When Realme Philippines told consumers to “discover real value” in the Realme 3, we didn’t know it would be this one heck of a value.

SEE ALSO: Realme 3 review: A real gem of a smartphone

Officially announced in the Philippines today, the smartphone turns out to be the most affordable model powered by a MediaTek Helio P60 chip locally. The previous title-holder was the Cherry Mobile Flare S7 Plus, which retailed at P11,999 (around $227) at launch. Consider the prices of the three (yes, three!) Realme 3 variants that will be available in the country:

• 3GB/32GB: P6,990 ($132)
  • The base model will be exclusively sold online, on Shopee Philippines. The first flash sale will happen on March 25, and the second, on April 4. On those dates, the Realme 3 will be 10 percent off, so you’ll only need to pay P6,290 ($119)! Just use this voucher code: SHPXREALME3. Plus, you may avail yourself of an installment, courtesy of the former OPPO sub-brand’s partnership with non-bank financial institution Home Credit.
• 3GB/64GB: P7,990 ($151)
• 4GB/64GB: P9,990 ($189)
  • These two versions will be sold offline. Preorder the phone at any time between March 30 and April 5, and you will get freebies worth P1,299 ($25). The unit with higher memory configuration will be available starting April 6. The other can be claimed April 13. More good news: You may pay in installments — six months — without interest!

The successor to the Realme 2, the Realme 3 is the company’s second smartphone offering in the country. The first, launched in November 2018, was the Realme C1.

The device sports a curvy unibody design with gradient options — Dynamic Black and Radiant Blue. Its screen measures 6.2 inches and boasts a high, 88.3 screen-to-body ratio, thanks to slim bezels and a small, dewdrop-style notch. Housed in the cutout is a 13-megapixel selfie camera. On the back is a 13-and-2-megapixel camera setup, which is one of the main features that have impressed us, but we digress.

READ ALSO: Realme 3 vs a flagship phone: Night-mode pictures

The 4,230mAh battery inside the Realme 3 should deliver more than a day’s worth of regular use. And with Android 9.0 Pie-based ColorOS 6.0 as its operating system, you’ll enjoy the latest software features and security patches from Google out of the box.

“Discover real value”? Realme has delivered on that promise. The handset’s competition — the likes of the Samsung Galaxy M20 — should watch their backs.

Realme 3 specs

• 6.2-inch display, 1,520 x 720 resolution, 19:9 aspect ratio
• MediaTek Helio P60 octa-core processor
• Mali-G72MP3 GPU
• 3GB/4GB RAM
• 32GB/64GB storage
• Dual 13-megapixel and 2-megapixel rear cameras with LED flash
• 13-megapixel front camera
• Fingerprint reader (rear-mounted)
• 4,230mAh battery
• Android 9.0 Pie-based ColorOS 6
• Colors: Dynamic Black, Radiant Blue

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