2 months ago
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With a solid SoC, colourful and vibrant display, strong array of cameras and a battery that will last you all day, the Realme GT6 is punching way above its weight class, considering its price read more
 "A ‘flagship killer’ on a diet")
Pros
- Gorgeous AMOLED display
- Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 is impressive in gaming
- Solid battery life
- Comes with the charger and the required cable in the box
- Sleek design that looks expensive
- Excellent thermal management
- Solid build quality that feels premium
Cons
- Ads and bloatware, even during setting the device up
- Dolby is not supported on Netflix
- Ultrawide camera needs improvement
Price: Rs 44,999 for the 512GB+16GB unit. Starts at Rs 40,999
Rating: 4.5/5
Realme has reintroduced one of its most successful line of smartphones, the GT series to the Indian market with a bang by launching two new smartphones in rather quick succession. The latest addition, the Realme GT 6, is being positioned as a proper flagship killer that focuses on performance and battery life, at a price of around Rs. 40,000. For this, Realme has equipped this phone with some top-grade specs, and of course, AI.
Some of the headline features of the Realme GT 6 is that it is equipped with Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chipset, which ensures pretty strong performance across various scenarios. It also features a triple rear camera setup that has two 50MP units for clear and vibrant photos, and a 32MP front camera for detailed selfies. We also get a its 5,500mAh battery, with support for 120W SuperVOOC charging.
The Realme GT 6 is also the company’s first smartphone to include advanced AI features. Marketed as an “AI Flagship Killer,” Realme claims that they have used AI to enhance various aspects of its performance, camera quality and battery management. But does it live up to the hype? Let’s find out.
Realme GT 6 Review: The Design
The Realme GT 6 has a design that’s nearly identical to the GT 6 — it features almost exactly the same curved edges, rear camera layout, and colour choices. However, while the GT 6T uses a plastic panel for its flashy Nano Mirror Design finish, with the GT6, we get a premium glass panel.
The smooth, mirror-like surface tends to attract a lot of fingerprints, smudges, and dust, but the cloudy portion of the panel conceals these marks better.
The rear panel also houses the distinctive-looking three individual camera islands. It looks identical to the GT 6, except for the extra camera module in one of the three camera islands. These islands are surrounded by a high-grade stainless steel ring, adding a touch of elegance to the device. The cameras are positioned on one side, causing the phone to wobble when placed on a flat surface without its TPU cover.
The front of the phone features a curved display protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2. During my three weeks of use, the tall 6.78-inch screen was manageable with both hands and didn’t hinder app navigation, even when my fingers rested on the curved edges.
At the bottom edge, there’s a speaker grille, the SIM tray and a USB Type-C port. The right side houses the volume and power buttons, while the top includes an infrared blaster. The phone’s sides have a cool-to-the-touch metallic finish. It also includes an IR blaster at the top.
Measuring 162 x 75 x 8.6 mm and weighing 199 grams, the Realme GT 6 is in line with other phones featuring 6.8-inch displays. Its curved design makes it appear slimmer, but it has a satisfying heft due to its massive battery and one of the biggest vapour chambers in a smartphone. Also, the device comes with an IP rating of IP65.
Additionally, the phone has an in-display fingerprint scanner that’s quick, accurate, and responsive. Some users might find its placement slightly lower on the screen than usual, but it’s not a significant issue.
Realme GT 6 Review: The Display
The Realme GT 6 features a 6.78-inch LTPO OLED display with a resolution of 2,780 x 1,264 pixels. The screen supports 10-bit colour depth and has a wide colour gamut. The panel has a refresh rate of 120Hz.
The display also supports Dolby Vision and HDR10 and boasts some impressive brightness levels. Under normal conditions, the display achieves 1,000 nits of peak brightness and about 1,600 nits in High Brightness Mode (HBM). The support for Dolby Vision enhances the viewing experience. At a single spot, it can go as high as 6,000 nits.
The LTPO panel dynamically adjusts its refresh rate between 1Hz and 120Hz depending on the on-screen content, helping save battery life. The display delivers sharp visuals, decent colour calibration, and a high contrast ratio. It also has impressive viewing angles and is Widevine L1 certified, allowing FHD streaming from Netflix and other OTT platforms.
The display also includes several features to protect your eyes. For instance, the SGS AI Eye-Protection technology uses AI to monitor how you look at the display and how often you yawn and blink, and then adjust the colour temperature to something warmer for added comfort.
Even in direct sunlight, visibility is excellent. During testing, the display showed minimal fading, placing it far ahead of competitors at this price point.
Overall, the display quality is outstanding, especially considering the GT 6’s price. Realme has consistently delivered excellent displays in the mid-range and budget segments, so it’s no surprise their flagship for the year excels in this area.
Realme GT 6 Review: The Camera
The Realme GT 6 is equipped with a rather versatile camera setup that is capable of catering to all sorts of photography needs. The rear camera system includes a 50MP primary camera which is a Sony LYT-808 sensor, another 50MP telephoto camera with a Samsung JN5 sensor, and an 8MP ultra-wide-angle camera with a Sony IMX355 sensor, On the front, it features a 32MP selfie camera.
The primary 50MP camera is the highlight of this setup, which captures sharp and vibrant images with pretty accurate colours. When zooming into these pictures, you’ll notice plenty of detail, assuming there’s adequate lighting.
In low-light conditions, the camera continues to impress, delivering good photos in the default mode. Switching to the dedicated Night mode brightens the images significantly. Do keep in mind though that although the shutter in night mode is still fast, it does tend to introduce a bit of a shake if you don’t have steady enough hands. After all, there is only so much that OIS can do.
The ultra-wide-angle camera, although lower in resolution and slightly darker in output compared to the primary camera, is still pretty useful for those expansive scenes.
One of the notable advantages is the lack of noticeable warping around the edges, which is a common issue with ultra-wide lenses. However, in low-light conditions, the ultra-wide camera’s performance drops, capturing less detail than the primary camera.
For subjects at a distance, the telephoto camera on the Realme GT 6 provides sharp images at 2x optical zoom and offers an additional 4x zoom option.
While the colours in images captured by the telephoto camera are slightly less vivid than those from the primary camera, it still perform admirably. In low-light settings, zooming in on distant subjects results in some noise and softening, but the overall quality remains decent.
By default, photos are saved as 12MP images, but you have the option to switch to 50MP to capture more detailed shots. The camera app includes several fun and useful features like Quick Shot and Target Zooming, which enhance the photography experience.
For some unedited images shot straight from the Realme GT 6, click here.
These features are powered by Realme’s new HyperShot 2.0 Image architecture, an algorithm that helps preserve more details in low-light conditions compared to the Realme GT 6T. The primary camera’s superior aperture allows more light to enter, reducing graininess and improving performance in such conditions. This advantage extends to video quality as well, where the footage is slightly overexposed but remains visually pleasing.
The 32MP front-facing camera produces sharp selfies with decent background blur. There is no noticeable shutter lag, but the stabilization could use some improvement. The rear camera is also suitable for video calls, recording videos in 4K, 1080p, and 720p at 30fps and 60fps, whereas the front camera does 4K and 1080P at 30fps. However, it struggles to maintain quality in low-light conditions, making it less reliable for nighttime selfies or video calls.
Realme GT 6 Review: The Performance, Software Experience, and UI
The Realme GT 6 is powered by the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 SoC, which is paired with up to 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM, which can of course, be increased using Realme’s RAM expansion. This ensure smooth performance and efficient multitasking, making it ideal for heavy users and gamers alike.
As part of Realme’s GT series, the GT 6’s gaming performance is particularly impressive. While it may not be the best gaming smartphone available, it offers excellent performance for its price.
Popular games like BGMI, CoD Mobile, and Warzone Mobile run smoothly at high or ultra-high settings, delivering consistent frame rates of 45-55fps without significant heating issues. Gamers can further enhance their experience with the proprietary GT Mode, which allows them to monitor frame rates, control the device’s sensitivity, and manage overlaying apps for a more immersive gaming experience.
The phone runs on Android 14 out-of-the-box, layered with Realme’s UI 5 skin, which offers a range of enhancements and features. This UI includes 53 pre-installed apps, most of which can be easily uninstalled if they aren’t needed. However, for those accustomed to a clean stock Android experience, the interface might initially feel a bit cluttered.
Realme UI 5 also comes with several useful features on top of Google’s operating system. These include a dedicated gaming mode and ‘air gestures’.
This is also Realme’s first AI-branded phone, featuring the ‘Next AI’ technology. This AI improves low-light camera performance, allows for object removal from photos, and suggests actions based on the content displayed on the screen. Realme has committed to providing three Android OS updates and security updates, followed by a fourth year of security updates. The AI integration ensures the phone continues to evolve and improve, providing users with a smarter and more intuitive experience over time.
In daily use, the GT 6 proves to be a robust performer, handling multiple apps running in the background with ease. Its RAM management system ensures the device remains responsive and quick, even with numerous apps open and frequent switching between them.
One standout feature of the GT 6 is its excellent heat management. Although the phone does warm up during prolonged intense usage, the heat is barely noticeable. This effective cooling is attributed to Realme’s Iceberg Vapor Cooling System, a refined and larger vapour chamber that dissipates heat efficiently. This cooling system ensures that the phone’s performance remains consistent even during extended gaming sessions or when using resource-intensive applications.
Realme GT 6 Review: The Battery Life
Powering the Realme GT 6T is a substantial 5,500mAh dual-cell battery, paired with 120W SUPERVOOC fast charging technology. But, despite its glass back, the Realme GT 6T does not support wireless charging.
Realme claims the phone can reach 50 per cent charge in just 10 minutes, but in practical use, it takes around 12-15 minutes to reach this level.
The phone can be fully charged in approximately 29 minutes using the included 120W SuperVOOC charging brick.
Even under heavy usage, which included using the phone as a hotspot, binge-watching shows at maximum brightness and extensive gaming, the device still delivered about 6-7 hours of screen-on time.
For most regular users, this translates to a solid 1.5 to 2 days of usage on a single charge with moderate use. Additionally, the phone supports 18W PD charging, offering flexibility in charging options for different scenarios.
Realme GT 6 Review: Verdict
The Realme GT 6 is great for power users, looking for an affordable smartphone that has a flagship-level performance. Even though it might not lead in synthetic benchmark tests, it impresses with its robust Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 SoC, which handles intensive tasks effortlessly. The device also boasts a stunning AMOLED display that is actually better than what many premium smartphones offer in terms of brightness and clarity.
Moreover, the Realme GT 6 has made significant strides in camera performance, especially in daylight photography, and its AI-driven software enhancements further enhance its appeal.
These features make it a competitive option in a market crowded with similarly priced alternatives like the iQoo Neo 9 Pro and OnePlus 12R, which feature the slightly more powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC but may lack in camera versatility.
For consumers in India looking to invest around Rs. 40,000 in a new smartphone, the Realme GT 6 is a solid choice, one that they can’t go wrong with. It offers a balanced package of performance, excellent battery life with fast charging capabilities, and really dependable camera system.
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English (US) ·