Realme GT 2 Pro review: a powerful phone that looks like paper

If you’ve landed on this Realme GT 2 Pro review then chances are you’re looking to buy one of the best phones out there right now, but you’re not limiting yourself to the most obvious choices. If I were to sum up this handset in three words I’d call it powerful, stylish and reliable. 

Realme is no stranger to T3’s guide to the best cheap phones - devices like the Realme 9 Pro and the Realme 8 Pro are fantastic options for anyone on a budget - but the Realme GT 2 Pro is different, it's their first flagship-level handset that hopes to take on the giants at the more premium end of the market. 

A bit of a dark horse when it comes to the best Android phones, Realme is one of the first manufacturers of the year to step up its game when it comes to performance and fast charging. Even despite that, this handset manages to come in at a mid-range price, making those top-tier features accessible to even more people, something we really love to see. 

Let’s get down to it then, read on for the full Realme GT 2 Pro review. 

Realme GT 2 Pro review: price and availability 

After having launched at MWC 2022, you’ll be able to buy the Realme GT 2 Pro from the 8th of March in the UK and Europe. It’ll come in two different variants, one with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, and the other with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Prices will start from £599 which is about the same as the Google Pixel 6 or the Samsung Galaxy S21.

For those looking to spend even less than this, they will also be releasing the Realme GT 2, keep an eye out for that review which will be coming to T3 soon. 

Unfortunately, neither of these devices will be available to buy in the US and we are yet to hear anything about availability in Australia. 

Take a look at the widgets on this page to see where you can buy one in your region. 

Realme GT 2 Pro review: design and display 

Created to look and feel like paper, the Realme GT 2 Pro has a unique and distinctive design developed by world-renowned industrial designer Naoto Fukasawa whose signature is featured on the casing of the device - it won’t be to everyone’s tastes but those who like it will love it. 

You can buy the Realme GT 2 Pro in Paper White, Paper Green and if you’re not so keen on the texture then you can also buy it in a classy black colourway. Made from biopolymer material, it’s also eco-conscious, which ties in well with the paper-like design and is likely to be a big plus point for a lot of people. 

The plastic build not only looks good but it feels durable too, you get the impression that this is a phone that will survive a few knocks and bumps. Don’t drop it into a body of water though because it doesn’t have an IP rating so it’s not reliably waterproof. 

In the box, the phone comes with a protective case but while it will prevent any damage, it does ruin the paper-like design. 

On the back, there’s a rectangular notch packing its three-lens camera system and on the front, the selfies snapper sits in the top left corner of the display. Around the frame, you’ll find a volume rocker and power button as well as the USB-C port to charge it. If you still use wired headphones then it could be time to upgrade to Bluetooth because the Realme GT 2 Pro doesn’t feature a 3.5mm audio port. 

Weighing 189g and measuring 163 x 75 x 8mm, this isn’t a massive handset so it’ll be a good size if you have smaller hands or if you just prefer something more compact.

The 6.7-inch 2K WQHD+ display is one of the very best things about this phone, it has a 3216 × 1440p resolution and an impressive 1,400 nits peak brightness. You’ll easily be able to use this for watching videos as well as snapping and editing shots. There’s even a 120Hz refresh rate so you’ll get super smooth scrolling, swiping and tapping across all of your apps, including mobile games.

To unlock the handset, there’s both facial recognition and an in-display fingerprint sensor - both work quickly and efficiently most of the time.

Realme GT 2 Pro review: camera system 

For amateur photographers, the Realme GT 2 Pro will do a good enough job. You’ll get a 50MP primary camera, a 50MP ultra-wide-angle camera and a 40x microscopic lens that lets you get right up close to your subject and take shots of its intricate details (although I'm not sure how useful that actually is). On the front, there's a 32MP selfie camera. 

Deciding to leave out the telescopic lens, Realme has put much more focus on their ultra-wide-angle camera which, at a huge 150°, is a world-first. Realme told us that this is because the wide-angle camera is much more popular than the telescopic lens, and if you want to, you can always blow up the image using digital zoom anyway through their camera software. This setup gives you the best of both worlds. 

Take a look at the gallery below for examples of photos taken on the Realme GT 2 Pro. 

Image 1 of 10

When I tested out the camera on a sunny day, I was mostly pleased with the results, shots camera out looking pretty detailed with accurate colours and a good amount of balance between light and dark areas. Admittedly, there were a few photos that looked a little dulled out, and it didn't always focus exactly where you needed it to, but the majority of the images I captured were vibrant and sharp. And the ultra-wide mode was able to fit loads into the shot without losing out too much on detail.

One quite obvious downside was the digital zoom which did leave a lot to be desired because photos came out looking very grainy so you're unlikely to use them online nor would I expect you to be printing those images out.

Although the camera could be improved, those who just need something to snap casual shots on here and there will get on fine with this.

Realme GT 2 Pro review: performance and battery 

So how does this phone compare to the top dogs when it comes to performance? Looking at the specs, you’d expect it to hold its own, packing in the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor and an Adreno GPU. The model I tested out boasted 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage as well. 

Using it felt smooth and fast, I had no problems at all with lag or loading times and it responded quickly even when I had multiple apps open at once. It’s fantastic for playing mobile games on too. To cut a long story short, this is a phone that can handle it all. 

Backing that up, the Realme GT 2 Pro managed to pick up some seriously impressive Geekbench 5 scores, those being 1,243 in single-core and 3,612 in multi-core. That’s about the same as other high-end flagships like the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra and the OnePlus 9 Pro, but it completely tramples the scores achieved by some other top phones like the Google Pixel 6 Pro. If you want powerful performance without spending upwards of a grand then this handset is the way to go. 

As you’d expect, the Realme GT 2 Pro also supports both 5G and Wi-Fi 6 so you can browse the web at record speeds, as long as you live in an area that supports it and you own a compatible Wi-Fi router at home. 

Under the hood, there’s a huge 5,000mAh battery. To find out how long it would last, I cranked up the brightness all the way and ran a local video over the space of two hours. In that time, the battery level dropped by 20% suggesting it would have lasted about 10 hours in total.  

Now here’s where things get really interesting: charging times. While there’s no wireless charging, you do get Realme’s 65W SuperDart Charge and everything you need is included in the box. They claim that you’ll be able to get a full charge in just 33 minutes. Naturally, I put it to the test and it managed to do exactly that. 

Behind the scenes, the phone uses the Realme UI 3.0 interface which is based on Android 12. Laid out in a very intuitive way, you'll get used to it very quickly. I would say that the icons, fonts and colours look a little cartoonish but if you can get past that then you should get on well with it.

When you first boot up the Realme GT 2 Pro there are a few popular apps that come pre-installed including Facebook and Amazon, as well as some less useful ones like Booking.com and PUBG Mobile which you might want to uninstall.

With the Realme GT 2 Pro, you'll be guaranteed 3 years of Android updates and 4 years of security updates.

Realme GT 2 Pro review: verdict 

The Realme GT 2 Pro is sure to make an impact in the smartphone world. Its top-end performance, super-fast charging and stunning screen are flagship-level but actually, the price and size of it are more middle-ground. 

If you want a killer camera then you may want to look elsewhere as this is more for the casual and amateur photographer. But that's not to say it isn't able to produce good shots, because it can, as long as you get the lighting and focus spot on. 

So there are a few areas where this handset could be improved and the design may not be for everyone, but all things considered, I would recommend the Realme GT 2 Pro because it is excellent value for money.

Realme GT 2 Pro review: also consider  

If you're looking for something a bit cheaper than this, then I'd suggest taking a look at the OnePlus Nord 2. Rated five stars in its T3 review, the OnePlus Nord 2 does well across the board and it looks fantastic too. 

Those who would put the camera quality above all else and who don't mind spending a little more than this should take a look at the OnePlus 9. It's a premium Android phone that takes incredible shots, it was one of our favourite phones of 2021.