a whole the SuperZoom isn’t incredible but what it can accomplish is formidable.

The majority of us are point and click photographers, capturing moments quickly for ourselves rather than trying to see what’s happening a hundred or so metres away. It’s unlikely that this is a camera option that’s going to pop up in your portfolio all that often, but it’s there for the sake of a polite dig over to Samsung to say “hey we can do this too, and we can do it cheaper.”

While the 60x zoom is an impressive feature for a phone at this price it’s just the start of a long list of grand specs that come along with the Realme X3.

Photography and Camera Samples

Retracting zoom from the equation the X3 can take great photos but like most smartphone cameras at this price point there are some limitations.

I experienced some difficulties shooting moving objects, especially in low light. Whether I myself or my subject was moving, the shot usually came out with a significant motion blur which is not great for nabbing candid pics. Bright environments lend themselves to better shots and tend to be kinder to shaky handed photographers.

Here’s some daylight shots to demonstrate my point. Given good shooting conditions and some care you can take vibrant and perfectly ‘grammable photos. 

X3 SuperZoom Natural Light camera samples

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These pictures were taken in natural bright light using the Realme X3 SuperZoom. Click or tap to expand.

Low and artificial light is a different story, it takes some time to get a good shot where the focus is on the right place. Admittedly the shots below are of my dog who doesn't love sitting still, but between focus shifts and her movement it was tricky to capture something for her instagram.

X3 SuperZoom Artificial Light camera samples

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These pictures were taken in artificial light with a moving subject on the Realme X3 SuperZoom. Click or tap to expand.

Super Nightscape 4.0 and Starry Mode are probably the most impressive photography features on the X3. The shots below were taken with the smartphone in hand rather than a tripod, and required me to hold the phone still for around 5 seconds to get the shot. Considering my experiences shooting in lowlight, I expected to get some blur or double exposure with the long hold time. But no, the clarity of the stars in the Nightscape shot is consistently striking.

X3 SuperZoom Nightscape Sample

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These picture were taken using Nightscape on the Realme X3 SuperZoom. Click or tap to expand.

The front-facing camera also gets some good results but the addition of a secondary, wide-angle lens is a standout. This extra camera won’t do much extra for the quality but it does make taking group shots easier. Without the wide-angle lens you’d have around 80° to fit everyone in, but with it this extends out to 105°.

All in all the shots from X3 are going to reflect what you put in. If you’re willing to take some time to frame and capture a shot then you will be rewarded with clarity and vibrance. If on the other hand you just want to snap and go you’ll probably want to take some extra shots to air on the side of caution.

Design, Look and Feel

One of the first things I noticed about the X3 SuperZoom was how much thicker it is than the phones I'm used to. In a time when we’re constantly trying to make our devices more streamline and lighter, this handset almost went in the opposite direction. It was a veritable flashback to the early Samsung handsets, significantly heavier in hand and edging on 1cm thickness with the included case. 

While it was a shock at first it didn’t take long to get used to it. The extra few mms aren’t enough to warrant an outcry, and when you consider how much tech they’re jamming into that space the marginal increase is inconsequential.

The 6.5-inch FHD+ screen is lovely, with negligible bezels and an extended holepunch camera notch. No complaints with the display. 

Considering the glass front and back and the extra weight behind the handset I would have expected it to be somewhat fragile. I didn’t set out to test the limits of the phone, but inexplicably did when it slipped out of my pocket and bounced down a flight of stairs to land face first on the tiles at the bottom. After a quick freak out, I found that even without the case (which is included in the box) the X3 came out unscathed except for perhaps a scuff or two. There is a high probability that I got lucky, but surviving 5 bounces and a faceplant relatively unscathed is a mark in favour of durability in my opinion. Regardless, I put the case on after that.

The X3 has curves and isn’t a handset to be trifled with, it’s tough, it’s thicc, and it’s beautiful all at once. Sir Mix-A-Lot would pile this baby into his Benz, but if you prefer something lightweight and slender then this might not be the handset for you.

Performance and Battery

Battery power and battery performance are two very different things. We’ve been burned before by smartphones with huge battery capacities which can’t make it through the day, but the Realme isn’t one of them.

At 4200 mAh this isn’t the largest battery on the market but it holds up for around 24 hours of solid use. I went away for a long weekend of snapping photos, streaming music and hitting up the socials and only needed to charge the phone for 1 hour throughout. Most of this is thanks to the Dart charge which brings the battery to 100% in less than an hour. 

More impressively, this 24 hour battery life is with the 120Hz refresh rate enabled. For those unfamiliar with refresh rate, most smartphones operate at around 60Hz which means that the screen refreshes 60 times per second. Recently higher refresh rates have hit the market but this is usually at the behest of battery life. When your screen is refreshing more often it uses more power, which in turn drains your battery. It’s a trade off, but it’s one you can usually opt out of in settings to conserve your battery.

In the X3’s case we’re seeing double the average refresh rate, meaning that the screen is refreshing 120 times per minute. This makes for noticeably smoother scrolling and a less jumpy gaming and viewing experience on the small screen. For the phone to last a day between recharges and have such a high refresh rate is well, refreshing.

Once again we find similarities between the X3 and the Samsung S20 range, they both have this 120Hz refresh rate but the X3’s battery life trumps the flagship device. It’s just another aspect that has me questioning the value of a $2000 phone as opposed to a sub $1000 handset.

Powered by the Snapdragon 855+ processor, this phone is using last year’s flagship chip. This is a souped up version of the processor we saw in the Google Pixel 4, which makes it a noteworthy inclusion in an affordable smartphone. Most other phones at the $700 mark will come with significantly slower CPU.

Final Thoughts

After spending the better part of this year cycling through low and mid-tier phones, I usually finish a review and reach for my Apple flagship with trembling hands. Heatedly anticipating the feel of the cool glass beneath my fingertips. This time however I'm less inclined to stumble back to the familiarities of a flagship device.

The Realme X3 SuperZoom is making me question the value of a $2000 phone and reevaluate what that extra $1200 would really buy. Some extra digital zoom, a different name, a slightly thinner phone, worse battery life. It’s hard to see the value in paying so much more for so much less.

Admittedly despite its namesake the SuperZoom’s photography isn’t it’s standout feature, so if you’re thinking about buying this phone for the 60x zoom - don’t.

Instead buy it for the smooth scrolling experience and the fast processing. Buy it for the ridiculous battery life or the handset durability. Buy it for the wide-angled selfie camera and the fast charge. Buy it because you can save over $1,000 and still get a genuinely great handset.

Anula Wiwatowska

Offsite Editorial Lead | Instagram

Anula is the Off-Site Editorial Lead for WhistleOut Australia, and an award winning tech journalist. She has been writing about the Australian telco industry, and consumer technology for over five years, and has been known to tell her Uber driver which phone they should upgrade to next.

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