I’ve tried a lot of great phones this year, from the luxurious iPhone 14 Pro Max to the cheap and impressive Redmi Note 11 Pro. However, one phone stuck with me like no other, the Realme GT 2 Pro.
Realme is still a young brand, only founded in 2018, but when I reviewed the GT 2 Pro earlier in the year, it felt like the company’s first fully mature product. It’s a worthy contender in the best Android phones space, while also standing out in some unique ways.
For starters, the phone retails for £699, which is cheaper than the base Galaxy S22 or OnePlus 10 Pro. You can get an unlocked version of Realme GT Pro for $697 through Newegg (Opens in a new tab).
The only comparable phone at this price is the Google Pixel 7 Pro, which is a great phone in its own right. But it focuses on photography and software intelligence, which may not satisfy every user.
Instead, the Realme GT 2 Pro is a performance-focused phone. It uses the powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, along with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage for an impressive power-to-price ratio. It also offers 65W charging (thanks to its stable mates OnePlus and Oppo), which is faster than the majority of smartphones currently on sale. You also get “360-degree NFC” to make contactless payments easier.
Realme’s design also stands out in the right way, too. Featured with its laser etched pattern, the green biopolymer is a material and texture you won’t find in any other phones today. It also means that the phone is surprisingly light for a 6.7-inch phone, although if you don’t like the biopolymer design and don’t mind a little more weight, you can also reclaim traditional glass.
It’s a shame Realme doesn’t sell its products in the US, and the GT 2 series isn’t available in Australia. You can always import one from abroad, but if you do, you’ll have to make sure that the cell phone bands available match the ones the carriers have in your country.
The other major limitation of the Realme GT2 Pro is its cameras. While during testing I found that there was a significant jump in camera quality compared to that of the Realme GT from last year, it still isn’t quite as good in the same way as this year’s best camera phones. But even here, the GT 2 Pro won me over a bit with photography because of its fun microscope sensor that lets you take more close-ups than any comparable phone.
The Realme GT 2 Pro gives you similar specs to leading Android phones at a lower price, plus some features you won’t find anywhere else. It has cemented Realme’s position as a rising star in the smartphone world (no easy task). And if you can get your hands on it where you live, it belongs on your shortlist if you’re looking for a flagship Android phone right now.
