realme GT 7 Pro Review: Fast and Fabulous?

Let’s face it, the Snapdragon 8 Elite is one of the most hyped chipsets of 2024. Qualcomm set the stage with its announcements, and others fueled the excitement with leaks showcasing impressive benchmarks, including a 3 million AnTuTu score. Now, with the realme GT 7 Pro being the first device to launch with the Snapdragon 8 Elite in India, it’s time to put it to the test. 

But hold up: the realme GT 7 Pro doesn’t just come with the Snapdragon 8 Elite; it also features other flagship specs, including a Samsung display, an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner, a solid build, a large battery, fast charging, and smooth software. 

However, the big question is about the camera performance. In this review, we’ll explore exactly that and also how the realme GT 7 Pro handles real-world tasks, including gaming. Let’s dive into the details.

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realme GT 7 Pro Review: Specifications

Here are the specifications of the realme GT 7 Pro:

• Display: 6.78-inch LTPO Samsung AMOLED, 120 Hz, 6500 Nits peak, 2000 Nits HDR, 1000 Nits typ, 2780 x 1264 pixels, 450 PPI, Corning’s Gorilla Glass 7i, 2160 Hz PWM dimming, Dolby Vision
• SoC: Snapdragon 8 Elite (2x 4.32 GHz Oryon Phoenix L, 6x 3.53 GHz Oryon Phoenix M, Adreno 830 GPU, 3nm)
• RAM: 12/16 GB LPDDR5X RAM
• Storage: 256/512 GB UFS 4.0  
• Cameras: 
  • Main: 50 MP Sony IMX906, 1/1.56-inch, f/1.8, OIS, 24mm, PDAF
  • Ultra-wide: 8 MP Sony IMX355, 1/4-inch, f/2.2, 16mm
  • Periscope: 50 MP Sony IMX882, 1/1.95-inch, f/2.65, 3x optical, 73mm, OIS, PDAF 
  • Front: 16 MP Sony IMX480, 1/3.1-inch, f/2.45, 24mm
• Speakers: Stereo with earpiece 
• Battery and charging: 5,800 mAh, 120W SUPERVOOC
• IP rating: IP69; 2m/30minutes
• Connectivity: 5G, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC
• Biometrics: Under display ultrasonic fingerprint scanner, 2D face unlock
• Weight: 223g
• Build: Glass back with Panda glass protection and metal frame 

realme GT 7 Pro Review: Design & Build

The realme GT 7 Pro is a large device with a 6.78-inch screen. It’s wider and also a little bit taller than the usual smartphones. It tips the scale at 223 grams, and it has a dense and hefty feel, which also makes it feel premium in the hand.

The front is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 7i, while the back uses Panda Glass with a matte finish to resist fingerprints and smudges. The aluminum frame has visible antenna bands.

Button and Port Layout

• Bottom: USB-C 2.0 port, primary speaker, microphone, and dual nano-SIM card tray.
• Right Side: Power button and well-placed volume rockers.
• Top: IR blaster and secondary microphone.
• Left Side: No buttons or ports.

The back features a squarish triple-camera module with “HYPERIMAGE+” and “120x zoom” text. The matte Galaxy Grey finish feels nice, but the color may not appeal to everyone. The design itself is very polarizing.

The buttons are tactile and provide good haptic feedback when adjusting volume or triggering other actions. The device is IP69 rated, offering protection against water (up to 2 meters for 30 minutes) and dust. It measures 8.55 mm in thickness and is available in Mars Orange and Galaxy Grey.

realme GT 7 Pro Review: Display

Let’s start with the display, which is truly impressive. realme is using a Samsung display and, for the first time, incorporating foldable technology. It uses a 6.78-inch, 1.5K Samsung Eco² OLED quad-curve display (2780 × 1254, 450 PPI) with Corning Gorilla Glass 7i. It’s a large and wide display, perfect for gaming.

The quad-curved design allows for smooth swiping from any direction, but the bezels are slightly thicker compared to flat panels. realme claims a 1-120 Hz LTPO adaptive refresh rate, but in testing, it mostly stayed at 120 Hz indoors or at night. It only dropped to 1 Hz in very bright outdoor conditions. 

The 2600 Hz touch sampling rate is specific to certain games, and it’s mostly at just 120 Hz or 240 Hz. Brightness is solid—2000 Nits HBM works well outdoors, though tilting the display dims it slightly (not a big deal). The peak brightness of 6500 Nits is for HDR content only.

Dolby Vision and HDR10+ are supported, and HDR content looks fine (on YouTube). There’s no HDR support for Netflix yet, but realme has promised that it will be coming soon. The 2160 Hz PWM is good, reducing flicker for less eye strain. 

Features like Adaptive Tone adjust lighting, and Screen Attention keep the display on when in use, and you can also switch the display to 1080p resolution to save battery juice for when you need it. realme says that the screen uses 50% less power.

realme GT 7 Pro Review: Speakers and Haptics

The realme GT 7 Pro features loud and clear speakers, though there is a slight imbalance since the earpiece doubles as a secondary speaker. Nevertheless, most people won’t see this as a major issue. The audio quality is great for gaming and media consumption.

The haptics are well implemented, with a high-quality engine providing a responsive and tactile experience. Whether typing, adjusting the volume, or navigating the interface, the haptics feel precise and interactive. It’s one of the best, if not the best, haptics that I’ve experienced.

realme GT 7 Pro Review: Software

The realme GT 7 Pro runs on realme UI 6.0, based on Android 15. It’s a smooth and feature-packed experience. realme UI 6.0 brings new lock screen customizations, refined animations, and Live Alerts, AI features, and more, making the UI more interactive and visually appealing. 

Despite all this, realme UI 6.0 is marred by pre-installed bloatware. Apps like the App Market, Global Search, and the Phone Manager app are particularly intrusive, often pushing notifications. Sure, I can disable these apps, but I wish the experience was clean out of the box. 

The device also comes with a ton of recommendation options enabled by default during the setup. Oh, and there’s also a “security scan” for apps that you install from the Google Play Store—seems redundant to me. This can be disabled too.

The device promises three years of OS updates and four years of security updates. This means that the realme GT 7 Pro would get updates up to realme UI 9.0 (Android 18). So, while realme UI 6.0 brings meaningful upgrades, a cleaner out-of-the-box experience would have made it more user-friendly.

AI Features

The realme GT 7 Pro is packed with several AI-powered features—some new and some existing ones. One of the new features is AI Sketch-to-Image, which allows users to draw anything, and the AI converts it into a 3D cartoon, futuristic image, a watercolor-style illustration, or something else. It is also available on the sidebar.

You can access this feature through the sidebar and the Gallery app, and it also supports generating up to 10 images per day. Another notable feature is AI Unblur, which helps clear up blurry images caused by motion. However, this seems to work only half the time. And with human faces, it sometimes completely changes the skin tones and colors. Either way, it is a nice to have feature.

The good old AI Eraser can now instantly remove people from photos with ease, in addition to brush and Smart Lasso.

Additionally, AI Ultra Clarity can enhance image quality by improving the overall clarity, but it looks way too artificial to me, to be honest.

realme has also included some AI tools for text-related tasks. There’s AI Writer, which can generate text in three distinct tones—Artistic, Casual, or Emoji. This feature is available from the sidebar in compatible apps such as Notes, Twitter, and more. 

Furthermore, the Recorder app can transcribe and summarize audio, including calls, and automatically save the transcriptions in the Notes app. It can do that for several languages too—including Hindi. And you also get a nice Live Alert at the top while the summary is being generated.

On the gaming side, realme has implemented AI Gaming Super Frame and AI Super Resolution, which work to improve frame rates and visual quality in certain games like Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail, and more. 

There’s also the AI Studio app, which you can use to generate realistic AI portraits of yourself or simply anyone. You get 5,000 credits to begin with; each generation (4 images) will cost you 10 credits, but it can be earned back by checking in daily.

Oh, and there is AI Screen Recognition and AI Smart Loop, too. All of these features surely make realme UI 6.0 on the realme GT 7 Pro very practical in addition to it being smooth.

realme GT 7 Pro Review: Biometrics

The realme GT 7 Pro features Qualcomm’s 2nd generation ultrasonic fingerprint scanner, which is conveniently placed on the screen. It works reliably even with wet fingers, and realme claims it can be used underwater. Oh, and registering a new fingerprint takes only 4 taps.

Unlike optical scanners that rely on screen light to scan your finger, the ultrasonic scanner uses sound waves to scan your finger, which is faster and more secure. Additionally, there’s 2D face unlock, which works as expected but is not very secure.

realme GT 7 Pro Review: Performance

The realme GT 7 Pro is equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, the first smartphone in India to feature this processor. It features 2x 4.32 GHz Phoenix L Oryon cores and 6x 3.53 GHz Phoenix M Oryon cores built on TSMC’s second-gen 3nm N3E process. 

The Adreno 830 GPU powers the graphics, and the device comes with up to 16 GB of LPDDR5X RAM and up to 512 GB of UFS 4.0 storage. We tested the 16 GB RAM and 512 GB storage variant, running Android 15 with realme UI 6.0. 

The device also boasts a large 11480mm² double-layer VC global ice core cooling system for thermal management. That said, here’s a summary of the synthetic benchmark performance, both in GT mode and non-GT mode:

Benchmark	GT Mode	Non-GT Mode	Notes
AnTuTu	2,734,614	2,721,980	Similar performance
CPU Stress Test (30-thread, 10 min)	Throttled to 79% (Avg: 300,548 GIPS, Max: 352,757 GIPS)	Throttled to 65% (Avg: 198,632 GIPS, Max: 234,790 GIPS)	Performance drops by 7% more without GT mode.
CPU Stress Test (50-thread, 30 min)	N/A	Throttled to 77% (Avg: 281,611 GIPS, Max: 320,013 GIPS)	No GT mode used for this test
Geekbench 6 (CPU)	Single-Core: 2,848, Multi-Core: 8,832	Single-Core: 2,888, Multi-Core: 9,062	GT mode slightly reduced scores.
Geekbench 6 (GPU)	OpenCL: 18,573, Vulkan: 24,657	OpenCL: 18,941, Vulkan: 21,841	GT mode gave higher Vulkan but slightly lower OpenCL.
3DMark Wild Life Extreme	5,944 (Avg. FPS: 35.60)	6,053 (Avg. FPS: 36.25)	GT mode showed a lower score; temperature rose significantly with intense use.
3DMark Wild Life Extreme Stress Test	Best Loop: 5,209, Lowest Loop: 4,192, Stability: 80.5%	Best Loop: 5,807, Lowest Loop: 4,526, Stability: 77.9%	Temperature: +16°C with GT mode, +13°C without GT mode.
AnTuTu Storage Test	N/A	291,829	Sequential Read: 3,983.7 MB/s, Sequential Write: 3,940.0 MB/s. Random Read: 2,899.0 MB/s, Write: 2,136.0 MB/s.

Gaming Performance

The real power of the realme GT 7 Pro is best seen in gaming. We tested some of the heaviest mobile titles to see how it handles them:

In Honkai: Star Rail, the GT 7 Pro achieved an average FPS of 58.7 with a power draw of 2.16W. The maximum temperature reached 41.3°C, but the device didn’t overheat. I played the game for over 20 minutes with no issues.

For Genshin Impact, I got an average FPS of 59.3 at the Highest settings, with power consumption at 1.99W and a max temperature of 42.7°C. The game ran smoothly, with good performance and temperatures.

In BGMI, running at the Extreme+ settings, it maintained an average FPS of 90, with a maximum temperature of 41.6°C. It doesn’t even break a sweat.

When playing COD: Warzone Mobile on the Verdansk Map with Peak settings, it averaged 86.1 FPS and the maximum temperature was 40.3°C. It even touched 121 FPS for a respectable amount of time.

In GT mode on the COD: Warzone Mobile Domination mode, the device again hit an average FPS of 105.4, with a max temperature of 40.9°C. The graphics were set to Peak, resolution set to High, and Un-capped FPS.

For Wuthering Waves at the highest settings, I recorded an average FPS of 57.8, with power consumption at 2.43W and a max temperature of 42°C. Performance was good, but there was a slight increase in power draw.

Oh, and you can use the AI Gaming Super Frame and AI Super Resolution to take the gaming experience even further with frame generation and graphics upscaling. It only works in certain games, though.

Notably, Warzone Mobile is currently facing performance issues after the v4.0 update, making it highly unoptimized and not running properly. It just shows a blank screen now.

Overall, the device handles most graphically intensive games well, maintaining stable temperatures and decent power consumption. It can definitely handle most Android games well and also emulation if you are into that.

realme GT 7 Pro Review: Cameras

The realme GT 7 Pro is a performance-focused smartphone, so you shouldn’t be expecting the top-tier cameras here. Here are the specs:

• Main: 50 MP Sony IMX906, 1/1.56-inch, f/1.8, OIS, 24mm, PDAF, 8K30, 4K30/4K60 Dolby Vision HDR
• Ultra-wide: 8 MP Sony IMX355, 1/4-inch, f/2.2, 16mm, 1080p30
• Periscope: 50 MP Sony IMX882, 1/1.95-inch, f/2.65, 3x optical, 73mm, OIS, PDAF, 4K30/4K60 Dolby Vision HDR
• Front: 16 MP Sony IMX480, 1/3.1-inch, f/2.45, 24mm, 1080p30/1080p60

Main Camera 

The realme GT 7 Pro’s 50 MP Sony IMX906 main camera (1/1.56-inch, f/1.8, OIS, 24 mm) delivers good daylight photos with natural colors, though sometimes flat. Indoor and low-light shots apply smoothening to suppress noise, but the overall images are quite decent. Skin tones and facial details are mostly accurate, but there’s some over-sharpening. The hightlight control and HDR could have been better.

AI Snap and Live Photos

The realme GT 7 Pro has AI Snap Mode, which is meant for fast-moving subjects. It works across the 1x and 3x lenses, and the image quality takes a hit with a contrast boost and sometimes weird artefacts. It’s for when you want capture the moment without having to worry a lot about image quality. However, I know of other phones that can do much better.

The Live Photo can capture 1.5 seconds before and after the shutter (3 seconds total), which works best with the 1x lens. Plus, when you use Live Photo, the shutter speed increases, letting you capture moving subjects more easily. The feature is available across all lenses, including the front. The results are pretty average.

Underwater Mode

The realme GT 7 Pro can also be used to take photos and videos underwater. I did take a few photos in shallow water, and the results were as expected. So yes, you can take underwater photos and videos using the realme GT 7 Pro, but make sure you don’t submerge it for more than 20 minutes or below 2 meters.

3x Camera 

The 3x telephoto (Sony IMX882, 1/1.95-inch, f/2.65, 73 mm) captures good dynamic range and close-to-natural colors. However, the over-sharpening could’ve been reduced. It’s prevalent in most telephoto shots, which might appeal to some users but not those who prefer natural details. Here are some samples taken in daylight:

In low light, the 3x captures a decent amount of detail and dynamic range. Highlight control is pretty disappointing and it could use improvement. Here are some low-light samples:

Notably, the telephoto lens uses a W-style tetraprism design, which differs from periscope-style lenses and limits its ability to capture close-ups effectively. Why? It’s because the minimum focusing distance is too high at around 50-70 cm, as per my testing. 

Macro 

This brings me to the macro. When trying to take macro shots in 3x mode, the camera switches to the main sensor, resulting in heavily cropped and over-sharpened images that look artificial and unappealing. You can turn off the auto macro and take a close-up with the main lens at 1x or 2x for a much better shot.

Long-range Zoom

Beyond 3x zoom, image quality is still decent. Shots up to 6x and 10x are usable, and beyond that, realme relies on AI-based telephoto zoom, which adds artificial clarity to your photos. Also, the shots are sometimes blurry in low-light. Here are the results:

Portraits

When capturing portraits, skin tones are mostly accurate, and facial details are mostly well-defined. The background blur is also nice, and the edge detection is most on point. You can shoot portraits at 1x, 2x, and 3x. Although low-light portraits at 3x and 6x appear soft and the HDR processing is below average.

Ultra-wide 

The 8 MP ultra-wide camera produces decent photos in daylight, with okayish detail with minimal noise. However, HDR performance is just average, leading to inconsistent results in high-contrast scenarios. Colors are mostly accurate but sometimes they can appear muted due to that over HDR look.

While this camera is useful for capturing wider scenes, its performance in low light is pretty disappointing. Images are plagued by soft details and poor higlight control (inconsistent). Colors remain reasonably accurate but lack vibrancy, and overall, the ultrawide camera fails to deliver satisfactory results. 

Selfies

The 16 MP fixed-focus selfie camera delivers decent results under good lighting conditions. Skin tones are mostly accurate, but the dynamic range is okay-ish, and HDR processing struggles in low-light conditions. Facial details are well preserved, but the results are not very consistent. 

Video 

For video recording, the realme GT 7 Pro’s main camera supports 8K at 30 FPS and 4K at 30/60 FPS. The telephoto camera also supports 4K at 30/60 FPS, while the ultrawide is limited to 1080p at 30 FPS. The front camera supports 1080p at 30/60 FPS; there is no 4K.

Videos shot in 4K from the main and telephoto cameras are generally good, with neutral colors, good dynamic range, and Dolby Vision HDR support. Stabilization is good in both 4K 30 and 4K 60 FPS modes, with smooth results for most scenarios. The ultrawide camera’s video performance is mediocre, with muted colors and very less detail. You cannot switch between ultra-wide and main lenses during recording.

Low-light video quality is decent across the board, with good HDR and acceptable detail levels. However, the 3x zoom exhibits noticeable jitter in 4K. Also, switching from the main to the 3x has an exposure shift issue, which needs to be addressed. Highlight control is a major issue, especially on the front camera.

Overall, the realme GT 7 Pro’s cameras are good for a gaming phone. The main camera captures good photos across various scenarios, and the portraits are excellent. However, the 8 MP ultra-wide could have been better, and the lack of 4K video recording in the selfie camera is a drawback.

realme GT 7 Pro Review: Battery Life and Charging

The realme GT 7 Pro comes with a 5,800 mAh battery in its Indian variant, but the review unit I tested had a larger 6,500 mAh cell. This makes it difficult to draw direct comparisons, but here’s what I experienced with the 6,500 mAh battery.

With heavy usage, including about 1.5 hours of camera use and a lot of gaming, I got around 5.5 to 6 hours of screen-on time. When using the device regularly (light usage), the battery lasted about 8 hours of screen-on time. With the smaller 5,800 mAh battery in the Indian variant, you can expect less endurance.

As for charging, the device supports 120W fast charging. The 6,500 mAh unit takes about 40 minutes to charge fully from 0 to 100%. The smaller 5,800 mAh battery should charge a bit faster, given its lower capacity. 

The device also supports PD charging, which I found to be around 50 to 60W, showing good charging speeds. However, it’s unclear if the 5,800 mAh unit will support the same PD charging speeds.

Review Verdict: Should You Buy the realme GT 7 Pro?