Realme GT 2 Review: Can the GT 2 Pro’s younger sibling be a wise alternative?

The Realme GT 2 Pro is the best smartphone the company has made so far, but there’s a more affordable GT 2 with many identical features, as well as the same eco-friendly design, but for £150 less…

This review is slightly different to most of my reviews, in that the phones are so similar it would be silly to simply repeat large chunks of text with slightly different specifications included.

I’ve decided instead to recommend you start off by reading my Realme GT 2 Pro review in full, then come back to this to see the main differences that may, or may not, have you deciding the GT 2 is the better option.

Design & Build

Spot the difference between the two models? It’s pretty difficult isn’t it? There’s very little to tell the two devices apart – which demonstrates the joint development of these two models, and why they’re so similar in so many ways.

The Paper White or Paper Green versions come with the same eco-friendly recycled materials forming the rear casing, which not only means you can kiss goodby to fingerprints – but also feel comfortable in keeping the phone out of a case (but you do get a case supplied with both models).

	Realme GT 2	Realme GT 2 Pro
Size	162.9 x 75.8 x 8.6mm	163.2 x 74.7 x 8.2mm
Weight	194.5g	189g
Screen	6.62-inch 1080×2400 AMOLED 60/120Hz HDR10+ 1300nits Peak brightness Gorilla Glass 5	6.7-inch 1440×3216 AMOLED LTPO 2 (1-120Hz) HDR10+ 1400nits Peak brightness Gorilla Glass Victus
Audio	Stereo Sound with Dolby Atmos	Stereo Sound with Dolby Atmos
Colours	Paper White, Paper Green, Steel Black or Titanium Blue	Paper White, Paper Green, Steel Black or Titanium Blue

Display

The key difference on the two displays is the lower resolution display on the GT 2, and a slightly thicker bezel at the base.

Are these dealbreakers? Well, many people feel a 2K resolution is overkill on screens below 7 or 8-inches in size, and by default many phones come with Full HD+ set as the default – so users don’t even experience the extra quality without going into settings.

With both displays being flat, there’s even less to tell them apart.

The slightly larger bezel is a small issue, although when it comes to power saving, the adjustable refresh rate on the GT 2 Pro does give it an edge – as well as the higher peak brightness that may improve your media consumption experience.

Camera

	Realme GT 2	Realme GT 2 Pro
Main Camera	50-megapixel Sony IMX766 f/1.8 1.0µm PDAF & OIS	50-megapixel Sony IMX766 f/1.8 1.0µm PDAF & OIS
Ultra-wide Camera	8-megapixel f/2.2 119-degree Field-of-View	50-megapixel Samsung f/2.2 150-degree Field-of-View
Third Camera	2-megapixel macro camera f/2.4	3-megapixel microscope camera f/3.3
Selfie Camera	16-megapixel f/2.5	32-megapixel f/2.4
Video	Up to 4K 60fps EIS	Up to 8K 24fps (4K 30/60fps) EIS

With both models having the same primary camera, the only real difference comes from the lower-quality ultra-wide camera and a lower resolution selfie camera. When it comes to the third camera, neither are really that essential so the difference doesn’t really matter.

The GT 2 has a 2-megapixel macro camera that is easily forgotten, while the GT 2 Pro has the microlens (microscope) camera that can be a bit of fun, but hardly something you’ll use often beyond a few fun snaps around the home (and when you realise how much dust there is on just about everything, you’ll possibly never dare use again).

It’s notable that Oppo didn’t use this microscope camera on the Find X5 Pro after it featured on the Find X3 Pro, and I don’t think anyone started protesting on the streets.

Video wise, the GT 2 can’t do 8K video recording. Do you have an 8K TV or think you’re likely to get one? That’s you answer to the question about whether 8K is a must-have or not.

Photo Gallery

Performance & Battery

With both models having flagship chipsets (2021 flagship for the GT 2 and 2022 flagship for the GT 2 Pro) you are still at the top of the tree when it comes to performance. If you can make do with a little less grunt, the Realme 9 Pro+ might be more up your street.

	Realme GT 2	Realme GT 2 Pro
Chipset	Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 Octa-Core	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Octa-Core
GPU	Adreno 660	Adreno 730
RAM + Storage	8-12GB with virtual memory 128 or 256GB UFS3.1 storage	8-12GB with virtual memory 128 or 256GB UFS3.1 storage
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 NFC, USB-C 2.0, USB OtG 4G and 5G support	Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 NFC, USB-C 2.0, USB OtG 4G and 5G support
Battery Capacity	5,000mAh	5,000mAh
Charging Speed	65W wired charging PSU in box	65W wired charging PSU in box

In terms of benchmarking, you can see that the GT 2 Pro performance (in the grand scheme of things) isn’t that far out in front. Clearly the performance from last year’s Snapdragon 888 is still exceptional, and you won’t likely find any situation where you could be left feeling wanting for more.

It’s notable that the GT 2 ran hotter when running the test, but consumed less battery power, so it’s swings and roundabouts.

Realme itself claimed to have topped the 1 million mark on AnTuTu but I never got anything higher than the published score above, and at this level you really are at the top of the game where it really doesn’t make much difference in day-to-day life. Only fanboys would be upset by scores like that of either phone.

Overall

If you can’t quite decide between the GT 2 and the GT 2 Pro, it really comes down to whether you need the extra performance afforded to you by Qualcomm’s latest and greatest chipset on the GT 2 Pro, or you’d prefer the flexibility of the 50-megapixel ultra-wide over the more mundane 8-megapixel camera on the GT 2.

For just about everything else, the GT 2 isn’t a whole lot different. With a saving of £150, you can still have more power on tap than you’re ever likely to need, along with the same green credentials, plus an equal battery capacity and charging speed. There’s the same connectivity and almost identical software (just a couple of omissions like 10-bit photo capturing), so it really comes down to wanting a better display and that 150-degree ultra-wide.

And, if even the GT 2 seems like overkill then there’s the Realme 9 Pro+ that’s cheaper still – and also packs in the same amazing camera that seems to be flavour-of-the-month right now.

Key Specifications

	Realme GT 2
Size/Weight	162.9 x 75.8 x 8.6mm (194.5g)
Screen	6.62-inch 1080×2400 AMOLED 60/120Hz HDR10+ 1300nits Peak brightness Gorilla Glass 5
Audio	Dolby Atmos Stereo Sound
Chipset	Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 (5nm) Max freq 2.84GHz Adreno 660 GPU
RAM	8GB or 12GB LPDDR5 Quad Channel (plus virtual memory, up to 7GB)
Storage	128GB or 256GB UFS 3.1
Camera (front)	Punch-hole 16MP Fixed Focus (f/2.5) Video: 1080p 30fps with EIS
Camera (rear)	Primary: 50MP (f/1.8) Sony IMX766 (1-5x Zoom) Ultra-wide: 8MP (f/2.2) (119 degree FoV) Microlens: 2MP (f/2.4) Video: 4K/60 with EIS
Connectivity	Dual band Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) 5G NR (SA & NSA) Sub 6 4G+ with VoLTE, ViLTE and VoWiFi Bluetooth 5.2 LE NFC USB-C
Battery	5,000mAh 65W fast-charging (wired, and supplied in box)
Other	Bio-polymer rear panel Protective case Factory fitted screen protector Dual SIM (Dual Standby) Realme UI 3.0 built on Android 12 Three years of OS updates + Four years of security updates Environmentally friendly packaging (just 0.3% plastic)
Price	£549 (12+256GB)

More information

• Realme Website

Disclosure: Realme provided a review sample on loan. The company had no input in the content of the review, besides providing press materials from the launch event – some of which were included in the above copy. Nor did the company see the review before it was published.