Much like other recent Realmes, the X3 SuperZoom runs Android 10 with the company's custom Realme UI on top. It shares a lot of traits with the sister company Oppo's ColorOS in terms of features with a shift towards a more stock Android look, a trend Oppos have started adopting too.
The launcher's look and feel is characterized by no-nonsense homescreens, simplistic notification/toggles area, and easy-to-use task switcher. An App drawer is available, too, and it is as clutter-free as one could hope for.
Realme UI: Lockscreen • Homescreen • Folder view • App drawer • Quick toggles • Task switcher
Realme UI supports different icon packs, so if you are not happy with the default one, you can opt for material style, pebbles, or you can even fully customize them by your liking. Themes are also available.
Homescreen settings • Homescreen mode • Swipe down options • Theme store • Icon settings
You have a total of three options for navigation on the Realme X3 SuperZoom. We've already grown used to and prefer the standard Android 10 navigation (Swipe Gestures from Both Sides it's called here), which employs the side edges for going Back while upward swipes from the bottom take you Home.
Color OS used to have a gesture for quick switch between the last two apps if you swipe in for Back, but hold for a brief instant. Now that's replaced by side swiping on the bottom of the screen.
A classic three-button navigation bar is available if you're old school like that, and it lets you choose between two layouts. There's also a More option, which will take you to the Swipe-up gestures alternative - the proverbial middle option between the nav bar and real gestures.
Settings • More settings • Navigation options
Realme UI offers a Smart Sidebar feature on the edge of the screen - you can customize the actions and app shortcuts that appear there. The bar's position and opacity can be adjusted too.
The Realme X3 SuperZoom display supports a 120Hz refresh rate, and you get a three-way setting between 120Hz, 60Hz, and Auto. As we detailed on the previous page, that setting is only ever set in stone if you have it at the 60Hz position, with the other two modes having their own specifics.
There's a system-wide dark mode, and it can be engaged permanently or according to a schedule. It'll invoke supported apps' dark themes too, but you can also enforce dark mode on third-party apps which don't have it built-in.
The multimedia apps such as Gallery, Music, and Videos - are provided by Realme. There is also a redesigned File Manager, and a Phone Manager app. A few other tools are provided, including a custom calculator and a voice recorder. A Realme App Market is also present.
Gallery • Music • Videos • Phone Manager • File Manager • App Market
The Realme X3 SuperZoom has the Snapdragon 855+ under the hood, the souped-up version of Qualcomm's high-end chipset for last year. It's a balancing act of trying to fit the budget while also offering flagship-grade performance. The 855+ is one better than this year's 765, particularly in the GPU department, and it isn't as expensive as the current top dog, the 865.
Meanwhile, the 5G-less 855+ leaves the 865-equipped X50 Pro 5G room to breathe in the markets where the two are available together. How big of deal 5G is right now, is a whole different topic.
The X3 SuperZoom is available in two configurations - the base model has 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, while our review unit is the 12GB/256GB variant. RAM is LPDDR4x and the storage is the UFS 3.0 type.
We ran the usual set of benchmarks, and the X3 SuperZoom mostly delivers. It did run neck and neck with the OnePlus 7T in single-core GeekBench, but got left behind in multi-core loads. It does comfortably outperform the Motorola Edge, standing in here for the 700-series Snapdragons of the day. The 865 devices remain out of reach for the 855+ Realme.
Higher is better
Higher is better
Over in Antutu, the X3 SuperZoom shows about average performance for its hardware - the OP7T is slightly ahead, the X2 Pro is slightly behind. Again, there's a visible gap between 855+ and 865-equipped handsets.
Higher is better
In GFXBench, the SuperZoom is a couple of frames per second behind other 855+ devices for one reason or another. What matters though, is that the 855+ is still much more potent in graphics-related tasks than the 765 - the Motorola Edge manages only half the frames across all tests.
Higher is better
Higher is better
Higher is better
Higher is better
Higher is better
Higher is better
The relative differences between the chipsets remain in 3DMark in both OpenGL and Vulkan-based testing. The X3 SuperZoom with its Snapdragon 855+ is a much better choice than a 765-based competitor, with the 865-powered devices offering a further boost, but not as big. It's worth pointing out that in this particular benchmark, the SuperZoom's scores dropped significantly after the first run - by about 15%, and stayed there. We didn't observe drops quite as dramatic in the other tests.
Higher is better
Higher is better
Overall, we get Realme's choice of chipset for the X3 SuperZoom. The 855+ delivers performance a notch below the current flagship offerings while being significantly ahead of the latest upper-midrange chipsets.
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