Realme GT 3 launched globally: Unbeatable charging speeds

The Realme GT series has become the Chinese brand’s flagship phone range, with last year’s GT 2 Pro in particular delivering plenty of performance and a slick design for the price. Now, Realme is back with the GT 3, taking a slightly different approach to the high-end formula.

For starters, the Realme GT 3 is essentially the China-only Realme GT Neo 5 with a new name. That means you’re not quite getting the latest and greatest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor here, but rather last year’s still-powerful Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 SoC.

Read on for a rundown of all the key talking points, or check out our Realme GT 3 hands-on for our impressions so far.

The fastest charging phone around

The new handset also brings a 4,600mAh battery with blazing-fast 240W wired charging speeds. This reaches the limit of the current USB-C speeds by the USB-PD 3.1 revision. Realme is promising a full charge in nine minutes and 30 seconds, as well as a 20% charge in just 80 seconds.

Fast charging isn’t typically healthy for battery degradation, but the company says that the Realme GT 3 will hit 80% of its effective battery capacity after 1,600 charging cycles. Realme previously told Android Authority that this figure was reached with 240W charging on the GT Neo 5, so it stands to reason that the same applies to the GT 3.

The brand is also offering AI smart charging tech with “intelligent scene detection.” This means your phone will charge to 80% in some situations, such as at night, only hitting 100% just before you wake up.

What else should you know?

The Realme GT 3 brings a triple rear camera system, featuring a 50MP IMX890 main camera (f/1.8, OIS), an 8MP ultrawide shooter, and a 2MP microscope lens. Otherwise, a 16MP camera is on-tap for selfies.

Other specs include a 6.74-inch 144Hz OLED screen (2,772 x 1,240), an in-display fingerprint sensor, 360-degree NFC tech, dual stereo speakers, and Realme UI 4.0 atop Android 13. The company is also promising three OS updates and four years of security patches for the device.

The Realme GT 3 starts at $649 for the base 8GB/128GB model, and will be available in Booster Black and Pulse White with matte glass bodies.