Xiaomi and Realme have been at it since the latter joined the smartphone race in India. Oppo's former subsidiary, Realme, is seen fiercely targeting Xiaomi's budget smartphone range by launching competitive products at an even competitive price range. Only days after Xiaomi launched the Redmi Note 7-series in India, Realme launched the Realme 3 smartphone to heat up the competition in the sub-Rs 10,000 smartphone price range.
After days of teasing, Realme 3 is officially launched in India. The handset is priced smartly in order to win consumers in India. Realme 3 comes in two configurations, 3GB+32GB and 4GB+64GB, priced at Rs 8,999 and Rs 10,999. Since the Realme smartphone directly competes against the Redmi Note 7, here's how Xiaomi's latest smartphone is priced. The 3GB+32GB model costs Rs 9,999 and the 4GB+64GB variant is priced at Rs 11,999. Price wise, Realme 3 is Rs 1,000 cheaper than the Redmi Note 7.
Let's take a look at how both phones fair against each other.
Design and display
Realme 3 features a stylish diamond-cut design with 3D gradient finish on the back and the display has a tiny waterdrop-style notch. The handset boasts a 6.2-inch display with HD+ resolution. On the other hand, the Redmi Note 7 features a 6.3-inch Full HD+ notched display with 2.5D Gorilla Glass 5, which is also protecting the back of the phone.
Camera
Redmi Note 7 and Realme 3 strongly compete in this category. There are dual rear cameras on both phones. The Realme 3 features a 13MP primary sensor and a 2MP secondary lens at the back. There are interesting features such as Chroma Boost, which improves the dynamic range while shooting a backlit subject, and Night-cap, which significantly improves low-light photos.
Redmi Note 7 comes with 12MP+2MP dual cameras with LED flash on the back. Both phones have a 13MP sensor on the front for selfies.
While we test the cameras on both phones, Realme 3 seems to gain a slight edge with those extra features.
Performance
Realme 3 is powered by a 12nm MediaTek Helio P70 chipset paired with up to 4GB RAM for optimum performance. The handset also runs the Android 9 Pie-based ColorOS 6, which offers a near-stock Android experience to users.
As for the Redmi Note 7, the show is run by 14nm-based Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 chipset with up to 4GB RAM. While the performance can be expected as per the phone's budget price, but the 14nm architecture compared against 12nm chipset puts Realme 3 slight ahead of the Xiaomi smartphone.
Battery
Realme 3 comes with a 4,230mAh battery, but there's no mention of fast charging support. Redmi Note 7, however, gets a 4,000mAh battery with Quick Charge 4.0 support.
Add-ons
Both phones are on the same level when it comes to offering those extra value-ads. A rear-mounted fingerprint scanner, dual SIM card support and microSD card (dedicated one on Realme 3, hybrid on Redmi Note 7). Realme 3 buyers also get a screen protector and a free silicone case in the box.
Availability
Redmi Note 7 goes on sale March 6 onwards, but if you have your eyes on the Realme 3, the Flipkart-exclusive sale will commence at 12 noon on March 12.
