Realme X3 SuperZoom: A better alternative to the Poco F2 Pro?

The Realme X3 SuperZoom is finally revealed and this is a new flagship-class smartphone that slots right below the Realme X50 Pro 5G. It comes with a 120Hz display and a versatile quad-camera setup that boasts 60x digital zoom.

The new device features a 6.6″ Full HD+ LCD display that boasts a 90.5% screen to body ratio and an “Ultra Smooth” 120Hz refresh rate. The screen has a dual-punch-hole-selfie camera on the top left corner that consists of a 32MP f/2.5 main camera (Sony IMX616) and a secondary 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle lens.

Under the hood, it runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ processor which is still quite powerful for 2020. It comes with 12GB of LPDDR4x RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.0 storage. To keep things cool, the Realme X3 Pro is equipped with a liquid cooling system that boasts a larger copper tube and it uses double graphite sheet.

For taking pictures, the device comes with a 64MP f/1.8 main camera that uses Samsung’s GW1 1/1.72″ sensor. There’s also an 8MP periscope lens that does 5x optical zoom (up to 60x digital zoom) and has optical image stabilisation. Also included are an 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens and a 2MP macro shooter.

The Realme X3 SuperZoom supports 4K video recording up to 60fps and it also comes with UIS Video and UIS Max Video stabilisation. For low light photography, it has an AI-assisted Super NightScape 4.0 feature which intelligently switches between Super and Ultra Nightscape mode. To capture the night sky, there’s also a Starry Mode that combines AI algorithm, ultra-long exposure and multi-frame synthesis engine.

In terms of connectivity, it supports 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.0 and 802.11ac 5GHz WiFi with 2×2 MIMO. It also has dual-frequency GPS but there’s no mention of NFC support. Unfortunately, there’s also no 3.5mm headphone jack listed on its official spec-sheet.

Powering the device is a 4,200mAh battery and it supports 30W fast charging via USB-C. The 30W rated Dart Charge claims to push a full charge in just 55 minutes. Unlike the Realme X2 Pro, it uses a side-mounted fingerprint sensor instead of an in-display sensor.

In Europe, the Realme X3 SuperZoom with 12GB RAM + 256GB storage is officially priced at EUR 499 (about RM2,389). That’s the same price as the Poco F2 Pro base model that’s equipped with 6GB RAM + 128GB storage.

Of course, the Poco F2 Pro runs on a more powerful Snapdragon 865 processor and it uses an AMOLED screen that supports HDR10+. However, it settles for a standard 60Hz refresh rate.

Another added advantage is that the F2 Pro supports WiFi 6 and 5G connectivity, and it also gets NFC and a 3.5mm headphone jack. However, the new Poco phone loses out in the camera department as the Realme X3 SuperZoom offers greater versatility with the 8MP periscope telephoto camera.

If both the Realme X3 SuperZoom and Poco F2 Pro are priced the same, which would you pick? Let us know in the comments below. The Malaysian launch for the X3 SuperZoom is happening this Thursday, 28th May 2020.

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