Originally a sub-brand of Oppo (a guarantee of quality), Realme became independent (still under the umbrella of BBK Electronics) a few years ago, focusing heavily on the Chinese and Indian markets. Europe hasn't been forgotten, however, and now the Realme P3 (also known as the Realme 14 in China) is arriving in our countries.
Don't look for a Realme P2, though; it doesn't exist. In Realme's convoluted catalog, it actually replaces the Realme 13 (not to be confused with the Realme 13 5G, which has nothing to do with it). Are you still following?
The Realme P3 (or Realme P3 5G, it's the same this time) is an entry-level smartphone marketed at a recommended price of €229, but is currently around €200. It thus finds itself in competition with the excellent CMF Phone 2 Pro, but does it have what it takes to dethrone it?
The specifications of the Realme P3
First of all, here is what is hidden under its hood:
| Realme P3 | |
|---|---|
| Display | -Size: 6.67 inches AMOLED -Refresh rate: Up to 120 Hz -Touch sampling rate: Maximum 1500 Hz - Definition: 2400 x 1080 pixels - Max brightness: 600 nits typical, 2000 nits peak |
| SoC and GPU | - Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 - CPU cores: octa-core 4 nm - CPU core frequency up to 2.3 GHz - GPU: Adreno™ |
| Memory | - RAM: 6/8 GB - ROM: 128/256 GB |
| Colors | - Space Silver, Comet Gray or Nebula Pink |
| Camera | - Rear camera: Definition: 50 Mpx Lens: 5P FOX: 76° Aperture: f/1.8 Focal length: 27 mm - Front camera: Definition: 16 Mpx Lens: 4P FOV: 85° Aperture: F/2.4 |
| Audio | - Stereo speakers |
| Battery | - Battery: 5260 mAh (carbon silicon) - Fast charging: supports up to 45W |
| Connectivities | - Fingerprint sensor, Accelerometer, E-compass, Gyroscope, Proximity sensor, Ambient light sensor - 5G - Dual nano-SIM - Wi-Fi6 - Bluetooth 5.2 - GPS, Glonass, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS - NFC |
| Software | Android 15 + realme UI 6.0 |
| Size and Weight | - Height: 163.15 mm - Width: 75.65 mm - Thickness: 7.97mm - Weight: 194 g |
| Introductory price | 199€ (8 + 256 GB) 249€ (12 + 512 Go) |
| Availability Date | June 10, 2025 |
The Realme P3 is available for 229 euros in its 8 GB + 256 GB version and 279 euros in its 12 GB + 512 GB version. Expect to pay between 200 and 250 euros currently on AliExpress.
In the box you will find a silicone case and a USB cable. No charger or earphones are included.
Design
Will you be surprised to learn that the Realme P3 has flat edges? Not me, and for good reason, since it follows the current trend, to my great pleasure, I confess. This gives an excellent grip and allows you to hold it securely without fear of dropping it.
The finishes unfortunately remain imperfect. On the back, you can clearly feel the demarcation between the back of the phone and its frame, like a slightly scratchy sensation under the finger. This is all the more regrettable given that the rest of the device is well designed.
The most impressive feature is undoubtedly its IP69 certification, extremely rare in this price range, and even often in much more premium segments. This is the promise that it was built to resist impurities and immersion up to 2.5 meters deep for 30 minutes. However, we cannot stress this enough: this is not a reason to deliberately submerge your phone underwater; the damage will not be covered by the warranty. For more resistance, you should instead turn to the Realme C75.
Despite its large 6.67-inch screen, its dimensions are not excessive. With its relatively thin borders for its positioning (the screen covers 92.65% of its surface), it does not exceed 163.15 x 75.65 x 7.97 mm for 194 grams. A feat for a smartphone with such a battery capacity (but we will come back to that later).
Let's finish the tour of the owner by mentioning the buttons, located a little high on the right edge if you have small fingers, as well as the different colors: green or gray (more coppery brown in reality). The brushed aluminum effect coating is truly successful and has the advantage of not showing fingerprints.
Screen and multimedia
To consume your favorite content in good conditions, the Realme P3 has a 6.67-inch Amoled panel in Full HD+ definition (1080 x 2400 pixels) and with a refresh rate that can be adjusted to 60 or 120 Hz.
Regarding brightness, Realme advertises 600 nits of typical brightness and up to 2000 nits peak. It's a bit light (the CMF Phone 2 Pro is at 800 / 3000 for example), but it's still average for this price. As long as you don't have a strong light source pointed directly at your phone, even dark content shouldn't be a problem.
A rather rare option to mention: Realme allows you to set the minimum brightness of the phone in the settings. Practical for a display that always meets your needs without burning your retina in the middle of the night.
On the audio side, the Realme P3 offers two speakers for stereo sound. A commonplace in 2025, but not all of its direct competitors can claim the same thing (hello CMF Phone 2 Pro and Galaxy A16). The quality, however, is on par with its price. The sound lacks bass, warmth, and clarity to be truly enjoyable, but it's suitable for scrolling through TikTok.
Android 15 and AI
The Realme P3's software is handled by Android 15 and the Realme UI 6.0 interface. An effective formula that works smoothly on a daily basis.
Realme UI is quite close to MIUI (Xiaomi's interface), while remaining accessible. There are some great ideas like the wallpaper that moves in front of the clock on the lock screen, like on iOS, classic or dual-screen quick settings, live alerts (equivalent to Dynamic Island but more limited), the sidebar for handy shortcuts, a simplified “two-wheel” mode, quick search for apps in the notification drawer, etc. There’s even a lab to offer experimental features (in this case, dual music sharing and heart rate measurement on the fingerprint reader).
Customization is also there with a lot of possibilities. The only downside: the number of pre-installed software. I counted 24 partner apps on first startup, which is way too many, even at this price. It should also be noted that some are not suitable for all ages, either because they present numerous dark patterns, or, in the case of ShortMax, because the titles of the shows are not very appropriate (special mention for "The old man shook me all night").
Generative AI is similar to Gemini, with one caveat: by default, you have to reactivate the gesture guide bar to use the Circle to Search feature. Realme's other integrated features are still in their infancy and work primarily in English and Chinese. So we're sticking with the bare minimum, which isn't a huge surprise for a small manufacturer that doesn't have the enormous resources of Google or Samsung.
Performance and battery life
At the heart of the maneuver is the Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 chip with its Adreno 810 GPU. Not only does it do a great job on a daily basis for common use (interface, web browsing, social networks, etc.), but it also allows you to play properly in 1080p, even if it doesn't impress on benchmarks.
On simple or well-optimized games (Asphalt, Genshin Impact, etc.), you can play without the slightest problem, even during long sessions. Realme also indicates that a charging bypass system keeps the phone at a good temperature even when playing plugged into the mains. And indeed, it works.
On really power-hungry uses, you can still feel a slight difference. Fortnite, for example, can run at high 50 FPS, but the image remains pixelated, which obviously detracts from the experience. This didn't stop me from finishing in the TOP 10 of some of my games.
To power everything, Realme has integrated a 5260 mAh silicon-carbon battery to maintain this streamlined design and respectable weight. This relatively large capacity allows the P3 to last up to two days if you're not the type to unlock it too often or launch demanding applications. If your smartphone is an extension of your arm, expect a good day and a half instead. For charging, allow around 1 hour 15 minutes for 0 to 100 with a 45 W charger.
Photo and video
Very surprisingly, the Realme P3's spec sheet only details a single rear camera while we can see two. The reason for this is simple: the second is a 2 Mpx sensor that only serves as a support for the first. So don't expect an ultra-wide angle or a telephoto lens, the P3 is content with a wide angle. It must also be said that in this price range, it is very rare to find quality secondary focal lengths. We are therefore content here with a single useful 50 Mpx sensor, backed by a wide-angle lens (76° FOV) opening at F/1.8.
As for quality, we are not at the level of a Samsung Galaxy A16 5GB of a CMF Phone 2 Pro, while remaining in the average range for smartphones at this price. The shots are rather well exposed, with a judicious preference for highlights to avoid blowing out an area of the photo. The sky is thus well detailed, with clouds that stand out. The shadows, however, are a little dark and could benefit from a little post-production to recover detail. As for colors, skin tones are good, but there is a occasional exaggeration of saturation, particularly on the green of the sunlit expanses of vegetation.
The sharpness could also be better given the sensor definition, even though pixel-binning reduces it to 12 Mpx. This is particularly noticeable on distant subjects, even at medium distances. The lack of optical stabilization certainly has something to do with it. So don't count on the sensor's definition to replace a telephoto lens; cropping your image will only further highlight this lack of sharpness, and each magnification will inevitably be accompanied by a loss of quality.
In darker environments, it's best to avoid capturing a moving subject. Taking a photo of an animal or a baby in artificial light can be difficult. On stationary subjects, however, you can achieve decent results, although you'll notice that the colors are more washed out. However, there's one condition: you need to hold the camera steady. If your hands tend to shake quickly, this could be more complicated.
On the front, there's a 16 MP sensor dedicated to selfies. It's quite effective, with good sharpness and accurate colorimetry. The F/2.4 aperture still shows its limitations in low light.
After the words, let's see the pictures:
Where to buy it?
The Realme P3 is available on AliExpress at a price of 229 euros for the 8+256 GB version and 279 euros for the 12+512 GB version. At the time of writing, these prices have been reduced to 206 and 251 euros respectively.
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