Realme X3 SuperZoom review

Design

The X3 SuperZoom stays close to Realme's recent design language - so it's both recognizable as a member of the brand while remaining hard to pinpoint which exact model it is.

Realme X3 SuperZoom next to the Realme X2

There is a subtle clue, though. You know how all smartphone periscope telephoto cameras have had this rectangular lens opening? Well, the SuperZoom does too. And Realme's been wise to give it the gold ring accent treatment to make it a touch more noticeable. We say ring out of habit, but it's a rectangle, obviously.

Other than that it's a quad-cam setup like most other Realmes of late. Arranged vertically, the four modules share a window, and the whole assembly is raised quite a bit. Put the X3 SuperZoom on a table and it will rock if you touch it. Such is life.

The back of the phone is made of glass, but Realme doesn't go into specifics what kind it is precisely. It's got a very smooth satin finish which feels magical to the touch and doesn't attract fingerprints but, boy, is it slippery!

The frame has a smooth matte finish too and doesn't help too much with grip. We're fairly certain that it's plastic, though it does pose for aluminum. It's got a silver coat on our Arctic White review unit, and it changes to blue-green to match the other available color option, named Glacier Blue.

There's a recess in the frame on the right of the phone, a little above the midpoint, to house the power button. The button is well-positioned and decently sized, but it's got sharp edges that our fingertips don't appreciate one bit.

Seeing how the X3 SuperZoom's LCD isn't as friendly to under-display fingerprint readers quite as much as OLEDs are, the power button is also home to a capacitive fingerprint sensor. It doesn't discriminate between right thumbs and left index fingers, which is nice, but it's also not a 10 out of 10 experience with either hand - we had our share of unsuccessful unlock attempts regardless of finger used.

On the opposite side are the volume buttons, two discrete ones as opposed to a rocker. These have smoother edges than the power button and click nicely. On the top of the phone, there's a single pinhole for a secondary mic - so the headphone jack must be on the bottom.

Nope, there isn't one. Down on the bottom, you'll find the USB-C port, the loudspeaker, and the primary mic, as well as the SIM card tray. That takes just SIM cards, but not microSD memory cards, another missed opportunity.

Volume controls • Mic on top • No 3.5mm jack anywhere

Which brings us to the front of the X3 SuperZoom. A 120Hz 6.6-inch LCD is the (not-so-bright) star of the show, a pill-shaped cutout in its top left corner to house the two selfie cams. It's covered in Gorilla Glass 5, this one we know.

The bezels surrounding the display aren't the thinnest, but they're not too big either. The top one has a thin metal mesh through which you'll be hearing the earpiece, but that doesn't double as a loudspeaker, sadly. The window for the proximity and ambient light sensors can be seen next to it if you shine a flashlight at it.

The Realme X3 SuperZoom measures 163.8x75.8x8.9mm and weighs 202g - the exact same numbers as the Realme 6 Pro. The X50 Pro is a bit more compact in its footprint, but actually 3g heavier. The SuperZoom feels... predictable - it's neither too light, nor too heavy for a modern-day 6.6-inch smartphone.