Realme P3 Ultra Review: A Glow-Getter in the Mid-Range Race

When I first unboxed the Realme P3 Ultra, I wasn't expecting much beyond another predictable mid-range phone. However, a few days in, it had my full attention with its glow-in-the-dark design, a curved AMOLED display and specs that were just quite impressive on paper. All of that for a phone that doesn't break the bank made me take it out for a spin to see if it's really worth it. So, I've been using it for around a month now and if you're planning on buying it, don't do so without reading this detailed Realme P3 Ultra review.

Realme P3 Ultra Unboxing

As always, Realme gives you this nice starter kit, ensuring that you don't need to spend any more money initially on those additional accessories. Alongside the phone itself, here's what you get right out of the box:

With that out of the way, here's a quick rundown of the Realme P3 Ultra specs before we get into the detailed review:

Realme P3 Ultra Design and Build

The Realme P3 Ultra is one of those mid-range phones that immediately feels more premium than its price suggests. It's slim, stylish and surprisingly lightweight for a phone that's packing a massive battery (more on this later). 

Realme has paid extra attention to the aesthetics this time around. I have with me the Lunar White variant and with its soft glow-in-the-dark aesthetic, the phone looks quite elegant. The glow isn't overdone and just enough to catch the eye in low light. 

The curved display at the front is yet another element that adds to that premium illusion. As a result, it's quite comfortable to hold even during long usage. I also like how all the buttons are easily accessible on one side of the frame during one-handed usage. Although it can get quite slippery if you have sweaty hands like me.

Despite relying on a polycarbonate frame and back, the phone feels sturdy and well put together, with there being no creak or flex anywhere. However, I mostly used the phone without a case and by the end of my time with it, I did notice a handful of micro scratches on the back. Although these scratches aren't easily visible under all those design elements, I'd recommend using a case for sure. 

The Noida weather can also be quite unpredictable and despite being trapped in heavy rain with the phone one fine day, the Realme P3 Ultra endured it all without breaking a sweat. That triple IP66/IP68/IP69 rating is rock solid, if you ask me. 

Overall, the Realme P3 Ultra nails the balance between style and comfort by looking premium, feeling solid and standing out visually without trying too hard. 

Realme P3 Ultra Display Quality

The P3 Ultra's 6.83-inch quad-curved AMOLED display with its 1.5K resolution and 120 Hz refresh rate sure does punch above its weight and offer a premium viewing experience. The quad curved edges make it seem like the display is spilling over the edges, making it all a lot more immersive, and the multimedia experience is surely where the phone shines bright.

While watching Wednesday and IT: Welcome to Derry, I was genuinely impressed by how well this screen handled contrast. The blacks looked inky and deep and the reds, especially during the unforgettable theatre scene, popped beautifully without feeling saturated.

Realme claims up to 1,500 nits of peak brightness and we recorded an HDR peak brightness of roughly 1,300 nits on our Luxmeter, which is impressive. As a result, the display is very nicely visible both indoors and in the sunny outdoors, with the texts and icons staying crisp. 

The colour tuning leans slightly toward the saturated side, but in a pleasant, cinematic way. What really adds to the experience is the 3,480 Hz PWM Dimming frequency, which, if you have sensitive eyes like me, is a lifesaver. It quietly makes a big difference when doomscrolling at night or during those late-night reading sessions, which didn't leave my eyes strained or watery. 

Touch response is also on point and every swipe, scroll or flick felt immediate. Due to this, gaming is quite satisfying on the phone and coming from a flagship like the iQOO 12, I didn't feel that uncomfortable on a mid-ranger like this. 

If I'm nitpicking, finding the right screen protector for this curved design could be a bit of a chore. Overall, the Realme P3 Ultra's display is easily one of the best I've seen in this price range. It's bright, smooth, vivid and genuinely impressive. Realme's clearly taken its display game up a notch here and it shows every time you unlock the phone. 

Realme P3 Ultra Performance Tested

The Realme P3 Ultra's Dimensity 8350 "Ultra" chipset really did surprise me with its performance. During my time with it, I never once felt like I was using a mid-range phone. App launches were rather instant, multitasking was seamless and even with several heavy apps running in the background, the phone didn't stutter or slow down. 

I put the Realme P3 Ultra through my usual daily usage of juggling Spotify, Chrome with 15 or more tab open, photo editing in Snapseed and just having around 25 or so apps open in the background. The phone didn't flinch even a bit and with Realme UI 6 (more on this later), it felt optimised and smooth throughout.

Those benchmark numbers look good too and here's a quick rundown:

Gaming was equally impressive and I played quite a few sessions of BGMI and CoD Mobile at 90 FPS with GT Mode turned on and the experience was genuinely smooth. Frame rates stayed consistent and the phone didn't overheat even during longer gaming sessions. I also tried Genshin Impact on high settings and while it didn't always maintain a perfect 60 FPS, gameplay stayed fluid enough to be enjoyable.

One thing that stood out was how well Realme managed thermals for such a slim phone as the temperatures hovered around 40°C even after an hour or so of gameplay. Overall, the Realme P3 Ultra is a very reliable performer as it stays fast, cool and handles heavy use without flinching. That's more than enough to ask for from a mid-ranger and it barely leaves any room for complaints.

Realme P3 Ultra Software and Updates

Software has always been one of those areas where Realme's mid-range phones usually don't fail to please you and the P3 Ultra is no exception. The phone runs on Android 15-based Realme UI 6 right out of the box and it's mostly a clean and visually polished experience. Animations are smooth and app transitions are quite fast, with the overall aesthetic being just quite premium for the segment. 

However, like most Realme phones in the segment, there's still some pre-installed bloatware to deal with. Out of the box, I found apps like ShareChat, Snapchat and Realme's own Game Centre already on board. The good news is that most of them can be uninstalled easily and once you do clean up a bit, the experience becomes less cluttered. 

Feature-wise, Realme UI 6 continues to offer the handy stuff, from the Smart Sidebar, customisable Always-On Display, Floating Windows and File Dock. There are also some AI-powered photo editing tools in the gallery to make use of, like AI Clear Face, AI Perfect Shot, AI Eraser and more.

When it comes to updates, Realme has committed to three years of major Android updates and four years of security patches for the P3 Ultra. That's a solid promise in this segment and gives the phone a decent sense of longevity.

If Realme delivers on that timeline consistently like it always has, the P3 Ultra could easily stay relevant for the next few years without feeling outdated. Also, the phone is part of the Realme UI 7 supported devices list and will receive the update by Q4 2025 itself. 

Realme P3 Ultra Camera Tested

Cameras on mid-range phones often promise more than they can possibly deliver, but the Realme P3 Ultra pleasantly surprises here. On paper, it's a familiar setup, but in practice, it mostly performs above expectations for its price segment. 

In daylight, the P3 Ultra captures crisp and detailed images with well-balanced exposure. Colours lean toward a slightly saturated tone, especially with the AI Scene Enhancer turned on. But it's the kind of punchiness that most users will prefer posting on Instagram.

I captured a few greens here, a bunch of oranges there, alongside a couple of other hues and the phone handled those colours well without blowing them out. Dynamic range, too, was solid, preserving enough shadow detail to make images look lively.

What stood out most was the consistency of the cameras. Whether I was shooting portraits of my friends or a close-up of my plants, the P3 Ultra maintained natural skin tones, colours and impressive sharpness. Portrait shots mostly came out with nicely separated subjects and a believable background blur. 

The ultra-wide, on the other hand, is not too bad either and slightly better than what you'd expect from an 8 MP sensor. It's decent in good lighting and doesn't distort too much. However, it understandably struggles in low-light scenarios where those details around the edges start smudging out. The macro sensor, while basic, is fun for casual shots but doesn't add much beyond novelty. 

The 16 MP selfie shooter does its job well enough. In good light, selfies are sharp with natural tones, though the beautification algorithm can still be a bit aggressive at times. Even with it turned off, selfies can sometimes come out saturated. Indoor selfies remain decent, but there's some softness that creeps in under dim lighting. 

Nighttime is where the P3 Ultra shows its limitations, but still manages to hold its ground. With Night Mode on, I captured some surprisingly usable shots. Streetlights were well-controlled and colours didn't get overly yellow or noisy. However, I did notice the phone struggling to focus on certain subjects at night, softening them out as a result.

Video performance is also reliable and the main camera supports up to 4K @ 60 FPS videos. On the other hand, the selfie shooter can do up to 1080p @ 60 FPS.

Realme P3 Ultra Battery and Charging

The P3 Ultra packs a 6,000mAh battery, which sounds pretty standard at this point since 7,000mAh is the new normal. However, in practice, it's a real workhorse and during my week of testing, it consistently lasted me through a full day and a half of mixed use.

As for screen-on-time, I averaged out at around 7.5 hours on the phone. That involves a lot of doomscrolling, music playback, a few episodes of IT: Welcome to Derry and around an hour or so of gaming sprinkled in.

Even on heavier days, when I was testing the camera outdoors and running benchmarks back to back, I never saw the battery dip below 20% before bedtime. Realme UI 6's background app management seems to be quite intelligent. 

What really ties the experience together is the 80W fast charging support. In my testing, I went from 1% to 100% in around 45 minutes. The only minor gripe I have is that Realme hasn't switched to USB PD support yet, which means you'll need the bundled charger to get those full speeds. If you don't know what this means, you must check out our USB PD vs PPS fast charging guide to learn more. 

Bottom line: Should you buy the Realme P3 Ultra?

The Realme P3 Ultra is the perfect mid-ranger for those who don't want extremes but rather want a nice balance of it all. It gets mostly everything right, from a sleek design and bright AMOLED display to dependable performance and a battery life that just won't quit. It nails the fundamentals while still feeling refreshingly premium for its price.

The cameras deliver consistent, social-media-ready shots and the software feels mature and polished. Sure, a bit of bloatware and some compromises here and there remain minor annoyances, but they don't overshadow what is otherwise a remarkably well-rounded package. After spending a week with it, I'd say that the Realme P3 Ultra is easily one of the best phones under Rs 25,000 and just an excellent all-rounder for most people.