realme Book i3: Is realme’s first laptop worth it for a Php 30k price range?

When realme first announced that they’re entering the laptop category, I was so excited to get my hands on the realme Book because that surely means one thing: Another quality device at an affordable price. For around Php 30,000, we can now get something premium-looking with decent specs for day-to-day work and productivity, but does it really deliver what it promises? I listed the features that caught my attention below, but a deep-dive review will be coming soon, too!

INSIDE THE BOX

Unlike other laptop boxes that look bulky, the realme Book comes in a clean white box which has an image of the laptop on the cover. The box and even the appearance of the silver variant resembles that of the MacBook Air — but at a more affordable price in Windows format (and I meant that as a compliment)!

Inside the box, you’ll find the realme Book, a 65W USB-C power adapter, a USB-C charger cable (Type-C from end to end), a Quick Start Guide, and a Warranty Card. Everything is neatly placed in their respective compartments so it’s easy to identify which goes where.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Let’s start with one of the things that caught my attention – the design. The realme Book i3 is a 14-inch laptop which comes in two colors – Silver and Blue. The silver one looks very sleek, classy, and professional. It’s something that you wouldn’t be ashamed to open in front of other people! The size is slightly different than other laptops, though. The screen has a 90% screen-to-body ratio and a 3:2 aspect ratio (2160 x 1440 resolution), so it looks a bit taller than the usual 16:9 screens. It might be something that you’d have to get used to but I instantly fell in love with how it’s more suitable for multiple windows and browsing square-sized content. The HD camera is just on top of the screen, which is almost unnoticeable due to the thin bezels.

The keyboard with black keys looks like that of the usual laptops; however, it comes with a fingerprint sensor which also serves as a power button on the upper right side. At the bottom part, you’ll find the trackpad, which is amazingly big for a 14-inch laptop.

Despite its slim size, the realme Book i3 has the ports that we need — two slots for USB-C 3.2, one Gen 2 USB-A 3.1, and a 3.5mm Headphone and Microphone Jack. It even comes with an end-to-end Type-C charging cable that is capable of fast charging! And I mean 50% in just 30 minutes.

It doesn’t only look pretty, it also has a decent processor for its price. The i3 variant is powered by an Intel Core i3-1115G4 processor, Intel UHD graphics card, and 8GB of RAM. Although it’s not advisable to run heavy games on this one, it can deliver a smooth performance for work or productivity-related tasks such as blogging, light photo manipulation, in-browser gaming, and keeping tabs of multiple documents. I can imaging using this when writing stories on the go or when transcribing speeches during an event. I’ll try to run more apps in our deep-dive review.

ITZY’s “Swipe” MV on repeat!

The audio is also A+ for me! I’ve been watching YouTube videos all day on the realme Book i3 and it’s been a great visual and audio experience so far. It tilts up to 170 degrees so I can watch even as I lie in bed.

With just a few days of use, I have no complaints yet. I’m still very much fixated on the good things about the laptop since I’m a fan of lightweight and slim devices. Let’s see what else in store for us in the next few weeks!

SPECIFICATIONS

realme Booki3 Version
DimensionsLength: 307.21 mm
Width: 228.96 mm
Height: 14.9 mm (thickest point: 15.5mm)  
Weight: Approx. 1.38 kg
DisplaySize: 14 inches Type: LCD(IPS)
Screen-to-body Ratio: 90%
Aspect Ratio: 3:2
Resolution: 2160 × 1440
Brightness: 400 nits Peak Brightness, 330 nits
Typical Brightness Color Gamut: 100% sRGB
Contrast Ratio: 1500: 1(Typical)
Viewing Angle: 170°
Processor & Graphics11th-Gen Intel Core i3-1115G4 | i5-1135G7 Dual-core quad-thread
Clock Speed: 2.4GHz with Turbo Boost Up to 4.2GHz
Graphic Card: Intel® UHD Graphics
Operating SystemWindows 10 (pre-installed)
Free upgraded Windows 11 by October
Memory8GB Dual channel LPDDR4x RAM  
Frequency: i3 Version: 3733MHz
Storage256GB/512GB PCIe® SSD Storage  
512GB: Samsung: Sequential Read Speed: 3100 MB/s, Sequential Write Speed: 1800 MB/s (Provide by Samsung)   256GB: SanDisk: Sequential Read Speed: 2400MB/s, Sequential Write Speed: 950MB/s (Provide by SanDisk)
Battery54Wh (Typical) Large Battery  
Up to 11-hour of local video playback
Up to 8.5-hour of simulated office
Charging65W PD Super-Fast Charge
50% Battery in 30 Minutes  
65W Adapter (Compatible 30W Dart Charge)
PortsUSB-C 3.2 × 2
Gen 2 USB-A 3.1
Gen 1 3.5mm Headphone and Microphone Jack
ConnectivityWi-Fi i3 Version: WIFI 5: IEEE802.11 a/b/g/n/Wi-Fi 5 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz 2 x 2 MIMO  
Bluetooth i3 Version: Bluetooth 5.1
Keyboard3-level Backlit Keyboard
TrackpadLarge Multi-touch Trackpad
CameraBuilt-in HD Camera
Audio2 HARMAN Speakers
2 Microphones
Power ButtonFingerprint Power Button
Featured ApplicationsPC Connect   Note: PC Connect available on realme GT Master Edition only. Selected realme models will receive PC Connect feature via OTA later this year. For more information, please visit realme.com. realme reserved the right to change OTA avilablity and support without prior notice.

PRICE AND AVAILABILITY

The realme Book i3 is available for Php 37,990 SRP, while the i5 variant will be sold at Php 47,990 SRP. However, this price will be further reduced to Php 29,990 (i3) and Php 41,990 (i5) when ordered via the official realme Lazada store.

Both variants will already be available in Silicon Valley stores starting October 1, with freebies worth Php 5,500 — a free one-year Microsoft Office 365 subscription, a realme laptop bag, and a mouse.


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