The newly launched realme GT 8 Pro doesn’t waste time showing its intentions. It’s here to be the brand’s heavy-hitting flagship for the year, and it is stepping straight into the ring with the wave of Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 devices landing before 2026.
Of course, Qualcomm’s high-end chipset isn’t the phone’s only armament. The realme GT 8 Pro comes with an imaging system fine tuned by Japanese cameramaker RICOH, a large 7,000mAh battery capacity with 100W fast charging support, and the ability to allow users to swap its camera housing. The last one is something I’ll get back to in a bit.
The first thing that actually impressed me is the realme GT 8 Pro’s 6.79-inch AMOLED display. Not only do visuals appear crisp and smooth thanks to its 2K resolution panel with 144Hz refresh rate, the screen itself is also very bright. With a peak brightness of 7,000 nits, viewing (and photographing) the screen under broad daylight won’t be a problem.
So far, the realme GT 8 Pro’s onboard Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip impresses. Apart from handling day-to-day apps with ease, the phone also exhibits exceptional performance when running Wuthering Waves at the highest setting, with barely any noticeable heat generation throughout long sessions of gaming.
While I’ve not conducted any full-fledged tests yet, I can confirm at this time that the GT 8 Pro’s 7,000mAh battery is living up to expectations. As of writing, the phone is currently running with 71% left in the tank since I last fully charged two days prior. Note that I have been using it for gaming, as well as to snap sample photos in between.
Speaking of photography, the Pro’s primary, telephoto and ultra-wide cameras have left a positive first impression. I do have my gripes; one of them being the default colour profile, which is a bit harsh with the contrast while also appearing too warm in certain conditions. Thankfully, there are other profiles to explore, and I’ll definitely switch things up when I fully evaluate the cameras.
Since we’re still here, allow me to quickly describe the new RICOH GR feature, which is developed exclusively for the GT 8 series. If you expected an emulation of the Japanese cameramaker’s GR camera on the phone, then you’d be right. You can shoot in one of five RICOH filters (Standard, Positive, Negative, BW and Hi BW), while images are also set at a slightly tighter aspect ratio.
As for the whole swappable camera housing gimmick, it’s there if you want to spice things up. Out of the box, you have a total of two design choices: the stock look (without any add-ons), or the circular design. The third, squarish option is also available, but is sold separately. Personally, I like the stock look better due to its more mechanical-like aesthetic.
It’s still too early for me to say how the realme GT 8 Pro will stack up against its rivals. Even so, it’s already shaping up to be a solid contender among the other Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 devices on the market.
