Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 vs Realme 3: The best budget smartphone comparison

Realme recently launched its budget smartphone Realme 3 in India. The smartphone would be competing directly with Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 7 which is considered to be one of the most anticipated budget smartphones in India. We compare the specifications and help you decide which amongst the two feature-rich smartphones is the best value for money device.

Display

Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 7 has a slightly bigger display compared to Realme 3. It offers a 6.3-inch FHD+ display with a waterdrop notch and an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. The Realme 3 on the other hand has a 6.2-inch HD+ display with a dewdrop notch. The big difference here is that on Redmi Note 7, users can view content in 1080p whereas, on the Realme 3, users can only watch videos at 720p.

Design

The Redmi Note 7 has a glass body with a metal frame which gives it a more premium feel. However, the back is a fingerprint magnet, and users would often need to clean the back to keep it clean. The Realme 3 has a unibody gradient design. 

Processor and Performance

The Redmi Note 7 is powered by an Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor clocked at 2.2GHz and an Adreno 512 GPU. It is paired with 3GB/4GB RAM and has options of  32GB and 64GB internal memory. The Realme 3 offers the same RAM and storage options of 3GB + 32GB and 4GB + 64GB but has a different processor with slightly lesser clock speed. An Octa-core MediaTek Helio P70 SoC powers the Realme 3 which is clocked at 2.1GHz. Both the smartphones have an option to expand the memory to 259GB using microSD card.

Camera

Both smartphones offer a dual camera setup. Realme 3 has a slight lead here in terms of megapixel count. It provides a 13MP primary sensor with an aperture of f/1.8, and the secondary camera is a 2MP depth sensor. The Redmi Note 7 has a 12MP and a 2MP depth sensor. For selfies, the Realme 3 has a 13MP sensor with a fixed focus aperture of f/2.0, same as Note 7.

Battery and Security

Both the phones have a fingerprint scanner at the back and have face unlock support as well. In terms of battery backup, The Redmi Note 7 has a 4,000 mAh battery whereas the Realme 3 has a larger 4,230mAh battery. However, Redmi Note 7 has the upper hand here as it supports Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 4 fast charging technology. Realme 3, on the other hand, comes with a 10W charger out-of-the-box.

Software and Connectivity 

The Redmi Note 7 runs on MiUi 10 based on Android 9.0. For connectivity, the phone has a 3.5mm headphone jack and a Type-C port along with 3G, 4G, GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0.

The Realme 3 also runs on Android 9 on top of the company’s ColorOS 6. It has a micro-USB port, 3.5mm headphone, GPS/A-GPS, Bluetooth 4.2, WiFi.

Price

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 is available for Rs 9,999 for the 3 GB + 32 GB variant and Rs 11,999 for 4GB + 64 GB variant. The phone has three colour options — Sapphire Blue, Onyx Black, Ruby Red.

Realme 3 is offering the 3 GB + 32 GB variant for an introductory price of Rs 8,999 (first million users) and Rs 10,999 for 4GB + 64 GB variant.