Realme GT 8 Pro Review: So Close to Perfection

Realme's GT series is known to offer the best chipset at the most affordable price, while cutting corners in other areas. But this year, they are experimenting with something new, building a proper flagship with the best performance, display, battery and the cameras too. Well, I've been using this flagship for a week, and I'll tell you whether this experiment paid off, or if it's just more of the same in this review of the Realme GT 8 Pro.

Realme GT 8 Pro Unboxing

Before I start with the review, here's everything that's included inside the box of the Realme GT 8 Pro: 

Realme GT 8 Pro: Build and Design 

The design of the Realme GT 8 Pro is pretty standard for a 2025 slab phone with a flat screen display. It has tapered sides, rounded corners, and a thin camera bump. However, the waist is slimmer, unlike its cousins, meaning it is narrower, which makes it manageable to hold. Seriously, I didn't need to stretch my fingers to have a firm grip on the phone. 

It is still on the thick and heavier side, thanks to the large battery inside. But the in-hand feel is better than that of the Oppo Find X9 Pro. I have the Frosted Glass variant, though the irony is that its not actually glass, but fibre-reinforced plastic. It's the same material we have seen on the SandStorm variant of the OnePlus 15. Though, the velvety texture on the frame and back offers a much premium impression. 

As for the camera bump, Realme has left it up to you to decide the shape of the camera deco. Yes, you can unscrew and choose between circle, rectangle or octagon shapes. So get a circular camera cutout, if that's your style. I like the octagon one cause it makes the cameras resemble WALL-E.

The best part is that you don't need to go looking for different camera deco's as it will be included with the phone itself. I know it is not a big deal that many would care for, but I admire Realme for experimenting with something new. It's the kind of interesting thing I would love to see more brands try than just the boring old spec upgrade year over year. 

Realme GT 8 Pro: Display Quality 

The display of the Realme GT 8 Pro is equally velvety smooth and pretty to look at. It's a large screen with practically no bezels, and outputs vibrant colours with sharp contrast. This makes all the content appear close to its natural tone. It is not overtly saturated, but you can switch to the Vivid colour profile if you prefer a boosted look.

Unlike another unsettling device, Realme has not compromised on resolution. It has a 1440p 2K display, which offers crisp, detailed visuals, an excellent multimedia experience, and a gaming experience that is as smooth as a wet floor, all thanks to the 144 Hz refresh rate. However, Realme might have gone with an LTPS panel at some cost, since it is cheaper but consumes more battery. 

The brightness has also been improved, offering an even clearer view of the screen as I took the phone under direct sunlight. With such hardware, it makes up for one of the best display mobile phones for the price. 

But what elevates the multimedia experience is its stereo boom boxes. Seriously, the speakers get so loud that even my friend had to ask me if I had paired the phone with a Bluetooth speaker. On that note, I found that our review unit didn't connect to USB-C-based IEMs during the testing phase. This could be a software-centric issue which we hope gets fixed  eventually in a future update. 

Realme GT 8 Pro: Performance Tested

The highlight of the Realme GT 8 Pro is its latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor. This beast of a chip delivers insane levels of performance. Don't believe me? Here are the benchmark results to prove it. 

In everyday use, the Realme GT 8 Pro blows through every task like a jet ski on water. During my review period, I never felt any lag, jitter, or hiccup. It's so good that it has spoiled other phones for me.

Even demanding titles like Weathering Waves ran at 60 FPS on high graphics like it's nothing. That said, it does get warm after a long session, but it is nowhere as bad as the Pixel 10, iPhone 17 or the OnePlus 13R. Other titles like COD: Mobile, BGMI can do up to 144 FPS on the lowest graphics, and I must say, it is as good as it gets.

There is enough performance headroom that I tried emulation, playing The Rise of the Tomb Raider, which ran at 45 FPS with everything set to low. It's not bad given it's a mobile chipset. 

Realme GT 8 Pro: Software and Updates 

The Realme GT 8 Pro comes with Realme UI 7 based on Android 16. The latest flavour of Realme's OS looks all too familiar, since it is exactly same as the OxygenOS 16 that I tried during my OnePlus 15 review. It's just the same experience, with fluid app animations, tons of customization options, new Flux themes, folder and app resizing, lockscreen widgets, and so much more. 

The software does look heavily inspired from Apple's iOS 26. But I don't mind that at all, but I did mind some of the added bloatware apps like App Market which kept annoying me with unnecessary notifications. Also, weirdly the GT 8 Pro is missing a customisable button like OnePlus 13s or the Oppo Find X9. This meant I couldn't use the record function for MindSpace, or mute the phone when needed. 

Realme GT 8 Pro: Camera Tested

Realme GT 7 Pro was criticized for its mediocre cameras, so the company is leaving no stone unturned this time. The camera stack is more capable, and Realme has even partnered with camera maker Ricoh, to improve the colour science. So how fruitful is this partnership? 

The main lens takes neat and vivid looking shots with a good amount of detail during the day. It handles dynamic range well, and the highlights are on point offering a saturated look. But I noticed that the sharpness is inconsistent in some photos. As you can see in the shot of the metro station, the trees have a jittery look to them, but in some photos, they appear very clear. 

The night-time photos are clean thanks to the bigger sensor. There is visible noise in the viewfinder. The AI tries to clean it up and improve overexposure, but it leaves a hazy effect in some pictures. The overall shots are good, but it can use some software improvements.

The ultrawide lens is a big upgrade from last year's 8 MP sensor, taking some detailed shots even at night. It also allows you to record 4K 60 FPS videos from this sensor. 

The periscope camera is another giant leap. I have taken some stunning close-ups and portrait shots with it. It's the only other phone in the segment with a 200 MP lens apart from the Vivo X300. It pays off in Realme's favour. Just look at how stunning the shot of the foosball table comes out. 

There's also a Ricoh mode, which features some preset filters or you can create your own. My favourite pick was the Monotone and Hi-Contrast B&W ones, allowing me to take some artistic-looking shots. It's a good addition and definitely worth a try. 

The selfie snapper is now twice as more capable and captures good photos with a natural tone. However, I don't like how it smoothens skin, even after turning off all the Retouch options. 

The Realme GT 8 Pro can also record videos at 4K 60 FPS from all lenses, and 120 FPS from the main lens. The footage is stable and scenic and I did not encounter any focus hunting issues while recording during my review journey. 

Realme GT 8 Pro: Battery Life and Charging 

I think the Realme GT 8 Pro hits a sweet spot for battery size with its 7,000 mAh capacity. Its a shy smaller than the new Oppo or OnePlus. But it is easily lasts me throughout a day. giving an average screen on time of 8 hours. This kind of endurance is more than enough for many people. 

The provided 120W adapter recharges the phone from 0–100% in less than one hour. It can also charge wirelessly, but the wired charging was so fast that I never found the need to use it. 

Bottom Line: Should You Buy the Realme GT 8 Pro?

The Realme GT 8 Pro gets a lot of things right – a hi-res display, bigger battery, better cameras and even a design that's not too flashy. It has all the traits for a good flagship phone, and I wish this was the OnePlus 15 we should have got instead.

It has all the traits to take on the likes of iQOO 15 except for one – its price. It will go on sale for Rs 72,999, and for that, it becomes a difficult sell. Since there are phones like the Nothing Phone (3), Oppo Find X9, the OnePlus 15, and there are also upcoming devices like the Vivo X300. That's why I would only suggest you get the Realme GT 8 Pro if it goes on sale or is available at a good discount.