MANILA, Philippines – Budget brand Realme has a new serious contender with the Realme 3 Pro, launched Friday, May 17, starting at P12,990.

It’s an attractive price for a phone toting a Snapdragon 710 chip, a 10nm chip in between Qualcomm’s mid-range 600-tier and the flagship 800-tier processors. It’s not the newest 700-tier chip – that title currently belongs to the Snapdragon 712 found first in the Xiaomi Mi 9 SE – but it still holds a lot of value especially at this price.

Other phones with the 710 include the Nokia 8.1, Xiaomi Mi 8 Se, and the OPPO R17 Pro, to name some, all of which were launched last year at a more expensive price. You’re getting a chip that’s about a year old with the Realme 3 Pro, but it’s a chip that has performed solidly. OPPO, for instance, was able to package the 710 in the considerably more expensive R17 Pro – P38,990 at launch – and now you’re getting it in a P13,000 phone.

Some of the other new phones in this price range include the Samsung Galaxy M20 (P10,990), OPPO F11 Online (P12,990), Samsung Galaxy A30 (P13,990) and the Xiaomi Mi 9 SE (P15,990).

The Realme 3 Pro targets young gamers. Realme, since landing in the country in 2018, has been taking aim at the youth segment with their design and pricing, and they’re more than aware that a significant portion of that segment play games.

Beyond the processor, gamers may like that it has a full HD+ screen (6.3 inches, 2,340 x 1,080), a 4,045 mAh battery, and VOOC 3.0 fast-charging. VOOC 3.0 charges at 20 watts, which according to comparison screens shown by Realme at their launch event is higher than the closest competition.

What’s appealing about the technology, if it works as advertised, is that the fast-charging runs cool even while a user plays while charging. Competing technologies, Realme 3 says, charge slower while being used because they run hot. It’s great for players who stay plugged in while playing – less warm hands.

As part of their campaign, they’re also giving away in-game currency in Mobile Legends for those who purchase on May 25 and 26: 100 diamonds for “grandmaster” players; 300 diamonds for “epic” players; 500 diamonds for “legend” players; and 1000 diamonds for “mythic” players.

The phone comes in two variants: 4GB RAM + 64GB storage (P12,990) and 6GB RAM + 128GB storage (P14,990). It also has a 16MP+5MP dual rear camera, 25MP front camera, 960fps super slow-mo video, Gorilla Glass 5, and ColorOS 6.0 based on Android 9.

Pre-orders run until May 24, with unit availability starting May 25 at Realme kiosks, and partner stores such as MemoXpress, PC Express and Fonestyle. It’s also available via Home Credit’s 6-month installment plan. – Rappler.com