When it comes to charging, this phone is a real speed demon

The best phones, and in particular the best Android phones, like to boast about their fast charging speeds – but I can't think of a single one that charges as quickly as the Realme GT Neo 5. 

The numbers are extraordinary. The GT Neo 5's big 4,600mAh battery charges from flat to 20% in just 80 seconds, and it only takes 4 minutes to reach a half charge. Fully charging from flat? 9.5 minutes. That's barely enough time for a coffee.

You can't just plug the GT Neo 5 into a standard USB charger, though: you'll need the included Realme charger and cable, which can deliver 240W of charging power. The adapter also works with USB-PD up to 65W as well as the VOOC (Voltage Open Loop Multi-step Constant-Current Charging - catchy, I know) systems used by some OnePlus and other Realme devices. 

A smartphone you'll want to show off

The charging speed is the unique selling point here, but the phone itself is pretty great to look at too. There's a fun Snapdragon image on the back that's covered in glass and surrounded by a slightly curved, illuminated rectangle, and you can customise its colours to show specific kinds of alerts, charging status and other key visual cues. 

The display is 144Hz with 1,500Hz touch sampling, and the camera assembly includes a 50MP main camera, 8MP ultra-wide and 2MP macro camera, with a Sony IMX890 sensor inside. 

You can't buy this phone just yet, but Realme says the global launch will be soon. Price-wise a direct Yuan-to-GBP conversion means around £390 for 16GB/256GB; upping the storage to a terabyte takes that up only slightly, to £425. However, those conversions don't take things like VAT and other costs into account so the prices may be different.

This isn't the only phone Realme is powering up. It's about to launch the Realme GT 3, which will also get 240W fast charging. However it's unclear whether that phone will be quite so good-looking as the Neo GT 5. We'll find out more at the annual MWC show, which takes place at the end of February.