Can the OnePlus Nord compete with the Realme X3 Superzoom?
The mid-range segment has been dominated by many Realme, Xiaomi, and Samsung for a longer time. The Realme X3 Superzoom is a strong contender with all the flagship specs that includes top of the line Snapdragon 855+ chipset, a 120Hz display, and most interesting being the periscope camera.
Now OnePlus Nord has also joined the mid-range segment and is all set to bring the appeal of the OnePlus brand with a powerful chipset, good software experience in the form of the OxygenOS, and much more. Plus it is the only smartphone to have 5G in this price range.
Can the OnePlus Nord have to take on the powerful Realme X3 Superzoom or which is the better option to consider? Let’s find out in the comparison.
OnePlus Nord vs Realme X3 Superzoom Design:
When it comes to design, both the OnePlus Nord and the Realme X3 Superzoom sport a glass sandwich design on the front and are protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5. Both have dual hole-punch cutouts in their displays to the top left corner but the bezels are minimum on the OnePlus Nord at the bottom.
The Realme X3 Superzoom has a slightly thicker bezel at the bottom with a slightly larger screen at 6.6 inches compared to 6.44 inches on the OnePlus Nord. On the back, both have a vertical array of quad cameras and attract a lot of fingerprints.
But the pastel finish on the back on the OnePlus Nord provides a better grip and catches fewer fingerprints. However, both come with a plastic case bundled inside the box.
On the sides, both have a power button and volume buttons where the Realme X3 Superzoom’s power button acts as a fingerprint scanner and the OnePlus Nord gets the OnePlus’s alert slider to control all notifications.
Coming to the top, both have a single microphone on top and at the bottom, both have a USB Type-C port, a loudspeaker and there is no 3.5mm headphone jack or a MicroSD slot for storage expansion. Both of them are splash-proof.
Overall both smartphones feel equally good when it comes to the build, but the better ergonomics of the OnePlus Nord make it slightly better.
Check here: OnePlus Nord Review
OnePlus Nord vs Realme X3 Superzoom Display:
When it comes to the displays, here the differences begin. The OnePlus Nord has a smaller 6.44 inches Full HD+ AMOLED display with support for 90Hz refresh rate. The Realme X3 Superzoom, on the other hand, has a slightly larger 6.6 inches Full HD+ IPS LCD display. But the one on the Realme X3 Superzoom refreshes at 120Hz.
The AMOLED panel feels much better on the OnePlus Nord with deeper blacks and punchier colors compared to the IPS LCD display on the Realme X3 Superzoom. Plus the viewing angles on the OnePlus Nord are better.
Then coming to the OnePlus Nord, there is support for HDR10 which is not present on the Realme X3 Superzoom and there is also an in-display fingerprint scanner on the OnePlus Nord which makes it more convenient than the side-mounted fingerprint scanner on the Realme X3 Superzoom.
In terms of screen brightness, both the OnePlus Nord has a slightly brighter panel than the Realme X3 Superzoom when it comes to direct sunlight or at low-light or night, the display can go very low. There is also an ambient display on the OnePlus Nord which displays time, messages, or upcoming notifications.
Both support Widevine L1 but when it comes to watching movies or playing games, the OnePlus Nord holds a slight edge over the Realme X3 Superzoom.
In terms of display, with the 90Hz refresh rate and an AMOLED panel, the OnePlus Nord holds a clear edge when it comes to display and brightness.
See also: Realme X3 Superzoom Review
OnePlus Nord vs Realme X3 Superzoom Performance:
Coming to performance, here both the smartphones have powerful chipsets running underneath but here the Realme X3 Superzoom holds a clear edge over the OnePlus Nord. The Realme X3 Superzoom has the more powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ chipset which is the flagship chipset of 2019 and is seen on the OnePlus 7T, Realme X2 Pro, etc.
The OnePlus Nord, on the other hand, is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G chipset which is the highest 700 series chipset in the Qualcomm range and supports 5G which the Realme X3 Superzoom lacks.
Coming to GPU, the Realme X3 Superzoom has the powerful Adreno 640 GPU over the Adreno 620 GPU on the OnePlus Nord. Both these chipsets are built on the same efficient 7nm process. So coming to day-to-day tasks, there would not be any difference between both while using lightly or doing heavy multitasking.
But when it comes to playing games (light or heavy), the Adreno 650 GPU holds the edge over the Adreno 620 GPU on the OnePlus Nord. Games like Call of Duty, Asphalt 9 ran smoothly on both of them and the Realme X3 Superzoom can stretch to the highest frame rate which the OnePlus Nord cannot.
Still, the gameplay at HD graphics on both of them is equally good and there is no hint of any lag on either of them. Both have 8/12GB LPDDR4X RAM and come with 128/256GB storage, but OnePlus Nord will also provide a 6GB RAM and 64GB storage model may be in the upcoming month.
The Realme X3 Superzoom also holds an edge over the OnePlus Nord because it has the faster UFS 3.0 speeds over the UFS 2.1 speeds on the OnePlus Nord, so you get faster read/write speeds and opening of applications on the Realme X3 Superzoom.
Plus the Realme X3 Superzoom’s slightly higher 120Hz refresh rate also helps in games supporting the 120Hz refresh rate which gives a slight edge over the 90Hz refresh rate on the OnePlus Nord. However, the difference is not that much.
In terms of benchmarks, in Antutu v8, the Realme X3 Superzoom scores 501679 which is higher than the 329326 on the OnePlus Nord. In terms of Geekbench 5.1, the Realme X3 Superzoom scores 758 in single-core and 2549 in multi-core tests compared to 609 in single-core and 1947 in multi-core tests on the OnePlus Nord.
The OnePlus Nord is not that far behind when it comes to gaming or benchmarks but still with the slightly higher 120Hz refresh rate, powerful Snapdragon 855+ chipset, and faster UFS 3.0 speeds, the Realme X3 Superzoom holds the clear edge when it comes to performance and gaming.
OnePlus Nord vs Realme X3 Superzoom Software:
The OnePlus Nord runs on the OxygenOS 10.5.2 which is the latest version of OxygenOS and the Realme X3 Superzoom runs RealmeUI and both of them run Android 10 out of the box. Both have a system-wide dark mode, all the Android 10 navigation gestures, and some other third-party applications pre-installed but it is minimal on the OxygenOS.
When it comes to customizations, OxygenOS holds an edge over the RealmeUI and the battery is also very well optimized. The RealmeUI is also not far behind as it also provides a Stock Android-like experience but the presence of ads in the UI does let the software experience a bit down.
Coming to software updates, the OnePlus Nord is slated to receive another 2 or 3 upcoming Android updates whereas Realme X3 Superzoom will receive a maximum of 2. To conclude, we would say that the OxygenOS holds the slightest of a margin but there is no difference between the two.
OnePlus Nord vs Realme X3 Superzoom Cameras:
Both the Realme X3 Superzoom and the OnePlus Nord have quad cameras at the back and dual front cameras on the display. However, the cameras are different on both smartphones. The Realme X3 Superzoom has the main 64MP f/1.8 Samsung ISOCELL GW1 sensor, an 8MP ultrawide camera, a 2MP macro camera, and the most interesting of all being the 8MP periscope camera.
The OnePlus Nord, on the other hand, has a 48MP Sony IMX586 f/1.75 main camera, an 8MP ultrawide, a 5MP depth, and a 2MP macro camera. However, the OnePlus Nord does not have a telephoto camera which is a sort of let down but the main camera on the OnePlus Nord has OIS which the Realme X3 Superzoom lacks.
Coming to the main camera, the images from both come out good but the details are better on the OnePlus Nord when compared to the Realme X3 Superzoom and the levels of noise are lower on the OnePlus Nord.
Realme X3 Superzoom
OnePlus Nord
The dynamic range is slightly better on the Realme X3 Superzoom and when shooting is 64MP mode, the contrast is better on the Realme X3 Superzoom.
Shooting at 48MP Mode from the OnePlus Nord, the images come out with more natural-looking colors but the images from the 64MP Mode of the Realme X3 Superzoom have better details thanks to the NightScape 4.0.
At night, the images have better details on the OnePlus Nord due to the presence of OIS and the exposure is longer with the OnePlus Nord images. The Realme X3 Superzoom also has good details but the colors look oversaturated and there is noise clearly seen.
OnePlus Nord
Realme X3 Superzoom
Turning on the Night Mode on both, things change a bit and turn slightly towards the Realme’s side. The presence of Starry Night and NightScape 4.0 brings out a whole lot of details and the highlight in the shadows and also improves the dynamic range as a whole.
The OnePlus Nord Night Mode also reduces the noise and since it is equipped with OIS, it helps it achieve better colors and contrast in the images.
Coming to the ultrawide camera, both have an 8MP sensor and do an equally good job of taking images. The OnePlus Nord has a better dynamic range with good contrast but the images from the Realme X3 Superzoom have more saturated colors.
Realme X3 Superzoom
OnePlus Nord
Similarly, at night, the Realme X3 Superzoom’s NightScape improves the long exposure in the background thus eliminating quite an amount of noise whereas the OnePlus Nord due to the presence of OIS takes better details and has more natural-looking colors.
Now the third camera is different on both smartphones. The OnePlus Nord has gone for a 5MP depth camera whereas the Realme X3 Superzoom gets an 8MP periscopic camera that can do 5x digital zoom and 60x hybrid zoom.
The images from the 8MP periscope camera come out really good with good color saturation and excellent dynamic range. At 2x, 5x, or 10x zoom levels, details are good but slowly as you increase the zoom level, the colors do look a bit washed out and at 60x still the images are good but barely usable.
This level of zooming is great and till 10x, the images have good color and dynamic range. This is a good nifty feature added by Realme and makes it apart from all of its rivals.
The OnePlus Nord can zoom up to 5x, and at this level, the images have more noise, and the colors are not saturated. Still, at 2x, the images have a good amount of detail and contrast.
Coming to the macro camera, the OnePlus Nord images have good dynamic range but the Realme X3 Superzoom has better details and the colors look more natural.
Realme X3 Superzoom
Moving towards portraits, the OnePlus Nord captures slightly better portraits from its rear cameras as it provides better details and when zoomed in highlights the color on the object with better color saturation and contrast compared to the Realme X3 Superzoom.
However, the Realme X3 Superzoom has a setting where we can change different effects while taking portraits and is a good addition.
On the front, both the Realme X3 Superzoom and the OnePlus Nord get dual cameras which is the 32MP Sony IMX616 sensor and an 8MP ultrawide camera. The images from both the cameras come out good with plenty of detail and the colors look natural on both.
The OnePlus Nord takes better images with a good amount of detail and the dynamic range is better when compared to the Realme X3 Superzoom and also when it comes to portraits, the OnePlus Nord has better edge detection and the background blur is well maintained.
The OnePlus Nord takes more natural selfies with better contrast. However, Realme X3 Superzoom has adjustments for the background blur.
Moving towards the ultrawide camera, the OnePlus Nord takes more natural-looking skin tones and has a better dynamic range when compared to the Realme X3 Superzoom. But the details are good on the Realme X3 Superzoom.
In terms of videos, both smartphones can shoot 4Kvideos from the back cameras. The OnePlus Nord can shoot only till 30fps whereas the Realme X3 Superzoom can go up to 60fps due to the Snapdragon 855+ supporting it.
However, when it comes to videos, the OnePlus Nord has better video footage compared to the Realme X3 Superzoom as the presence of OIS helps it achieve better stabilization and the colors pop out better on the OnePlus Nord plus the noise is lower also.
Switching to 1080p, the OnePlus Nord uses Ultra Steady whereas the Realme X3 Superzoom uses Ultra Steady to improve stabilization and noise and the footage on the OnePlus Nord is slightly better due to the presence of OIS also.
On the front, the OnePlus Nord can record 4K videos at 60fps whereas the Realme X3 Superzoom is only restricted to 1080p and here also the videos come out better on the OnePlus Nord. Realme provides portrait videos where you can adjust the background blur and color also.
So on an overall basis, the OnePlus Nord holds the edge when it comes to the main and front cameras and videos. The Realme X3 Superzoom has a great periscopic camera and provides a ton of settings for the cameras in terms of images and videos.
OnePlus Nord vs Realme X3 Superzoom Battery Life:
The Realme X3 Superzoom sports a larger 4300mAh battery compared to the 4115mAh battery on the OnePlus Nord. Both lasted well one single day with moderate usage when the display was set to their highest refresh rates.
When the display was set to 60Hz on both, with casual gaming, browsing social media, and also doing other tasks, both stretched for one and a half-day. The average screen on time on both was 5-6 hours but the OnePlus Nord is slightly better due to various optimizations to the battery provided by OxygenOS.
When it comes to charging speeds, both have a 30W Fast charger where Realme X3 Superzoom comes with a 30W SuperDart charger, on the other hand, the OnePlus Nord gets a 30W Warp Charger and both can charge from 0 to 100 in 55 minutes which is good.
OnePlus Nord vs Realme X3 Superzoom Audio Quality:
Both the OnePlus Nord and the Realme X3 Superzoom have a single bottom-firing speaker and are adequately loud. Both also do not have a 3.5 mm headphone jack but can be paired with a set of Bluetooth or wireless earphones.
The Realme X3 Superzoom gets Dolby Atmos to enhance sound quality but the levels of loudness are better on the OnePlus Nord. In terms of audio, there is not much to differentiate between the two.
Verdict:
Both the OnePlus Nord and the Realme X3 Superzoom had a close fight between the two. The OnePlus Nord is a good mid-ranger and OnePlus has made this quite a strong offering with the 90Hz AMOLED display, a powerful Snapdragon 765G chipset, and a good set of cameras.
The most outstanding feature of the OnePlus Nord is the OxygenOS which provides a smoother software experience and there is the faster 30W Warp Charging. Plus it is the cheapest 5G smartphone out there now.
The Realme X3 Superzoom is made for power users as it has a larger display with a 120Hz refresh rate, last year’s Snapdragon 855+ that has great gaming and performance, faster UFS 3.0 speeds, and also the most interesting of all is the presence of a periscope camera that can do 5x digital and 60x hybrid zoom which is amazing.
So to sum it up, when it comes to the build, both have a glass sandwich design but the OnePlus Nord is smaller and lighter which makes it easier to hold, then in terms of display, the OnePlus Nord has the advantage with the 90Hz AMOLED display and has better brightness levels and viewing angles when it comes to media consumption.
When it comes to cameras, the OnePlus Nord is the clear winner as it has a better main camera with OIS, better dual front-facing cameras, and has that support for 4K videos at 60fps from the front cameras.
In terms of day-to-day usage, there is not any difference between the two but when it comes to gaming and overall performance, the Snapdragon 855+ on the Realme X3 Superzoom beats the OnePlus Nord having the Snapdragon 765G chipset.
The periscope camera is really amazing and the camera application on the Realme X3 Superzoom provides a lot of customizations over the OnePlus Nord. The battery life is also slightly better on the Realme X3 Superzoom over the OnePlus Nord.
If you want a powerful chipset where the faster UFS 3.0 speeds and gaming is the only priority, then undoubtedly the Realme X3 Superzoom is the one to consider. Plus it has a 120Hz refresh rate display which is slightly better than the 90Hz refresh rate on the OnePlus Nord.
Then if you want better low-light images and that periscope zoom capabilities, then the Realme X3 Superzoom is the better of the two.
Both are very good smartphones, and it all depends on your priority and you will not go wrong if you consider any of these.
