Realme P3 Pro Review: Striking Design and Meaningful Enhancements Elevate the Budget Smartphone Experience

Realme’s P series smartphones are emerging at an impressive rate. Following the Realme P1 Pro launched in April of the previous year, we saw the release of the Realme P2 Pro in September, and just five months later, we now have the Realme P3 Pro. While the variations between the P1 Pro and P2 Pro were minimal, the P3 Pro introduces some notable changes. Positioned at the upper end of the budget smartphone range, it incorporates hardware features typically seen in mid-range devices, so let’s explore what’s different.

The Realme P3 Pro showcases an entirely revamped design compared to the P2 Pro. It offers finishes in Saturn Brown, Galaxy Purple, and Nebula Glow. The first two colors feature a faux leather texture for their back panels, whereas the Nebula Glow variant has a luminescent quality that glows in the dark after exposure to UV light. Despite its appealing look, it’s somewhat of a novelty since you won’t often experience a dramatic transition from light to total darkness.

The Realme P3 Pro sports a vegan leather rear panel

The faux leather does not exude luxury but provides a decent grip. I appreciate the rounded design of the phone, which features quad-curved glass on both the front and back, along with gently curved sides that create a smooth, pebble-like feel. It’s not just aesthetics; Realme claims the P3 Pro holds IP68 and IP69 ratings for dust and water resistance.

The freshly designed 6.83-inch 1.5K AMOLED display immediately impresses. It boasts thin bezels around its quad-curved glass. With a 120Hz refresh rate and 240Hz touch sampling rate, it’s engineered for gamers, appealing specifically to a younger audience.

At the heart of the P3 Pro lies the upgraded Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 SoC. Additionally, Realme has integrated an extensive vapor chamber cooling system to sustain optimal performance during gaming sessions.

The Realme P3 Pro operates on Realme UI 6.0, based on Android 15

The device introduces a new 50-megapixel camera sensor. Although it maintains the same resolution as the P2 Pro, the Sony IMX896 sensor features a more considerable f/1.8 aperture. The secondary rear camera is dedicated to capturing depth information for the Portrait mode. Notably, the smartphone does not include an ultrawide camera, unlike several competitors. For selfies, there’s a 16-megapixel front camera.

For those unfamiliar, the Sony IMX896 sensor is also utilized in the Realme 14 Pro+ mid-range device priced from Rs. 29,999. Thus, we have high expectations for this primary camera.

The Realme P3 Pro features a single user-accessible rear camera

The phone upgrades its battery to 6,000mAh from the P2 Pro’s 5,200mAh. This is anticipated to enhance battery life, and Realme has managed to maintain the 80W charging capability from the P2 Pro, which is a significant advantage given the increased battery size.

With several hardware enhancements and new design upgrades, the Realme P3 Pro stands out as a solid option compared to the previous P2 Pro. Its price starting at Rs. 23,999 for the base 8GB + 128GB variant makes it even more appealing. But will it meet performance expectations? And can its camera compete with its mid-range counterpart? Stay tuned for our in-depth review coming soon!