Realme GT 3 240W first impressions: how fast is fast?

When it comes to recent trends in smartphone technology, fast-charging capabilities are among the first that come to mind. In just a few years, we’ve seen significant advancements in charging speeds. OPPO introduced 65W charging in 2019, followed by Xiaomi’s 120W in 2020 and Vivo’s impressive 200W charging tech in 2021. Realme is also pushing the envelope with their 150W fast charging technology introduced in the Realme GT Neo 3 last year, and now they’re taking it to a whole new level. Because, why not?

Enter Realme GT 3, the brand’s latest smartphone that highlights Realme’s 240W fast charging technology. This is the fastest charging technology in a smartphone right now. The Realme GT 3 was launched globally at MWC 2023 on Tuesday with a starting price of $649 (approx Rs 53,600). The phone goes by a different in China: Realme GT Neo 5. At MWC 2023, I managed to get my hands on the device, and here are my initial thoughts.

Let’s talk about that 240W charging technology

Realme claims its newest 240W fast charging technology can fully juice up a 4,600mAh battery in under 10 minutes. Xiaomi made a similar claim with its 210W fast charging technology on the Redmi Note 12 Explorer Edition but the device offers a smaller 4,300mAh battery as opposed to the 4,600mAh unit in the Realme GT 3.

To be precise, Realme claims the GT 3 can fully charge from zero to 100% in just 9 and a half minutes. Real-world charging times could vary. This means you can plug the device in at near zero percent battery and find it fully charged once you’re back from a quick shower! Of course, we will only be able to test the phone’s 240W fast charging once we get it for review.

To support the new super-fast charging speeds, Realme is bundling a 240W charging brick in the box as well as a custom 12A charging cable to provide the “industry’s highest charging current.” Moreover, the 240W adapter is smaller than the company’s 150W brick due to the adoption of dual GaN charging technology.

Realme claims that the Realme GT 3 is equipped with a 6580mm2-large VC liquid cooling system to ensure the phone remains cool during rapid fast charging.

Realme GT 3 Pulse Interface: let it glow!

Talking about the design, the Realme GT 3 brings a bit of both Realme’s traditional design elements, such as a matt finish curved rear panel with lines running down one side, and POCO’s large camera island. The large black patch not only houses the camera system but also a rectangular RGB light system that the brand calls the Pulse Interface. This interface lights up in different colours depending on the phone’s status. For example, the light glows red if the phone’s battery drops below 20 per cent. It moves to a pulsating Purple when being charged. The Pulse Interface can also glow White, Blue, and Orange depending on various notifications.

Realme said that the Pulse Interface is customisable by heading to Settings > Wallpaper & Design > Breathing Light and choosing from 25 colour shades, two rhythm types, and 5 lighting speed modes to suit your needs. There seems to be some inspiration from the Nothing Phone 1 here, but the implementation looks unique nonetheless.

Everything else you need to know

The Realme GT 3 not only comes with a couple of new and unique features but also some familiar and powerful hardware specifications. The device features a 6.74-inch 1.5K (2772×1240) OLED display with up to 144Hz refresh rate and 1400nits peak brightness. As far as display specs go, the Realme GT 3 pretty much gets it all and then some.

Powering the Realme GT 3 is the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset paired with up to 16GB RAM and 1TB internal storage. The rear camera system includes a 50MP Sony IMX890 OIS primary camera, an 8MP ultra-wide lens, and a 2MP macro lens. There’s a 16MP camera on the front for selfies. Again, the hardware in the Realme GT 3 is pretty solid. The phone felt absolutely smooth during my brief hands-on time.

When will Realme GT 3 launch in India?

Realme GT 3 is expected to launch in India soon but an exact date has not been revealed yet. We should know more about the Realme GT 3’s price in India in the coming days. Based on its global pricing, the Realme GT 3 could cost between Rs 45,000 to Rs 55,000 in the country.