realme X3 SuperZoom unboxing, quick review

realme Philippines is at it once again with another capable phone to bring better features to more people. If simply talking about head-turning specs, the realme X3 SuperZoom has a list to share. Today, we unbox and have our first look at this phone.

To watch the unboxing of this phone and check what comes with the package, our 1-minute unboxing can be seen below:

The realme X3 SuperZoom is on the chunky side of things when talking about its physique. We see right on its back the quad-camera module stacked on the upper left side just like we’ve seen in the realme 6 Pro. Our device comes in Arctic White color so we have a white back panel with color streaks of what appears to be inspired by the Aurora Borealis.

You have a sturdy frame and running on its right side is a lone power button that doubles as a fingerprint scanner. On the opposite side are volume buttons ergonomically placed for your finger.

Look at the bottom and we have the USB-C port for charging and transferring files. Do take note that it will also be where you plug in compatible earphones as the X3 SuperZoom doesn’t come with a 3.5mm audio jack. Also seen here are the down-firing speakers and compartment for a single SIM.

The device comes with dual punch-holes for your selfie needs. One is a 32-megapixel Sony sensor, and the second a wide-angle lens to fit more people in or include more of the background in your selfies.

RELATED: realme 6 vs realme 6 Pro – Which phone should you buy?

Now onto its display where things get interesting. It comes with a 6.6-inch FullHD+ screen which fits a 2400 x 1080 resolution. The panel is reinforced with Corning’s Gorilla Glass 5 for protection against scratches and the entirety has a 90.5% screen to body ratio.

But what sets this display from other phones in its range is that it features 120Hz refresh rate. And that comes in handy when you consume media like watching or playing games. Realme has been enthusiastic to claim that it’s the only phone in its class that offers this feature.

So far, during our time with it, we are able to appreciate its 120Hz feature when it comes to gaming. I really enjoy having more fluid gameplay especially when I play Pokemon Go as it adds to the ‘real-life’ aspect of the game.

Carrying on with the rest of its specs, it has a Snapdragon 855+ CPU in its core so it can take on heavy processes. Plus, together with its 12GB RAM, and 256GB storage, you’ve got enough muscle power to run a bunch of popular game titles and productivity apps on this device.

Speaking of RAM and storage configurations, realme PH says only the 12GB/256GB variant (top-spec) will be sold in the country this coming July 9. The company says it’s for users to have a more powerful gaming and entertainment experience.

The device is powered by a 4200mAh battery and comes with 30W Dart Charge. With it, realme claims that it will be able to fully charge the phone from 0-100% in just 55 minutes. We’ll definitely let you know in our full review if that will hold true.

Lastly, navigating throughout its UI is very easy and familiar as it runs on Android 10 OS with the company’s interface on top. It still has the usual customizations for app icons, Dark Mode, etc. so that’s a good thing.

realme x3 superzoom

Now we go to the rear cameras which is what the SuperZoom in its name is all about. The quad-camera setup here is comprised of a 64-megapixel main camera, sm 8-megapixel ultra-wide sensor, a 2-megapixel macro camera, and an 8-megapixel Periscope (or telephoto) lens with OIS.

That last one is pretty special in a sense that it can zoom in further into subjects up to 60x magnification — whereas most phones today max out at 5x or 10x zoom. This is one feature that we’re concentrating on as we prepare for the full review.

For now, here are some sample shots. Be sure to check out that comparison of different zoom options from 1x, 5x, 10x, 60x, and then back to wide-angle.

Its Night Mode also comes with a nifty feature. Called the Starry Mode, it’s made to keep the camera’s shutter open for extended periods of time and together with software algorithm, attempt to capture the twinkle of the stars in the sky normally too dark for phone cameras to see. We have yet to do a successful test session for this feature as it’s been cloudy and raining for the past days. Stay tuned!

Additionally, it can also shoot up to 4K video at 60fps and supports UIS Max Video Stabilization which we enjoyed using during our realme 6 Pro review.

The realme X3 SuperZoom is set to be officially launched in the country this July 9, 2020, at 12:00 noon through a livestream on the official realme Philippines Facebook page. Be sure to drop by to see more of this device.

realme X3 SuperZoom specs:

6.6-inch FullHD+ display, 2400 x 1080 resolution
120Hz refresh rate
Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ octa-core CPU
Adreno 640 GPU
12GB RAM
256GB internal storage
64MP main, 8MP Periscope with 60x SuperZoom, 8MP ultra-wide, 2MP macro
32MP main, 8MP ultra-wide selfie cameras
up to 4K @ 60fps video recording, UIS Max Video Stabilization
Dual-SIM
4G LTE
USB Type-C
speakers by Dolby Atmos
Fingerprint scanner
Android 10 with realme UI
4,200mAh battery w/ 30W Dart Charge
Arctic White, Glacier Blue colors

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We’re Here review: HBO’s new show that needs no introduction

10/10/2021

We’re Here is a new drag show that stars RuPaul’s Drag Race favorite Bob the Drag Queen and his co-drag queen mates Shangela and Eureka O’Hara.

With the pandemic shutting down bars and nightclubs and ultimately the drag shows they house, drag-thirsty folk can now get their fill of glittered shadow, feathered mascara, and fierce strutting while lip-syncing on HBO.

Unlike the reality show formula of Drag Race where each queen competes with one another for top title and money, We’re Here leans toward another familiar formula made famous by Queer Queen Eye for the Straight Guy. See what I did there?

No matter, the show doesn’t disguise from the affiliation.

The premise is simple: the three queens arrive in small-town America, preferably with an undeveloped (yet bubbling underneath) LGBTQ community, mount an extravagant drag show, taking some locals as their guests (and queenlets to mentor) to perform in the show.

The drag show serves as the show’s repeating finale or closer in every episode.

At face value, it looks like a show I would personally skip over with the remote when picking a show to consume during a chill Friday night. But just like that show’s general message, maybe we should give it a chance because we might like what we see.

Surprisingly, the new formula combined with the unapologetic opener of the drag queens’ flamboyant arrival at each small-town, walking around in their full drag queen personas, serves for a refreshing in-your-face TV that’s been missing in this age of streaming.

In true fashion of the colorful drag culture, each episode opens this way, and even if every small-town America’s reaction is pretty much identical to each other (whether it be shock, amusement, accepting or otherwise), it really doesn’t get old.

Although glints of the producers’ heavy hand on some scenes are pretty obvious (glaring example: having a previously intolerant mom perform drag as a way to apologize to her daughter for not accepting her when she came out), the show does catch genuine moments, especially when the Queens prepare their “drag daughters” for the drag show they are setting up.

Their small-town recruits, most of the time shoved way outside of their comfort zones, have moments when they are truly vulnerable and very often uncomfortable, which makes for truly authentic TV. It is also during these moments when you find all the drag queens’ outrageous sense of humor on display.

Mind you, We’re Here does not recruit exclusively within the LGBTQ community. The show is gender-blind when it comes to its recruits and delightfully surprises at each episode, making sure that an LGBTQ issue or something equally important, like mental health, is talked about both amongst each other and directly at the audiences during in-between interviews.

Again, it reeks of the producers’ heavy hand at maybe tugging at the viewer’s emotions, but at least it does get these issues discussed.

Credit must also be given to where credit is due because it takes a lot of guts and strength for these hosts to walk around and interact with small-town residents, where ignorance and intolerance are thriving.

Each show opens with Bob, Shangela and Eureka’s arrival in full drag, parading around their chosen small town, dealing with blatant stares, uncomfortable whispering, and outright avoidance from the local folk.

In one episode, dressed in normal (albeit still excessive) garb, the trio are put in a hostile and potentially Insafe environment when they were asked to leave for merely looking around outside an establishment, all this time being shunned away by someone who refused to speak to then directly or make any sort of eye contact.

These hostilities are dealt with respect and tolerance from the three hosts, which truly juxtaposes the aggressor in these situations.

Like all reality shows that are well-produced, these scenes should probably be taken with a grain of salt, but it doesn’t take away from the reality of the intolerance the LGBTQ community experiences on a daily basis.

Magnifying this intolerance by choosing to shoot a drag show that stages a drag show in towns within the bible belt of America is quite fearless and, if not for anything else, is worth checking out merely for the intrepidness of these three Queens and their endeavor to try to crack open the minds of privileged white folk one small town at a time.

And if that still doesn’t appeal, then surely the show can serve as a suitable stand-in for the lack of live shows as we wait for the world to reopen at the wake of the pandemic.

Catch We’re Here, which airs on HBO Go this October 11.

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