An overwhelming number of phones are released every month, which naturally makes it exceedingly difficult for consumers to pick just one. Things get messier during festival sales when manufacturers fight tooth and nail, armed and loaded with alluring price cuts and offers.
If you have been browsing through such deals and offers to buy an affordable phone this year, you must have come across the two popular choices – Honor 10 Lite and Realme 3. These phones offer very competent hardware and are now available at their respective best prices. So, which one should you buy? Let’s stack the two phones together and go beyond specifications to help sort things out.
Honor 10 Lite vs Realme 3 Price and Specifications
| Model | Honor 10 Lite | Realme 3 |
| Display | 15.77 cm (6.2-inch) display; 19.5:9 aspect ratio, 2340*1080 pixels FHD+ resolution, 91% screen ratio, TUV Rheinland Certified eye care mode | 15.79 cm (6.22-inch), 19:9 aspect ratio, 1520*720 pixels HD+ resolution, 88.30% screen ratio, Corning Glass |
| Processor | 2.2 GHz Kirin 710 Octa-core (4xCortex-A73 + 4x Cortex-A55), GPU Turbo 3.0 | 2.1 GHz MediaTek Helio P70 Octa-core chipset; (4xCortex-A73 + 4x Cortex-A55), GPU ARM Mali G72 |
| RAM | 3GB/ 4GB/ 6GB | 3GB/4GB |
| Internal Storage | 32GB/ 64GB, expandable up to 512GB | 32/64GB, expandable up to 256GB |
| Software | Android 9.0 Pie, EMUI 9.1 | Android 9.0 Pie, Color OS 6.0 |
| Primary Camera | 13MP, f/1.8 + 2MP | 13MP, f/1.8 aperture + 2MP |
| Secondary Camera | 24MP, f/2.0 | 13MP, f/2.0 aperture |
| Battery | 3400mAh, 10W charging | 4230mAh, 10W Charging |
| Price in India (including festive offers) | ● 3GB + 32GB – Rs. 7,999
● 4GB + 64GB – Rs. 8,999 ● 6GB + 64GB – Rs. 9,999 |
● 3GB + 32GB – Rs. 8,499
● 3GB + 32GB – Rs. 9,499 ● 4GB + 64GB – Rs. 10,499 |
Honor 10 Lite vs Realme 3: Design and Display
People looking for phones in the sub-10K segment often tend to overlook the appearance as a factor. Well, things have changed for the better in 2019 and consumers don’t have to compromise on this crucial aspect anymore. A good looking and comfortable to handle phone can make a huge difference to your practical experience.
Gladly, Honor gets this and has crafted a beauty. The Honor 10 Lite oozes premium feel, in light of its slick-glass finish. And we say finish because Honor has cleverly used a polycarbonate shell, which keeps the phone lite, thus justifying the name. Realme 3 also comes in a plastic chassis. It has a decent gradient design but Honor’s glass finish lends it a definite edge.
Honor 10 Lite’s ergonomics is on point. Praise to their engineering team who have forged its comfy form factor with curved edges. Simply put, the Honor 10 Lite is compact and light and its a joy to hold and operate. The Realme 3 feels hefty in comparison.
Upfront, both the phone flaunt tiny notches that offers a larger screen real estate. Honor’s display is especially an eye candy thanks to its higher resolution and sharper pixel density. The panel has better color accuracy and vibrant appeal as well.
Honor 10 Lite vs Realme 3: Camera
The rear cameras of both the phones are on parity. But, the AI enhancements on the Honor 10 Lite nails a tad better final photo. The brand has been in the race longer and over the years we have seen remarkable improvements in its image processing algorithms. It’s quite clear that the Honor 10 Lite leverages this experience quite successfully.
Metering is quite consistent, colors pop nicely and the images show a wide amount of detail in proper lighting.
Realme has its share of software tricks like Chroma Boost, Nightscape, etc. so does Honor with Super Night Mode, AR Mode, scene recognition, scene optimization, etc. to uplift the quality of the captured images, but the end result in Realme doesn’t have the same finesse.
The selfie game weighs entirely in 10 Lite’s favor. Again applauds to Honor’s AI magic that outs insta-ready snaps. You would also appreciate the intuitive screen glow feature which brightens photos in dark environments.
Honor 10 Lite vs Realme 3: Performance and Experience
Both Honor 10 Lite and Realme 3 are engined by fairly powerful hardware chipsets. The Honor 10 Lite is powered by 2.2GHz octa-core Kirin 710 processor and the Realme 3 is powered by 2.1GHz octa-core MediaTek’s Helio P70.
Both of these phones are available in three variants. The Honor 10 Lite offers up to 6GB RAM and 64GB storage for a lesser, Sub-10K price! The Realme 3, on the other hand, maxes at 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. 
High-end games are playable on both phones, but the Honor 10 Lite renders smoother graphics. This dexterity can partly be accredited to smart software features like GPU Turbo 3.0 that allow the Honor 10 Lite to make the most of available resources.
Speaking of software, the Honor’s EMUI software hits a sweet spot between features and functionality. Features like Smart resolution, battery-saving profiles, Dark Mode all add up for a wonderful experience.
Realme’s Color OS isn’t a lackey either when it comes to utilities. But, its crammed with features, which unfortunately bogs down the overall performance and experience. We wish the Color OS lying within Realme 3 was a little more refined.
Honor 10 Lite vs Realme 3: Battery Life
The Honor 10 Lite has a 3400mAh battery and the Realme 3 ships with a 4230mAh power unit. The actual mileage you get on both phones is, however, almost similar. The power-efficient chipset and the optimized software on the Honor 10 Lite help it narrow the gap.
Both phones ship with a 10W charger in the box, but due to the difference in charging capacity, the Honor 10 Lite charges faster.
Honor 10 Lite vs Realme 3: Verdict
Both of these phones stack up pretty close on paper, but the practical experience favors the Honor 10 Lite. The attention to detail and the years of effort that Honor has put in optimizing its software and hardware help the 10 Lite shine. The handset is quite premium and comfortable to wield, has powerful performance hardware, offers a very refined software and has an impressive set of rear and selfie cameras.
Moreover, taking price into consideration underscores Honor 10 Lite as the clear winner and the value king.
The Honor 10 Lite is available for purchase on Flipkart in three configurations – 3GB RAM + 32GB storage, 4GB RAM + 64GB storage, and 6GB RAM + 64GB storage – all for a very attractive price.
