Vivo T3 5G Challengers: Realme 12+, Redmi Note 13, More
Vivo T3 Alternatives: iQoo Z9, OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite, and more smartphones to choose from.
Priced at Rs 19,999, Vivo T3 represents the company's latest attempt to consolidate its presence in the lower part of the mid-segment market, which has been getting increasingly competitive of late. The phone comes with some very impressive features for its price tag, spearheaded by the very good mid-segment MediaTek Dimensity 7200 chip (the Pro version of which is seen in the Nothing Phone 2a) and a very good 6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with 120 Hz refresh rate. The phone also sports stereo speakers and comes with a large 5,000mAh battery with support for 44W charging.
Round that off with a dual camera arrangement spearheaded by a 50-megapixel Sony IMX882 main sensor with OIS (although the other camera seems a rather limited-use 2-megapixel 'bokeh' one), A 16-megapixel selfie sensor, and Android 14 topped off with FunTouch OS 14, along with a sleek design and the Vivo T3 seems like a very good proposition for anyone seeking a phone in the region of Rs 20,000.
That is until you check the other phones in that range. Impressive though it is, the Vivo T3 faces lots of competition in general, and from these five phones in particular:
Realme 12+ 5G: A Real Challenger
Price: Rs 20,999 onwards
The Realme 12+ sports a stylish design with a circular camera unit on the back and also has a 6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with 120 Hz refresh rate. And unlike the Vivo T3, it comes with a triple camera setup comprising a 50-megapixel Sony LYT-600 main sensor with OIS, an 8-megapixel ultrawide sensor, and a 2-megapixel macro sensor (of limited use). It also has a 16-megapixel front camera for selfies, and a 5,000mAh battery not only keeps it going for a while but also charges much faster, thanks to support for 67W charging.
It runs on Android 14 with Realme's interface on top of it but runs on a MediaTek Dimensity 7050 processor which is not as good as the Dimensity 7200 on the Vivo T3. The Realme 12+ is good enough for routine tasks, looks striking, and that extra camera and faster charging might make a difference to some.
iQoo Z9 5G: A T3 Twin, But Not An Identical One
Price: Rs 19,999 onwards
The iQoo Z9 is so similar to the Vivo T3 in terms of specs, that it has led to allegations of the devices being rebranded avatars of each other. It is not difficult to see why - like the Vivo T3, the iQoo Z9 also comes with a 6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate and is powered by a similar MediaTek Dimensity 7200 processor.
The camera combination is similar too - a 50-megapixel Sony IMX882 main sensor with OIS, a 2-megapixel bokeh, and a 16-megapixel selfie camera.
The battery is a 5,000mAh one as well and the charging speed…well, it is 44W too. Round that off with Android 14 with FunTouch OS and you can see why the iQoo Z9 is considered to be a Vivo T3 twin.
A huge point of distinction between the two, however, is the design - the iQoo Z9 has a different shade and texture on the back and also has a square camera unit as compared to the rectangular one on the Vivo T3.
Redmi Note 13 5G: The Note In The Mix
Price: Rs 17,000 onwards
Any phone released between Rs 15.000 - Rs 30,000 has to deal with a Redmi Note, and the Vivo T3 is no different.
The Note-able adversary in its path is the Redmi Note 13 5G, which comes with a slower Dimensity 6080 processor, but more than compensates with a very good 6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate and a superb 108-megapixel main camera, which has no OIS but takes terrific shots (so much so that we do not think you really need the 8 megapixel ultrawide and 2-megapixel macro sensors, definitely not the latter).
The phone also packs in a large 5,000mAh battery but has a relatively slower 33W charger. It might lack stereo speakers but comes with a 3.5mm audio jack, and well at 7.6mm, it is one of the slimmest phones in this list and also has a very smart design.
It comes with Xiaomi's MIUI 14 on top of Android 13 out of the box but is getting the much talked of HyperOS update and Android 14 even as we write this.
OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G: The Unsettling Never Settler
Price: Rs 19,999 onwards
There might already be talk of the OnePlus Nord 4 series of devices hitting the market but even while we wait, the bestselling OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite packs in enough of a tech punch to rattle all comers in the Rs 20,000 spectrum.
It is a typical OnePlus all-rounder with a simple, elegant design and boasts the largest display in this list - a very bright 6.72-inch FHD+ display with 120Hz refresh rate, although it is an LCD one.
Like the Redmi Note, it too comes with a very good 108-megapixel main sensor, although its pair of 2-megapixel secondary cameras (macro and depth) are of only verbal value. The Nord CE 3 Lite also comes with a large 5,000mAh battery and with 67W fast charging support, which is way faster than the 44W on the Vivo T3.
It is also the only phone in the list to come with both stereo speakers as well as a 3.5 mm audio jack and runs on the clean, uncluttered OxygenOS that is typical OnePlus. The only catch is its processor, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 695, which is now showing signs of its advancing years and stumbles in gaming territory.
But that apart, this Nord ticks almost every box that matters in the mainstream use list.
Moto G84 5G: The Moto G Spirit Lives
Price: Rs 17,999
Ten years ago, Motorola changed the whole mid-segment phone concept with the original Moto G. And while the Moto G series might not be as formidable as it once was, it still packs enough of a value punch in the mid-segment, and the Moto G84 is a great example of this.
Its magenta shade with vegan leather is easily the best-looking device on this list and its sole variant comes with a staggering 12 GB RAM and 256 GB storage. Some might frown at the slightly old Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 chip powering it, but Motorola's near-stock Android runs very smoothly on it for everyday tasks.
The phone also comes with a 6.5 inch FHD+ pOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate, a very good 50-megapixel main camera with OIS, and a large 5,000mAh battery, although its charging speed of 33W is relatively slow compared to the others in this list and the Vivo T3.
Stereo speakers and a 3.5mm audio jack round off this compact beauty, which at 166.8 grams is one of the lightest phones you can get with a 5,000mAh battery.
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