Realme GT8 Pro Review: This Underrated Flagship Deserves More Attention

Realme launching a proper flagship phone after so many years, and me not reviewing it? That was never going to happen. The Realme GT8 Pro is finally here, and interestingly, we also have this special Dream Edition with the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team branding. But what makes this phone even more exciting is that it is very similar to the OnePlus 15 in many ways.

The processor is the same. The software experience is almost the same. The battery life is also quite close. So in this review, I will not only talk about my experience & review with the Realme GT8 Pro, but I will also tell you where it is better than the OnePlus 15 and where it still falls slightly behind. And with phone prices going up so quickly these days, I think this comparison is important if you are planning to buy a proper flagship killer phone.

Realme GT8 Pro: Specs Overview 

• Design: 161.8 x 76.9 x 8.2mm, 214/218g, aluminum frame, Gorilla Glass 7i front, glass-fiber reinforced plastic / eco-leather back, IP68/IP69
• Display: 6.79-inch AMOLED, 144Hz, 1440 x 3136 pixels(508 PPI), Dolby Vision, 7000 nits peak brightness
• Chipset: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
• Memory: Up to 16GB RAM, 1TB UFS 4.1 storage
• Software: Realme UI 7.0 based on Android 16, up to 4 major Android upgrades
• Rear Camera: 50MP main (21mm) + 200MP 3x (65mm) periscope telephoto + 50MP ultrawide(16mm)
• Front Camera: 32MP
• Video: Up to 8K 30fps, 4K 120fps, Dolby Vision, 10-bit LOG
• Security: Ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor
• Audio: Stereo speakers, Hi-Res audio
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, NFC, Infrared, USB-C
• Battery: 7000mAh
• Charging: 120W wired, 50W wireless, 10W reverse wireless
• See full specs

  

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Realme GT 8 Pro Price (16/512 GB)

Unboxing: This Dream Edition Box Feels Special

Before talking about the phone itself, let me quickly talk about the unboxing experience because this special edition box is actually quite cool. The box has Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team branding on the outside, and at the bottom, you get the GT8 Pro Dream Edition text. Once you open the box, you are greeted with the phone itself, and this special edition design definitely looks flashy.

There is also Aston Martin branding in the middle, which gives the phone a slightly different identity compared to regular flagship phones. Inside the box, Realme has also included an extra rectangular camera module, and yes, you can actually change the camera module yourself using the screwdriver included in the box.

Apart from that, you get two phone cases, a 120W SuperVOOC charger, and a Type-A to Type-C cable. So unlike many expensive flagship phones these days, Realme is still giving you a proper charger inside the box, which I definitely appreciate.

Design and Build Quality

Starting with the design, the Realme GT8 Pro comes with a boxy design, rounded corners, and aluminum frames. In hand, it feels quite premium, and the weight is also kept in check. It does not feel unnecessarily heavy or uncomfortable.

But the coolest thing about the design is definitely the changeable camera module. I mean, how many phones let you change the camera island design yourself? It is a small thing, but it makes the phone feel more fun and customizable.

Compared to the OnePlus 15, the OnePlus is slightly thinner and slightly lighter. I mean, the difference is very small — around 0.1mm in thickness — but still, if you hold both phones side by side, the OnePlus does feel a little more refined in hand.

OnePlus 15 also has slightly better display protection - Gorilla Victus 2 vs. Gorilla Glass 7i. So in terms of pure durability, I would not say Realme is clearly ahead.

Display

The display is one area where I feel the Realme GT8 Pro has an advantage over the OnePlus 15. You get an AMOLED panel with 1 billion colors, 144Hz refresh rate, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision support. Realme also offers higher resolution, better pixel density, and higher brightness compared to the OnePlus 15.

In real-life use, both phones are very bright. Indoors, outdoors, under direct sunlight, I did not face any visibility issues. But when you compare them closely, the Realme display looks a little sharper and slightly more brighter. 

Speakers and Haptics

The speakers on the Realme GT8 Pro are also better than I expected. Compared to the OnePlus 15, I found the Realme speakers to be fuller and more balanced. There is better bass response, while the OnePlus sounds a little more treble-heavy. It is not bad by any means, but if I had to pick one for watching videos, listening to music, or gaming without earbuds, I would pick the Realme.

Haptics are also excellent. Realme has included O-Haptics, and the vibration feedback feels tight, precise, and premium. You can also adjust the intensity, which is always nice to have. Small things like typing feedback, navigation gestures, camera shutter vibration — everything feels very polished here.

Software and AI Features

Software is where things get very interesting because the Realme GT8 Pro and OnePlus 15 feel almost identical.

The icons look similar. The animations are similar. The control center, settings menu, multitasking, overall UI behavior, everything feels almost the same.  So if you have used a recent OnePlus phone, the Realme GT8 Pro will feel very familiar.

Realme is also offering almost all the AI features that OnePlus has. You get tools like AI Summary, AI Writing, AI Memory, and AI photo editing. These are useful features, especially AI Memory, which helps organize screenshots, notes, and other useful information in one place.

Both phones also offer the same 4 years of Android updates. So in terms of software longevity, there is no major difference between the two. Overall, I like the software experience. It is fast, clean enough, feature-rich, and very smooth. 

Performance

Performance is exactly what you would expect from a proper 2026 flagship. The Realme GT8 Pro is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, the same chipset used in the OnePlus 15. So CPU and GPU performance are essentially in the same class.

In daily use, the phone feels extremely fast. App opening is quick, animations are smooth, and RAM management is excellent. I did not notice any lag or slowdown in regular use. Even when switching between heavy apps, using the camera, editing photos, browsing, and gaming, the phone handles everything easily. Gaming performance is also flagship-grade. The chipset is powerful enough for heavy games, and the phone feels very responsive.

Gaming Comparison: Realme GT8 Pro vs OnePlus 15

Camera

The camera experience on the Realme GT8 Pro surprised me in a good way. It produces good colors, and the main camera and ultra-wide camera are quite consistent in terms of color and exposure. Even when switching between the main and telephoto camera, the consistency is surprisingly good, including in nighttime videos.

The telephoto camera is one of the biggest highlights of this phone. Realme is using a 200MP ISOCELL HP5 sensor, and because of that, zoom photos have very good detail. Portraits are also excellent. Skin tones look nice, edge detection is strong, and even 6x digital crop portraits come out detailed and usable.

In fact, I think the telephoto lens on the Realme GT8 Pro is much better than the OnePlus 15 in almost all scenarios. Whether it is zoom shots, portraits, or low-light telephoto images, Realme has done a better job here. Stabilization is also good. I did not notice major wobbling, even in low-light situations, which is important for video.

But the camera is not perfect. I noticed flares and glares in photos and videos multiple times. This can be annoying, especially when shooting against strong lights at night. Also, the telephoto camera sometimes looks slightly brighter than the main and ultra-wide cameras, so while the consistency is good, it is not always perfect.

Another thing to note is the focal length. The main camera is around 21mm, while the ultrawide is around 16mm. That means the 1x camera itself is already quite wide, so the field-of-view difference between the main and ultrawide is not as dramatic as you might expect. 

Still, for the price, I think the camera experience is genuinely good. And especially because of that telephoto camera, I think Realme has a clear camera advantage over the OnePlus 15 in some important areas.

Battery Life and Charging

Battery life is another strong area of the Realme GT8 Pro. In my usage, I was comfortably getting around 10 to 11 hours of screen-on time. With light use, this can easily be a 1 to 1.5-day phone. And even with heavy use with lots of video calls, gaming, camera use, and social media, the phone can still last a full day without stress.

Charging speed is very good, though. With the included 120W SuperVOOC charger, the Realme GT8 Pro takes around 43 minutes to charge from 0 to 100%. 

Realme GT8 Pro vs OnePlus 15: Which One Is Better?

The Realme GT8 Pro and OnePlus 15 are very similar phones, but they do have different strengths. The OnePlus 15 feels slightly thinner, slightly lighter, has better display protection, and lasts a bit longer on battery. So if you want the safer, more refined option, OnePlus still makes sense.

But the Realme GT8 Pro gives you a better display, better speakers,, a more interesting design, and most importantly, a better telephoto camera. And when you consider that the OnePlus 15 is around NPR 20,000 or INR 8,000 rupees more expensive, the Realme GT8 Pro starts to look like the better value flagship.

Verdict

Overall, I think the Realme GT8 Pro is one of the most underrated flagship phones right now. It has a proper flagship chipset, a beautiful high-resolution display, great speakers, excellent haptics, good battery life, fast charging, and a surprisingly strong camera system, especially the telephoto camera.

Yes, the OnePlus 15 still has a few advantages. It is slightly slimmer, slightly lighter, has better display protection, and lasts a bit longer. But for the price difference, I think the Realme GT8 Pro makes a very strong case for itself.

At a time when phone prices are increasing everywhere because of RAM and SSD shortages, the Realme GT8 Pro feels like a proper value-for-money flagship. And honestly, I feel like this phone deserves a lot more attention than it is currently getting.

Realme GT8 Pro Pros and Cons