Realme GT 7 Pro Review: A True Speed Machine

The Realme GT 7 Pro is the first smartphone to launch with Qualcomm’s powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset. This gives it flagship-level performance at a more accessible price than many competitors. But is raw power enough? In this review, we examine the GT 7 Pro’s key features, including its impressive 1.5K AMOLED Eco² display, massive 6,500mAh battery, and bold design.

So, how does the GT 7 Pro fare?

Design

Unlike other phones with their almost uniform-like circular camera housings, Realme’s GT 7 Pro refreshingly sports a neat rectangular setup, which sets it apart from some of its rivals.

The build quality is excellent, and the aluminum frame sits between the glass front and rear panels.

We were sent the Mars Orange colorway, a stunning glass finish that is certainly bold and a refreshing change from the usual obsidian black colorways that are so common.

On the right-hand edge, you’ll see the power button with the volume rocker just above. There’s an IR blaster on the top edge, and at the bottom is the usual setup of a speaker chamber, USB-C charging port, and SIM tray. The left-hand edge is completely clean.

Considering the size of its gargantuan 6,500mAh battery, I had expected the GT 7 Pro to be somewhat unwieldy and uncomfortable to hold. I was mistaken, however, because Realme, thanks to the latest technology, managed to keep the thickness down to a very manageable 8.55mm. The phone weighs 223g, lighter than Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra.

Hardware

Performance

It’s fair to say that Realme’s GT 7 Pro is a powerhouse of a smartphone thanks to the presence of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset. Coupled with 16GB of LPDRR5X RAM and 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage, the GT 7 Pro screams through whichever task you set.

With graphics settings set to Ultra and frame rate to Max, playing Call of Duty: Mobile is slick and responsive. In 40 minutes of gameplay, there wasn’t a single hitch, no mistouches. In other words, you are in for a treat when gaming on the GT 7 Pro.

It helps that the Eco2 OLED Plus display (Samsung) is on show, with tons of brightness for any scenario and vibrant colors to behold. Its 1.5K resolution adds further clarity than the GT 7 Pro’s rivals, which make do with FHD+ panels.

Editors Note: As other sites have mentioned, the GT 7 Pro’s initial software caused overheating when running benchmarking apps. After a software update from Realme, the issue was fixed, and the benchmarking apps ran at a normal temperature.

In short, we like the GT 7 Pro’s performance—a lot. We’ve run it through a bunch of benchmarking apps for your perusal.

Battery

With all that performance comes a giant 6,500mAh battery, which, thanks to cutting-edge silicon-carbon anode battery technology, enables the GT 7 Pro to maintain an 8.55mm thickness. As you might expect, battery life is outstanding. Forty minutes of streaming on Spotify will sip just 1% of the battery, with Realme claiming you can get up to 76 hours of playback.

With 120W SuperVooc wired charging included, you can charge the Realme GT 7 Pro to 50% capacity in just 14 minutes and to 100% in 37 minutes. So, there’s absolutely no reason for battery anxiety with the Realme GT 7 Pro. Ever.

Read: Realme 13 Pro+ 5G Review: Looks Good, Takes Better Photos

Software

Software on the GT 7 Pro consists of Realme UI 6.0, which is based on Android 15. You can expect three years of software upgrades and four years of security patches for the GT 7 Pro.

Visually, Realme UI 6.0 doesn’t look much different from its previous incarnation; however, it’s still a modern aesthetic, so why reinvent the wheel when it works?

As the “Dark Horse of AI,” whatever that relates to, the GT 7 Pro does indeed sport several AI features. Circle to Search is present, as it is on most modern Android handsets these days, but you’ll also find additional AI goodies such as Sketch to Image, AI Motion Deblur, and AI Gaming Super Resolution and Super Frame.

If you enjoy AI-generated imagery, the Sketch to Image feature will interest you. Draw an image, swipe the sidebar into view, activate Sketch to Image, and the AI will attempt to create a more eloquent picture of what you produced.

Read: Honor MagicPad 2 Review: A Winning Combination

Camera

Sporting Optical Image Stabilization on both its 50MP main sensor and 50MP 3X telephoto lens, you’ll also find an 8MP ultrawide lens on the rear panel, with the front camera being a 16MP module.

Generally, the GT 7 Pro produces solid-quality imagery with decent attention to details like skin tones and good dynamic range. Realme has taken a light touch to vibrancy levels which fall in the ‘just right’ category, leaving the user to decide whether to adjust the saturation levels or not.

We were pretty happy with the level of bokeh achieved in selfie photos, and the 3x telephoto lens zoom was useful – producing images with good detail and colors on point.

We would have liked the High-Res function to offer a zoom option, but it’s not a deal-breaker with such a capable main lens.

Realme has included an ‘Underwater’ mode, which, thanks to the phone being IP68/IP69 certified, means you can take the phone underwater with you and still access the camera to take shots. The shutter is operated via the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor.

We’ve included a video shot at 4K@60FPS below, showing a good level of detail on a dreary UK day.

Verdict

The Realme GT 7 Pro fits neatly into the sub-flagship category with the upcoming OnePlus 13R and the recently launched Xiaomi 15, offering flagship hardware in almost every department except the camera setup. With the biggest battery seen on a mainstream phone, which still looks and feels like a normal-sized handset, the GT 7 Pro has the edge over many of its rivals. Wireless charging is also not supported, but honestly, we’ll accept that considering the vast battery life.

“In a nutshell, we like the Realme GT 7 Pro. We like it a lot. “

The Snapdragon 8 Elite chip provides the power for anything you want, while the display offers lower power consumption and high brightness levels. However, as this network feature is growing in popularity, we would have liked to see support for eSIMs.

On top of its internals, the GT 7 Pro also looks different from most of what is available in the smartphone world. Funky and colorful (in the Mars Orange), we love the aesthetic – it’s just a shame that Realme included a black case that hides the design. A clear case would have been much better.

Once again, Realme has hit the target with the GT 7 Pro, which offers a more rounded and even speedier experience than the GT 6, which launched earlier in 2024.

While the GT 7 Pro isn’t available in the US, it is on sale in other Western markets for around € 799.