Realme 3 vs. Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro: which budget smartphone should I choose?

Realme 3 vs. Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro: specs comparison

First, let’s compare the main specs of the Realme 3 and Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro.

	Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro 6.3 inch 4G Phablet - Blue
	Arrival Notice

Realme 3 vs. Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro: design

The Realme 3 is not a flashy phone in terms of design. According to OPPO, the phone was made via a unibody manufacturing process — but it does feel a bit “plasticy” and light in the hand, which is not necessarily bad or at all unexpected for a budget smartphone.

The Realme 3 comes with very small notch and features tapered edged, which makes the screen look quite expansive and achieves an impressive 88.3% screen-to-body ratio. With that, there is still a notable chin at the bottom of the phone.

Color-wise, the phone follows the popular gradient trend: the Realme 3 is black at the top and gently fades into blue at the bottom (Dynamic Black) or intense blue at the top gently transforming into a lighter sky blue (Radiant Blue). There is a slight curvature on the back giving the budget phone a more premium look.

The Redmi Note 7 Pro, though marketed as a mid-range phone, does sport a rather premium look. The phone features Gorilla Glass 5 protection on both of the sides and there is a colored metal rim around the edges. The Redmi Note 7 Pro also sports a tiny waterdrop notch opening up more of its 6.3 inch display. As the back panel of the phone is made of glass, the Note 7 Pro is substantially heavy. In fact, it’s one of the heaviest smartphones on the market weighing 186 grams. The phone also comes with 2.5D curved glass on both sides and features a rounded rim. The phone is available in Neptune Blue, Nebula Red and Space Black.

Realme 3 vs. Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro: display

The Realme 3 and the Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro come with similar sized displays but you get a higher resolution on the Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro — 1,080 x 2,340 compared to 1520 x 720 on the Realme 3.

Realme 3 vs. Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro: CPU

On the processing side, you’ve got the MediaTek Helio P70 for the Realme 3. This is a 64-bit Octa-Core chipset built on the 12nm FinFET process and based on ARM Cortex A53 and ARM Cortex A73 technology. On the GPU side, the processor uses ARM Mali-G72 MP3 GPU and the maximum clock speed goes up to 2.1GHz.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro comes with the Snapdragon 675, a 64-bit Octa-Core Kryo 460 CPU built on ARM Cortex A76 technology. It is an 11nm processor that has 6 Efficiency Kryo Cores and 2 Performance Kryo Cores with the maximum clock speed of up to 2.0GHz. The processor incorporates the Adreno 612 GPU.

Both processors are well equipped to handle all the day-to-day mobile needs, including mobile gaming and the support of Dual 4G VoLTE.

Realme 3 vs. Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro: camera comparison

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro comes with a stronger offer when it comes to rear cameras.You get a 48MP primary camera on the back paired with a 5MP depth sensor. The camera uses the Sony IMX586 sensor with f/1.79 aperture and is capable of recording 4K video at 30fps.

The Realme 3 comes with a rather more modest setup of 13MP + 2MP rear dual camera. There is some AI scene recognition onboard, nightscape mode and chroma boost. You will also be able to choose between several shooting modes like expert mode, time-lapse, slow-motion, panorama, beauty mode, etc. Despite the extra features, the camera’s overall performance is quite average and there is not much you will be able to do in low light.

On the front, both phones come with rather unimpressive 13MP selfie shooters — both enhanced with smart beauty modes.

Realme 3 vs. Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro: memory

With the Realme 3, you are getting two versions of the phone being able to choose between either 3GB or 4GB of RAM and 32GB or 64GB of internal storage. With the Redmi Note 7 Pro, you also get two options: 4GB RAM + 64GB or 6GB RAM + 128GB.

Realme 3 vs. Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro: battery

The two phones come with similar capacity batteries: 4230mAh on the Realme 3 vs. a 4000mAh battery on the Redmi Note 7 Pro. A big disappointment on the Realme 3, however, is that charging is accomplished via a Micro USB slot — which is a rather surprising choice with most manufacturers having long switched to a USB Type-C port.

Realme 3 vs. Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro: price 

The Realme 3’s price in India kicks off at around $130 for the phone’s basic version featuring 3GB RAM + 32GB of internal storage. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro, however, starts with a higher price tag of around $200 for the 4GB RAM + 64GB model.

Realme 3 vs. Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro: which is better?

If we are looking at bare specs, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro does come out a winner in a head-to-head comparison. It has better cameras, higher resolution screen, stronger RAM + ROM offer and a more impressive design.

The Realme 3, on the other hand, is cheaper and simpler. It is a strong option for an entry level phone where a phone is all you need. If you don’t mind the modest camera offer or the “plasticy” feel, the Realme 3 will do very well in standard everyday tasks.