realme GT Review - The cheapest Snapdragon 888 Smartphone

Review: realme GT

Realme is committed to offering premium-like smartphones at affordable prices. The young brand realme is already in the fast lane. It was only announced last year that realme was the fastest growing smartphone brand on the market with 14,8 million product sales in Q3 2020. With the powerful realme GT, the company wants to underpin its place in the smartphone market.

Note: For the launch, realme will roll out a software update that will improve performance. The test report will be adjusted accordingly in the coming days.

realme GT: design, workmanship and scope of delivery

The realme GT is available in three colors that couldn't be more different. In “Racing Yellow”, the back of the smartphone is made of vegan leather. The racing stripe that runs from the main camera through the yellow rear of the case is striking.

Our test device in the color "Dashing Blue" shimmers in a strong metallic blue. If you look closely, you can see a subtle V-pattern that runs through the entire back. Depending on the viewing angle and the incidence of light, an interesting alternating effect is created. Alternatively, the smartphone is available in "Dashing Silver".

The back is made of glass for both color variants. It is not known to what extent a branded protective glass was used. At the bottom left is the manufacturer's logo, at the top left is the triple camera, which protrudes 1.5 mm from the back.

Towards the edges, the back changes with a slight curvature into the housing frame. On the right is the power button. On the left the volume rocker and the dual SIM slot. A single microphone has been placed at the top. At the bottom we have the USB-C port in the middle with the speaker next to it, a 3.5 mm headphone jack and a second microphone.

The 6,43-inch display is on the front. The trend of curved display bezels has been resisted and a flat panel has been chosen instead. For some, this may not look as aesthetic as a curved display, but it offers some advantages. Distortions at the edges are avoided, protective films are easier to apply, repairs are easier and you have more usable space for your content. Curved displays are rather disadvantageous when it comes to gaming. The curved edges are more difficult to reach, which is why you have to make incorrect entries.

The front camera is located at the top left behind a recess in the display (punch hole). The fingerprint scanner is also hidden behind the display. This unlocks the smartphone quickly and reliably. There is no notification LED. Instead, notifications can be shown permanently on the always-on display.

There is nothing wrong with the processing quality of the realme GT. The 158.5 x 73.3 x 8.4 mm large and 186g heavy smartphone lies snugly in the hand despite the glass back. By the way, the vegan leather-look smartphone is a bit thicker at 9.1 mm and slightly heavier at 186.5g. The control buttons on the side are easily accessible. This is where the special left-right layout of the power button and volume rocker shows its strengths. In addition, the keys sit firmly in the case and show a good pressure point. There is no protection against water. 

In addition to the smartphone, the scope of delivery includes a 65W SuperDart charger, a USB-C cable, a silicone protective cover, a SIM needle and a quick guide. A screen protector is already on the display.

realme GT: Nice 120 Hz AMOLED display

The realme GT uses a 6,43 inch AMOLED panel with a resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels for the display. With 410 PPI, the display is razor-sharp and does not reveal any pixels to the naked eye.

In the display settings you can choose between three color modes. The "Lively" mode is based on the DCI-P3 color space, which the realme GT covers 100%. In the "Mild" mode, the colors are somewhat weakened. This mode is based on the sRGB color space. Finally, there is the "Brilliant" mode, which ensures particularly strong colors. Typically AMOLED, the contrast is almost infinite. The brightness is decent with a maximum of 1000 cd / m² and ensures good readability even in direct sunlight.

The highlight, however, is undoubtedly the 120 Hz refresh rate, which makes the realme GT feel fast and snappy. You will definitely feel the change from a standard 60 Hz display to a 120 Hz display. When scrolling, the scrolling is much smoother, without any annoying trailing effect.

However, the higher refresh rate also affects the battery life. Hidden in the display settings, the update rate can be set to "Automatic". The smartphone then automatically selects the best update rate for the respective app. This mode is the best compromise to save the battery. Alternatively, there is the "Standard" mode, which sets the refresh rate to 60 Hz. In the "High" mode, the rate remains permanently at 120 Hz.

The setting options around the display are versatile. The "O1 Ultra Vision Engine" automatically optimizes videos and content. The included video sharpener improves the resolution of low quality videos. The video color intensifier extends the color gamut of SDR content. The realme GT's display can also show native HDR content. With the support of Widevine L1 DRM, content from platforms such as Netflix, Prime Video or Disney + can be streamed in high resolution. Functions such as dark mode or eye comfort mode are available.

realme GT: A lot of power with the Snapdragon 888

With a starting price of 369 euros, the realme GT is currently the cheapest smartphone with Snapdragon 888. The high-end chipset from Qualcomm shows high performance in all areas of application. It is made possible by the combination of an 8-core CPU (1x Cortex-X1 2,84 GHz - 3x Cortex-A78 2,42 GHz - 4x Cortex-A55 1,8 GHz) and Adreno 660 GPU. In addition, there are faster 8GB or 12GB LPDDR5 RAM (50 GB / s) and 128GB or 256GB UFS3.1 memory (1750 MB / s read - 730 MB / s write). There is no possibility to expand the data store.

 In everyday life you get an absolutely smooth user experience without any losses. Applications open almost instantly and are kept in memory for a long time. Mobile gamers get their money's worth, because the Snapdragon 888 not only offers the best graphics performance, the cooling of the realme GT has the chip under control as far as possible. Games like PUBG or Asphalt 9 can be played on high graphics settings without frame drops. Fans of sophisticated emulators such as Dolphin also benefit from the high performance of the realme GT.

The "GT mode" promises a small performance boost. When the mode is switched on, a short animation appears. Several benchmark runs and in-game tests did not show any difference in performance when compared to the deactivated GT mode. Sometimes even better results were achieved in the individual benchmarks without GT mode. It remains to be seen whether the release update will make any difference.

realme GT: 64MP triple camera

The triple camera system of the realme GT is rather unspectacular in contrast to the rest of the smartphone. The main camera is a 64MP Sony IMX682 image sensor with f / 1.8 aperture. An 119MP sensor with f / 8 aperture is responsible for 2.3 ° ultra-wide-angle shots. A 2MP sensor with f / 2.4 aperture enables macro shots. On the front is the 16MP front camera with an f / 2.5 aperture. It is not known which sensor was installed.

main camera

The pictures taken during the day are on a decent mid-range level. Above all, the color coordination of the recordings is convincing, unless you switch on the camera AI. Then colors appear a little too gaudy. In terms of dynamic range and sharpness distribution, the main camera of the realme GT does a great job. Overall, the level of detail in the recordings is good. Noise does not occur. For the most part, the autofocus works precisely and quickly. The trigger time for taking pictures is short.

In poor lighting conditions, it is advisable to switch to night mode. Without night mode, the sensor captures very little light and the image noise is clearly visible. Alternatively, it is also possible to leave the camera AI active, which automatically detects poor lighting conditions and adjusts the recording settings.

Zoom

The realme GT dispenses with an optical zoom. Up to 10 times the magnification is purely digital.

Ultra wide angle

Realme still has to work on the recording quality of the ultra-wide-angle camera. Image errors in the form of chromatic aberration are not uncommon. The distribution of sharpness visibly decreases towards the edges and the level of detail is rather mixed.

Portrait

The realme GT manages portraits. However, here and there errors in the blurring effect can occur. In particular, fine structures (e.g. hair) are not always neatly separated from the background.

Makro

To what extent the macro camera delivers added value is debatable. Most users will rarely get lost in macro mode.

video mode

The realme GT records videos in 4K at up to 60 frames per second. Electronic image stabilization is automatically active in all recording modes. There is also an ultra image stabilizer that intensifies the stabilization, which is good in itself. The image section is then a little smaller. The recording quality in video mode is good and largely comparable to photo mode. The recorded sound is a bit dull.

Front camera

The 16MP front camera takes usable photos and videos. Regarding the level of detail, the image sharpness and the colors, there is nothing to complain about. The focus of the front camera is fixed. In addition to numerous beauty filters, the front camera offers an (auto) HDR mode and a night mode. Videos can be recorded in 1080p and 720p and also electronically stabilized.

realme GT: realme UI 2.0 (Android 11)

The manufacturer's own realme UI 2.0 is based on Android 11 and has everything on board that normal users need in everyday life. Numerous personalization options allow the UI design to be customized. Among other things, themes and background images, the always-on display, the icon style, the app layout, the fingerprint style and many other details can be customized.

Comprehensive app management simplifies the administration of rights for individual apps and offers the option of cloning apps. Third-party apps in the form of bloatware (Booking, Agoda and Co.) are preinstalled. However, the apps can be uninstalled without any problems.

Gamers benefit from the realme game space. The system-integrated app helps manage and organize mobile games. The game space can be reached in-game via an overlay. Various additional functions such as screen recording, FPS display, performance modes, touch optimization and focus mode optimize the gaming experience.

realme GT: Connectivity

Fast 5G cellular reception

As a smartphone with a Snapdragon 888 chip, the realme GT also has a Snapdragon X60 5G modem integrated. Qualcomm's third generation of 5G modems supports the mmWave and sub-6 GHz frequency bands commonly used in Europe, as well as Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS).

The dual SIM slot enables the simultaneous use of two nano SIM cards. This means that the smartphone can be used as a private or business mobile phone, for example, or one SIM is used for telephony, the other for data use.

Reception and voice quality were very good in the test with SIM cards from Vodafone and O2. In order to improve the already good voice quality of calls, VoLTE and VoWiFi (WiFi calling) can be switched on.

WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2

Other transmission standards used by the smartphone are WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2. Integrated in the WLAN, the realme GT impresses with its high connection range and solid network speed.

Here and there, the "dual WLAN acceleration" is added, whereby a connection is established to two networks at the same time. This reduces the failure rate and increases WLAN performance. The Bluetooth connection is inconspicuously stable.

Dual GPS

For navigation, the realme GT supports the satellite navigation systems GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou and QZSS. The position is determined within a few seconds and is accurate to within a few meters. Position accuracy remains constant, both when driving overland and in urban areas. Dual-frequency GPS also improves accuracy.

NFC

 Contactless payment with the smartphone is quick and extremely convenient. The NFC module required for this is available on the realme GT.

Audio

The stereo loudspeaker creates a certain degree of immersive gaming fun during mobile gaming. In a round of PUBG, opponents can be easily located. But the sound is also satisfactory when playing music or just to watch a video. The volume is pleasantly high without distortion and the overall sound is clear and differentiated.

realme GT: 4500 mAh battery with 65W SuperDart charging

The 65W SuperDart fast charging function of the realme GT has it all. According to realme, the 4500 mAh battery of the smartphone can be charged from 35 to 0 percent in just 100 minutes. Of course, we checked that and charged the empty smartphone with the SuperDart charger included in the delivery. The stopwatch has been running.

The battery was charged to 15 percent in just 50 minutes. That is enough to get through the day with average usage. After just 25 minutes, the charge level was 80 percent. The battery is fully charged after 35 minutes. Advertising promise kept! A fully charged battery lasts for 1 to 2 days, depending on usage.

Despite the rapid charging process, the smartphone and charger never get noticeably hot. A combination of condition monitoring, overvoltage protection and overcurrent protection ensures the charging process ("Intelligent Five-core Protection"). Unfortunately, the realme GT does not support contactless Qi charging.