Realme is a brand we have covered a number of their devices with the most recent review being the super fast charging Realme GT Neo 3. In this review, we have been sent the Realme GT Neo 3T but this is not just any ordinary phone it’s the Dragon Ball Z edition.
For these readers who do not know what Dragon Ball Z is let me explain the Japanese show is based on the adventures of Goku who along with his friends defend earth against evil. The show is designed to reinforce the concept of good vs evil.
First Impressions /Unboxing
When I took this out of the packaging to reveal the box the phone comes in with the Dragon Ball Z branding front and back fans of the show will love this touch. Open the box and the phone comes with a fast charger with USB-A to USB-C cable and a dark grey case. You also get stickers from the characters from the show and a trading card and a sim card pin designed to resemble a dragon ball.
The phone comes with an orange and blue colour style to remind you of the show and the phone comes with these key features:
- 6.62 inch AMOLED FullHD+ display (2400 x1080 resolution)
- 120Hz refresh rate
- Snapdragon 870 5G
- 80W fast charging
- 5G Dual Sim
- Bluetooth 5.2
- Wi-FI 6
- 16MP front camera
- A rear camera comprises a 64MP lens, 8MP wide lens & 2MP Macro lens.
The phone is fairly lightweight coming in at 194g and is about average size for a realme device at 162.9 x75.8 x 8.6mm. The screen is protected by Gorilla Glass 5 and the body is made of plastic which was a surprise but it is a durable plastic and could handle the odd drop. You will also notice the standard 3T model has identical specs. However, the key difference is the Dragon Ball Z version has a larger memory at 256GB mainly due to this model missing out of a memory card slot.
Apart from that, the cost of the Dragon Ball Z version comes in at £499 compared to the standard 3T model coming in £429 so you have to consider things like do you want more memory but a lock of the memory card slot. Do you feel the extra cost for a branded phone from a kid’s tv show is worth the extra cost? If you’re a Dragon Ball Z fan maybe.
Design
The style of this phone is what you will notice first and foremost this Dragon Ball Z edition is in the colours of the main character Goku- orange and blue. The back of the phone also has a three-dimensional effect to add to the overall style. The back of the phone also has a Goku symbol in the top right and the camera layout of the left side does protrude but won’t affect the phone if placed down on its back.
In terms of controls, you will notice the frame is blue but the buttons are actually orange and this style is continued throughout the whole design of the phone. The lock buttons are on the right side of the phone with the volume keys on the left.
Moving to the base of the phone you will find the speaker, microphone, sim tray and USB-C port. I felt Realme could have spread some of this around the phone for example there is some dead space on the side of the phone the sim tray could have been placed.
You will notice this phone is missing a headphone jack but it’s not a major concern due to most of us using Bluetooth headphones. What you do have on the top of the phone is an additional speaker which according to the manufacturer provides sound in stereo mode.
The front of the phone is covered using Gorilla Glass 5 which provides that extra protection. The frame under the screen is made using aluminium and the attention to detail on the phone is what we come to expect from Realme.
The curved edges on the back of the device help provide ease of use and it fits in your hand very nicely. Also on the front of the screen is a biometric fingerprint sensor under the screen and we found it very responsive. Last but not least is the selfie camera on the front its positioned to the top left I would have preferred it to be in the centre of the screen but it’s not a deal breaker by a long shot.
Display
The Display of the GT Neo 3T has not changed from the previous GT2 it still comes with a 6.62-inch FullHD+ chapter that boasts HDR support. The display also boasts a 120Hz refresh rate with an option to reduce the refresh rate down to 60Hz which will be beneficial for gamers.
The phone also has a sensational brightness of up to 1300 nits. This allows visibility under direct sunlight phenomenal which means a lot of other smartphones on the market struggle to achieve. The Bezels around the display are small and the bottom edge is only slightly wider. There is also a functioning fingerprint reader which is hidden under the display.
What’s under the bonnet?
The Realme GT Neo 3T Dragonball Z edition comes with the snapdragon 870 5G processor that is supported by 8GB RAM and 256GB internal storage. The phone when used in everyday use worked very well and never let me down. Even when the user has multiple apps open the phone speed was never affected.
This realme device is backed up by a stainless steel vapour cooling system which ensures that the chip stays cool under sustained loads and is perfect for playing games like Call of Duty.
Software
The phone comes with Android 12 paired with the realme UI 3.0 overlay which seems to be the norm and can be found on the Realme GT Neo 3 I recently reviewed. The realme UI 3.0 can also be found in other realme devices, It comes with a number of personalization options as well as the normal Andriod features and apps. The Dragon Ball Z edition which we are reviewing also comes with some additional features to customise the phone these include wallpapers from the show, special icons and a dragon ball animation while charging the phone.
Battery
The Realme Neo 3T Dragon Ball Z edition comes with a 5000mAh battery which is the same as the previous Neo 2 model. When the phone needs to be charged there is a special animation that will appear on this phone. In terms of charging speed just like the Neo 3, you get an 80-watt super dart charger that will charge the battery from zero to 50% in 8 minutes and 100% in 35 minutes.
When the phone is fully charged it will give you 30 hours of battery life this means you could get away with charging every 2 days. Something to consider this phone does not allow wireless charging.
CAMERA REVIEW BY JAMES ROBERTSON-MILLIGAN @LIFESIZEPHOTOGRAPHY
When the editor called me up and asked me if I wanted to take the Realme GT Neo 3T to test the camera I absolutely said “yes” following testing the GT Neo 3, I could not wait to get my hands on the latest offering. So, what have they packed into the camera on this handset, for a triple lens it has on paper a good spec, 64mp main camera, 8mp ultra-wide, 2mp ultra macro. The selfie camera is weighed in at 16mp so it should be good yes?! well, I will let the images speak for themselves later in the review.
As you know from past reviews, I always talk about picture editing and on this phone, I have decided to edit a picture to show you how you can make your phonetography stand out and make a bold impression, but more on that later. As always, I have kept the preview photos to the normal everyday photos that most people will take.
Realme has added tilt to this handset, This is also on the Neo 3, I have never seen this before on a phone, all it really does is allow you to put a tilt angle on the photo you take, It will make your image look arty and the outcome of the picture is quite good.
Full zoom – This handset it comes with 20x full zoom, when you whack up full zoom you will get a lot of camera shake. However, the end image actually comes out quite sharp, you will get a bit fuzzy but it wasn’t actually as bad as I was expecting for a 20x zoom.
Auto Mode – Well what can I say Realme have really smashed this out of the park on this phone, you would think that you were taking pictures in 4K definition, the clarity, the colours, and the tones are just all on point and I really could not fault this at all, the images just speak for themselves!
Night mode – when i have tested this before on phones I am quite let down and it just doesn’t really work pictures normally come out dull, flat and lifeless. However Realme seem to have perfected this, I was not let down at all, I used night mode when i was out walking the dog the sun had disappeared and my settings being in the middle of the woods so it was quite dark but night mode on this handset the pictures came out as if it was daylight, it just works.
Super Macro – I do quite a lot of Supermacro on my DSLR it enables you to get ultra fine detail when nice and close, Ultra Macro on phones tends to be hit and miss, sometimes it works, sometimes it wont. However on this phone it just hits it well and the outcome is well defined with great detail, what macro was intended for!
The all-important selfie – Realme has packed a 16mp camera on the front so you would expect it to be good! on this handset….. it’s better than good it’s outstanding and just gives you ultra-fine detail every time and I love the fact you can also use portrait so you get that nice subtle background blur, I took this photo in the height of the sun so you would expect to get a bit of noise from the sun but you don’t even get that it just gives you an ultra crisp and clear image again!
64Mp Mode, with this function you lose your zoom which is a little annoying, i am not sure why they have a 64mp mode and don’t just incorporate it into auto, the results are still great
Pro Mode – so more and more android phones are now including “pro mode” to me it’s a gimmick. You only get a 5x zoom, you can fettle around with the settings of the camera but to be honest I really don’t see the need for pro mode, especially on this phone as Auto gives you quality shots time after time and to be fair you would not be able to tell the difference between pro and auto on this phone.
As you know from previous reviews, I rave about Snapseed, so what is Snapseed, it is a free-to-download photo editing app available on the Android and Apple operating systems. once you have taken a photo you can open Snapseed and then you can have some real fun with the Image with editing, and you can get some serious results by playing around. You can really make pictures stand out and give that professional feel and with this phone with a little editing anyone would think you were a professional photographer, using Snapseed and this phone… your pictures will really stand out on social media.
Comparison – I took a photo on my iPhone 13 Pro Max and the same on the Realme, as you can see once again the Realme has edged it on the colour, true tones and clarity I really think Realme has pulled the camera on this phone out of the bag!
(Left Shot on the iPhone 13 Pro Max vs Right Shot on the Realme GT Neo 3T Dragon Ball Z Edition)
I really thought Realme had peaked with the camera on the GT Neo 3 but on the Neo 3T, they have just upped the Anti and taken the camera once again to a whole new level and raised the bar yet again. Using the camera on this phone was just an absolute experience and one that just has me wanting more.
I am just glad this phone wasn’t on the market when I bought my iPhone 13 Pro Max, otherwise it would have been a tough choice, If Realme keeps this up then they will really disrupt the camera phone market and put the 3 main manufacturers under a lot of pressure.
This phone is just a phonetographers dream with its capabilities I think you will get excellent results time after time in any conditions and with a touch of editing the results will be limitless and you will be a pro phonetographer in no time! I keep hoping Realme will tell me I can keep it… if you are looking at starting a hobby in photography you really wouldn’t need an expensive DSLR all you would need is this in your pocket!
Would i buy this phone, simple answer is yes! I do a lot of photography and phonetography and this phone just ticks every box for me! I rate this 5/5. I can’t wait to see what Realme does next!
Video recordings
In addition to the excellent camera, you can also record videos and the Realme GT Neo 3 gives you the chance to record in the following functions:
- 1080p 30fps
- 1080p 60fps
- 4k 30fps
- 4k 60fps
Something to consider is when you start recording with the main lens you will not be able to switch to the wide angle and this is the same in reverse so consider which lense you want to use when recording. I found the recording to be clear without any interruptions you have the ability to record some eye-catching content on this phone. Want to take your video recording to the next level pair it up with the Joby Swing I have recently reviewed.
Verdict
The Realme GT Neo 3T Dragon Ball Z edition really is a great phone it has an excellent display, the camera will blow your socks off and the battery will give you a solid day and half of use. You can recharge in no time at all due to the 5000mAh battery life and the 80W super dart charger which can give you zero to 50% in 15 minutes!
Would I buy the Dragon Ball Z edition?
What you have here is an excellent phone but it’s basically just the standard model with extra memory and a lack of a memory card slot. Realme has done a good job in terms of making this phone feel special if you a Dragon Ball Z fan but they could have done more. Yes, the design fits with the style of Goku, They use his colour scheme of orange and blue and they have some cool wallpapers and even the app icons are styled to this colour scheme. It just feels like something is missing i wanted something extra that would really get fans of the show rushing to buy this device.
If you are a fan of the show then I expect you will go and buy this as it is an excellent phone after all but would I pay an extra £70 for a little bit of branding that I won’t even see when the provided phone case is fitted a clear case would have been a much better idea.
Overall Realme has done an excellent job with the GT Neo 3T my only concern is this phone does not appear to have an IP rating which is a slight concern, especially being in the UK. Apart from that well-done Realme on another excellent phone.
Product Rating:
Design: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Display: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Performance: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Software: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Battery Life: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Camera: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Value For Money: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Overall Rating: 4.7 out of 5.0 stars – 4.7 Stars
Realme GT Neo 3T Dragonball Z edition is available for £499 via Realme.com
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