I’ve had this Realme GT8 Pro for a while now. I feel that this time, Realme is really powerful. Especially since it’s a collaboration with the Ricoh GR II. Realme’s positioning this time has a strong pro-camera vibe.
Design and Screen
Let’s start with the very eye-catching exterior. This color is called White. It uses white AG glass. What I’m showing you now is how it looks right out of the box. It has a circular camera deco. You can clearly see two screws. The outer ring of the camera module is replaceable. I have two replacement parts here, a rectangular one and a transparent one. Which one do you guys think looks better? If you don’t do anything, it looks like this. The official name is the Mecha Robot. This little robot design is actually quite cute.
This design really allows for a lot of imagination. For example, could you make a long strip to create a horizontal deco? And there are contact points hidden here, so I wonder if there will be powered accessories. But indeed, this kind of personalized design is a challenge for phone case manufacturers.
This time it also follows the trend with flat edges and a flat screen design. The R-angle is also quite large, which is more in line with the mainstream aesthetic. The screen bezels, due to its market position, aren’t the absolute thinnest, and the chin is a tiny bit wider. But the visual impression is really good. At a glance, it’s basically symmetrical.
But the screen specs are truly impressive. It uses BOE’s Q10+ luminescent material, a 6.78-inch, 2K resolution, 144Hz refresh rate screen with native 10-bit color. Global peak brightness is 2,000 nits, and local peak brightness is 7,000 nits. And for a “Pro” model in this suffix, it’s one of the very few 2K screens this year.
Ricoh GR Camera System
Next, let’s talk about the main event: the Ricoh GR camera system. Since it’s a collaboration, the logo is naturally printed on the back cover. It looks quite nice.
First, you can find the Ricoh GR mode in the camera app or simply pull down the shutter button to enter the Ricoh GR mode. In this mode, it replicates the 28mm and 40mm focal lengths of the Ricoh GR camera. The purpose is to reduce distractions, so you can just pick it up and shoot. But actually, you can tap the focal length to switch to 35mm and 50mm, giving you two more options. In the upper right corner of the viewfinder, there’s an option for an immersive viewfinder, which is a bit like a camera’s optical viewfinder.
For shooting, you can choose manual or auto focus, which has a bit of a “pro mode” feel. This mode replicates five classic film tones from the Ricoh GR: Standard, Positive Film, Negative Film, Mono, and High-Contrast B&W. You can also add your own custom presets.
In the upper right corner, there is also a preset focus distance. You can set the focus distance in advance to quickly capture the scene.
Finally, how does it shoot? I’ll be honest, this Ricoh GR camera system takes really good-looking photos, but it requires you to have more of an eye for finding beauty. It can really produce photos with a special feel, whether it’s the light and shadow or the colors. The various simulated film styles will definitely impress you.
Finally, photos taken in Ricoh GR mode will have a separate category in the album and new watermarks for this mode.
Apart from the Ricoh GR mode, Realme’s own three-camera combination is also very strong. This time, Realme’s main camera system feels like it has been influenced by the Ricoh GR mode. The image style doesn’t have that very vibrant feel of the past; it’s much more restrained and has more texture. And this 200MP telephoto, compared to competitors, might have a smaller aperture, but it achieves 3x native optical zoom, and 6x and 12x in-sensor zoom. The telephoto capability is still very strong. The detail is quite good.
Performance & Battery
I’ll save the performance part for last. It has the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset. Playing Honor of Kings or Genshin Impact is no problem at all. Since it has a 144Hz screen, Genshin Impact can also run at 144Hz. However, Genshin doesn’t allow high graphics to be enabled, so I tested it at 120fps with high graphics. It’s very stable. But Realme’s performance know-how is not to be underestimated.
With the dedicated R-Engine gaming chip, features like super-resolution and frame interpolation are all available. If you want high frame rates and high quality, just turn them on. The 8 Gen 5 plus the R-Engine, with all functions turned on, is just a joy to play on. Features like bypass charging are now available system-wide. Just play your games with peace of mind.
The Realme GT8 Pro also has a massive 7000mAh battery this time. After a 3-hour battery life test, it still had 70% left. Paired with 120W fast charging, it goes from 1% to 100% in just 37 minutes. How long has it been since I’ve seen charging this fast? There’s also 50W wireless charging.
For peripheral configurations, it has a large 0816 X-axis linear motor and dual 1115e stereo speakers, all included for you. The system has also been upgraded to the new Realme UI 7.0. The animations are smooth, you know what it’s like if you look at its sister brand. It’s silky smooth. And Realme’s icons have been changed this time and look much better.
Final Verdict
For the Realme GT8 Pro, it’s unrealistic to say it’s the king of imaging or the king of everything. But today, the Realme GT8 Pro is truly more “Pro.” In addition to the Pro, the standard GT8 version is also coming. Apart from some differences in the imaging configuration, the rest is almost the same as the standard version, and it also has the Ricoh GR co-branding.
This Realme GT8 will also be a very sincere product. Looking back at so many previous generations, today’s GT8 Pro is like a culmination of their efforts. It has that pro-camera vibe. More people should know that there is a brand like Realme making such awesome phones, making such different phones.
