Realme GT 2 assessment: Flagship Filler

Last yr I known as the Realme GT “the brand new flagship killer” and in true smartphone business style, a yr on there is a follow-up. But does the GT 2 have the similar killer intuition?

It’s no longer relatively the similar scenario in 2022, partially as a result of there’s a GT 2 Pro style as effectively. While this is arguably extra of a flagship (it prices £699), the GT 2 get a lot of the similar {hardware} and lines for £150 much less.

It doesn’t have the LTPO 2.0 show with its variable refresh fee all the way down to 1Hz, and makes use of the older Snapdragon 888 fairly than the Pro’s more moderen Gen 1 chip, however for many of us, neither of these items topic.

In truth, the GT 2 is  a extra well-rounded, higher price for cash possibility in some ways. However, in case you already personal a Realme GT, this new style is not going to tempt you to improve.

Design & Build

• ‘Paper-like’ biopolymer rear
• Bigger and heavier than sooner than
• Still no longer water-resistant

In phrases of design, it’s just about unimaginable to inform the 2 new telephones aside. The GT 2 and GT 2 Pro percentage nearly an identical dimensions and styling, so this isn’t an ordinary case of the Pro style being greater.

Perhaps extra importantly, the vegan leather-based possibility from closing yr’s Realme GT 5G with its hanging yellow color is long gone in favour of a ‘paper’ design. Realme has as soon as once more partnered with Japanese clothier Naoto Fukusawa, who labored at the GT Master Edition, to create a biopolymer – yep, that is some other one so as to add to phone vocabulary – that resembles paper.

The company says over twelve months of R&D and over 1000 hours of color checking out have long gone into it with the purpose of making one thing environmentally pleasant, aesthetically satisfying and sturdy.

While I’m no longer certain the result’s in particular paper-like, it’s great to peer Realme doing one thing choice once more and I just like the tiny herringbone trend. It feels great, supplies grip and helps to keep fingerprints at bay, even though the again does really feel relatively plastic on the similar time.

This end is to be had in Paper White or Paper Green however if you wish to stay it conventional, there’s additionally a Steel Black possibility which has a undeniable glass end.

A silver plastic body is much better at hiding what’s it’s product of. It truly seems and appears like steel when oddly, my colleague Toddy discovered the other with the GT 2 Pro. A extra obtrusive distinction between the 2 is that the Pro has a significantly better screen-to-body ratio and subsequently seems extra top rate.

Regardless, the GT 2 is cast and general, it feels great within the hand, however there are smaller and lighter telephones round in case you’re in search of one thing extra compact. The Xiaomi 12 is a up to date instance – if you’ll stretch to slightly more cash – in addition to the OnePlus Nord 2 which is basically an identical in dimension to the unique GT.

It’s a disgrace to not see a headphone jack taking into consideration there’s area for one and Realme unfortunately hadn’t added any roughly IP dust- and water-resistant ranking.

Screen & Speakers

• 6.62in AMOLED
• Full HD+
• 120Hz

The major reason why the GT 2 is greater than its predecessor is the bigger 6.62in (vs 6.43in) show, that means it is going to attraction extra to these in search of a big-screen phone. It would possibly no longer sound like a lot of a distinction, however the authentic GT feels extra petite.

Otherwise, specifications are in large part nonetheless the similar with an AMOLED panel, Full HD+ answer, HDR10+ fortify and a refresh fee of 120Hz.

If you’re taking into consideration the GT 2 Pro, as discussed above, it has LPTO 2.0 generation that means the refresh fee can dynamically exchange all of the means from 120- all the way down to 1Hz relying on what you’re doing to save lots of energy.

It additionally has the next answer and a quite upper quoted top brightness however no longer sufficient at the latter to topic. I measured top brightness with automated adjustment switched off at a tight 507 nits the usage of a Spyder X.

For the general public even though, the GT 2’s show can be lots excellent sufficient. It’s colourful, responsive and I truly don’t have any lawsuits about it. If you don’t just like the default profile, you’ll all the time cross and alter it within the settings menu the place you’ll additionally in finding such things as a watch convenience mode, symbol sharpener and extra.

Back to the refresh fee and you’ll choose 120Hz underneath ‘prime’ or the phone can auto-select between 60- and 120Hz in line with what app you’re the usage of.

The fingerprint scanner is as soon as once more embedded within the show and labored rather well for me, hardly ever requiring a couple of try to log in. You too can use it to measure your middle fee if you want.

In phrases of audio, there are stereo audio system and whilst there’s various quantity on be offering, the sound high quality isn’t anything else particular. It’s no longer unhealthy however the frequency reaction is slender resulting in a slightly limited sound high quality.

Specs & Performance

• Still Snapdragon 888
• Up to 12GB RAM
• Up to 256GB garage

It’s a case of all quiet at the Western Front in the case of the core specifications as a result of that bullet level listing above is not any other to the unique GT.

That’s to not say the GT 2 doesn’t be offering excellent specifications, that’s a cast providing however any individual the usage of closing yr’s GT could also be upset on the loss of upgrades right here. With LPDDR5 and UFS3.1 requirements reminiscence and garage requirements already in position Realme didn’t truly have any place to move.

The more moderen Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC has been stored for the GT 2 Pro, as a substitute, however the 888 nonetheless has so much to present together with integrated 5G and various uncooked efficiency. It simply is dependent how fussed you’re about having the latest chipset.

There’s both 8- or 12GB of RAM paired with 128- or 256GB with 3 combos of the ones capacities. Note that the entry-level style is simplest to be had in Steel Black in the United Kingdom, even though.

I’ve examined the top-spec style and had no qualms with efficiency. In truth, the GT 2 scored higher than the Pro style in uncooked CPU assessments like Geekbench 5.

It additionally capped at 60fps regardless of being set to 120Hz and also you’ll in finding this with video games, too, so the ones in search of most fps must glance in other places – the Nubia Red Magic 7 is an identical worth – however 60fps continues to be completely clean for many video games.

There’s a GT mode you’ll transfer on in fast settings for additonal efficiency, but it surely doesn’t appear to make stronger any benchmark effects. In truth, I noticed the Geekbench 5 ranking cross down.

The final analysis is this phone is extremely succesful and must ship clean operation for years. You additionally get first rate wi-fi specifications together with NFC, Bluetooth 5.2 and Wi-Fi 6.

Cameras

• 50Mp major sensor
• 8Mp ultrawide
• 2Mp macro
• 16Mp selfie

Much like different {hardware} at the phone, the GT 2 hasn’t modified a complete lot in comparison to its predecessor within the images division. Three of the cameras are close to an identical whilst the primary sensor has if truth be told dropped from 64- to 50Mp however this Sony IMX766 sensor has advantages like greater pixels and much more importantly optical symbol stabilisation (OIS).

This Sony sensor is a well-liked selection for lots of phone makers and it’s simple to peer why. It gives first rate ranges of element, excellent low gentle efficiency and the OIS makes it a good selection for clean video recording, too (even though 8K recording is stored for the GT 2 Pro if that bothers you).

While level and shoot effects will galvanize maximum customers, in case you love to analyse your images or get it blown up for prints then there’s a bit an excessive amount of noise in some spaces like clouds. I’ve additionally discovered the GT 2 has a tendency to oversaturate colors, in particular crimson and inexperienced. This partially comes down to non-public choice as even if the pictures glance excellent, I favor a extra herbal glance.

As according to its predecessor, the ultrawide and macro cameras are restricted in what they may be able to be offering.

Starting with the ultrawide, there’s the standard drop in high quality taking into consideration it’s simplest 8Mp and the colors aren’t in particular in step with the primary digicam both, in large part as a result of they’re extra herbal the place the primary digicam has a tendency to oversaturate.

Still, it’s to hand to have from time to time and is way more helpful than the 2Mp macro digicam that turns out to crop up on such a lot of telephones at the present time. It’s the similar outdated tale right here the place it’s tough to take excellent pictures as you want to be an exact distance from the topic for it to be in focal point.

(*2*)

The photograph of the cork within the gallery took me a ways too many makes an attempt and I nearly gave up. Even while you do get it proper, there’s restricted element because of the low answer of the sensor. The simplest actual sure here’s that Realme not hides the ‘Ultra Macro’ mode in a unusual a part of the digicam app, however as same old you may as effectively use the primary digicam and cropping in.

The 16Mp stays the similar and that’s to mention, it gives first rate high quality general and features a portrait mode. It’s about common for a mid-range phone in 2022.

Battery Life & Charging

• 5000mAh
• 65W charging
• Adapter integrated

This phase is an actual spotlight for the GT 2 as for starters the massive 5000mAh battery method the phone can closing a truly very long time. Being at a pc many of the day at house method I’m usually a lighter consumer, that means I may just get 3 days of utilization, however even on the weekend once I’m no longer tied to a table it nonetheless conveniently lasted two days.

In the PCMark Work 3.0 battery take a look at we topic all telephones to, it lasted an excellent 11 hours and 46 mins, outpacing maximum others.

This is all with the display set to 120Hz as effectively so even heavy customers who drain the battery sooner with lengthy sessions of gaming must in finding it lasting longer than many opponents. And even if it does get low or die, the GT 2 may also be charged in no time certainly.

The integrated 65W SuperDart charger can get the phone to a excellent 44% after simply quarter-hour and 90% after half-hour. As you may be expecting because of the biopolymer again, there’s no wi-fi charging right here.

Software & Apps

• Android 12
• Realme UI 3.0
• Three years of OS updates

On the tool entrance, the Realme GT 2 comes with Android 12 and the newest Realme UI 3.0 so it’s very a lot up to the moment.

The newest model is sweet and blank at the complete with a appear and feel very similar to the Pixel 6. It additionally makes some great refinements equivalent to tweaked icon design and there’s a Smart Sidebar you’ll use to get entry to your favorite apps or options it doesn’t matter what you’re doing.

That’s no longer precisely one thing that hasn’t been carried out sooner than even though and the phone comes with issues we’d fairly no longer see equivalent to a raft of pre-installed apps and I’ve in my view discovered the settings menu a bit tough to navigate.

The default wallpaper mimics the paper-like rear of the phone which is a pleasant contact however Realme UI 3.0 can do Android 12 such things as routinely fit the color of UI components in line with the wallpaper you select.

I skilled a couple of small insects all over my time with the phone. These have been basically overlay problems the place, as an example, a WhatApp notification will get caught at the display whilst I’m in a distinct chat thread.

It was once common sufficient to be a major factor and expectantly, Realme varieties this out quickly with an replace. Speaking of which, you get a cast 3 years of OS updates with the GT 2 which must take you to Android 15.

Price & Availability

You should buy the Realme GT 2 from the legitimate retailer now and the phone prices £499 or £549 relying on which style you select.

There are two SKUs of the phone to be had in order that beginning worth gets you 8GB of RAM and 128GB of garage, however paying the additional £50 will spice up you to an excellent 12/256GB.

As discussed previous even though, the less expensive style isn’t to be had within the Paper White or Paper Green fashions in the United Kingdom so if you wish to have the fascinating biopolymer again, you’re pressured into the dearer possibility.

You should buy the phone from the legitimate Realme retailer in addition to outlets equivalent to Amazon

The worth method it’s no longer as reasonable as the unique GT however continues to be less expensive than many giant title rival flagships such because the Google Pixel 6, Xiaomi 12 and Samsung Galaxy S22. The hole being smaller method it’s no longer a no-brainer, even though.

You too can cross so much less expensive and nonetheless get a super phone with examples such because the OnePlus Nord 2, Poco X4 Pro 5G and Motorola Moto G200.

Check out our charts of the very best mid-range telephones and very best smartphones to peer what different choices you’ve.

Verdict

The Realme GT 2 is some other cast phone from the company, however I believe love it’s extra of a flagship filler than flagship killer – sitting between closing yr’s GT and the brand new GT 2 Pro.

That’s to not say you should not purchase it, simply that it’s much less of a no-brainer this time round. Not a complete lot has modified for the reason that authentic GT with a lot of the similar spec sheet and I in my view favor the hanging vegan leather-based design fairly than this new biopolymer one.

With the next worth and the entry-level style restricted to the Steel Black (non-biopolymer) colourway, it’s simply were given extra of a task on its fingers competing with quite a lot of telephones at a identical worth or frequently a lot decrease.

A loss of waterproofing, wi-fi charging and the ones fundamental ultrawide and macro cameras are all disappointing. However, if the odd biopolymer design does take your fancy, you then’re getting a well-spec’d phone with above-average battery lifestyles and fast 65W charging.

Specs

Realme GT 2: Specs

• Android 12 w/ Realme UI 3.0
• 6.62in Full HD+, 120Hz AMOLED show
• Corning Gorilla Glass 5
• Snapdragon 888 5G
• Adreno 660 GPU
• 8/12GB LPDDR5 RAM
• 128/256GB UFS 3.1 garage
• 50Mp major f/1.8 Sony IMX766 sensor w/ OIS
• 8Mp ultrawide f/2.2 w/ 119° FoV
• 2Mp macro f/2.4
• 16Mp front-facing f/2.5 Sony IMX417 sensor w/ 78° FoV
• Super Linear Dual Speakers
• USB-C
• 5G
• Bluetooth 5.2
• WiFi 6
• NFC
• 5000mAh battery
• 67W speedy charging
• 162.9mm x 75.8mm x 8.6mm
• 200g (Steel Black), 195g (Paper White/Green)