Test realme GT Master Edition

Smartphone class C / E ("Mercedes" scale A, B, C, E, S)

Rating scale 1-6 (6-targeting)

We begin

realme becomes the new Xiaomi on the Polish market. It releases smartphones at great prices, focusing mainly on performance. realme GT is the cheapest phone with the most efficient processor on the market - Snapdragon 888. In turn, the realme GT Master Edition described today is a device from a higher mid-range. Version 8/256 costs PLN 1799, 6/128 - PLN 1499. For this money, we get an AMOLED screen, efficient Snapdragon 778G 5G, mini-jack input for headphones, a sensible set of cameras and a battery with a capacity of 4300 mAh, which we will charge in half an hour with a 65W charger. In addition, the phone is neat and fits perfectly in the hand. There are cost cuts, of course, but they are done wisely and where to be expected. Let's see how realme GT Master Edition works every day.

The main advantages and disadvantages of realme GT Master Edition

The advantages of realme GT Master Edition:

Cons of realme GT Master Edition:

How do we rate design? - rating 5 (Voyager Gray) / 4+

The phone is sold in two versions. The Voyager Gray limited edition model, signed with the name of the Japanese industrial designer Naoto Fukasawa, looks more interesting. The back of the phone, stylized as a suitcase, is made of gray ecological leather.

The other versions, i.e. Cosmos Black and Luna White, have backs made of plastic. They are matte, pleasant to the touch and there are no fingerprints on them. Three lenses' lenses embedded in transparent plastic slightly protrude above the surface. At the bottom of the silver frame (probably made of plastic, although the manufacturer does not specify the type of material) there is a mini-jack input for headphones, a USB-C port and a speaker. The possibility of wired connection of headphones is a big plus, a single loudspeaker sounds loud, but it basically agrees with the class and price of the smartphone. Although there are similarly priced devices with stereo speakers

On the right side we only have a power button, volume control and a slot for two SIM cards, without the possibility of installing a memory card, they landed on the left side.

The dimensions of the phone are 159.2 x 73.5 x 8.0 / 8.7 mm (depending on the version), weight 174 or 180 g. Realme GT Master Edition is not waterproof, the SIM card slot is also not sealed, so it will be safer to watch out for splashes.

What do we think about the display? - 5+ rating

The flat display is made in Super AMOLED technology. It has a diagonal of 6.43 inches, a resolution of FHD + 1080 x 2400 pixels, 409 PPI and an aspect ratio of 20: 9. The screen is protected by AGC DragonTrail glass with an oleophobic coating. Refresh can be up to 120 Hz. In the settings, we have the option of lowering to the traditional 60 Hz or automatic selection, where the phone itself decides about the frequency.

The maximum brightness when exposed to strong sunlight can be as much as 1000 nits. The manufacturer also gives us the ability to increase the brightness of the screen while playing HDR movies, choose the color temperature and screen mode (vivid, delicate, dazzling).

We get the phone with a protective foil stuck to it, there is a selfie camera in the left corner.

I have no objections to the quality of the displayed image, visibility is excellent in all conditions, similar to the quality and saturation of colors and viewing angles.

There is no notification LED, instead we have an always-active screen with a choice of clock styles, graphics and colors. There is also an option to set the time interval in which the information will be displayed, so that, for example, the phone does not use unnecessary energy at night. GT Master Edition signals the arrival of the notification by highlighting the edge - we can choose its color.

A fingerprint reader is hidden under the display, which works perfectly - it is fast, accurate and error-free. The phone can also be face unlocked.

Specification, operating system - rating 5

GT Master Edition is powered by Snapdragon 778G 5G (4 × Cortex-A78 2.4GHz + 4 × Cortex-A55 1.8GHz) with Adreno 642L graphics chip and 8 or 6 GB RAM. We have two versions of ROM - 256 and 128 and GB. Both support DRE (Dynamic RAM Expansion Technology) mode, which is a virtual RAM that allocates an additional 3 to 5 GB of ROM as support for RAM.

In AnTuTu Benchmark, the phone scores 515,052 points. And although it is mid-range, its operation is hard to fault. It is very fast, responsive, there are no cuts or slowdowns, and it is very comfortable to use in any situation. There is also no heating up, and hence - a decrease in efficiency. That's why the GT Master Edition is great for games, which we tested on PUBG. We have "games space" in the software.

Throughout the tests, GPS worked without any reservations, thanks to NFC, you can pay contactlessly, and the quality of phone calls is very good.

The communication package includes: 5G, WiFi6, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC. Location is accomplished using A-GPS, Glonass, Galileo, BDS, QZSS. The set of sensors includes: accelerometer, proximity, light, magnetometer, gyroscope, gravity, fingerprint reader.

The software is Android 11 with realme UI 2.0 overlay. The overlay has many options for personalization: wallpapers (also active), always-on screen, fingerprint animation, edge illumination. You can also choose the icon style, fonts, guide color, notification box appearance, and application layout.

There are gestures on the screen when the screen is off, 3-finger dump, flip to mute a call, there is also wake up and dimming the screen with a double tap. We can record the screen or use an intelligent sidebar to which we attach contacts or applications. A useful option is quick launch, i.e. access to selected functions or applications after a long press on the fingerprint reader, there is also, of course, screen sharing.

You can also block applications, hide them, clone the system or activate the children's zone.

What kind of photos does he take and what films does he record? - 4+ rating

The camera set includes:

There are a lot of options for a mid-range phone. In the Ultra Night mode, we can take photos in automatic mode or with manual settings. The video has additional electronic stabilization, separate AI for movies and the ability to record with background blur. The largest zoom for photos is 20x, there is of course HDR and AI. There is also a portrait mode with a choice of background blur level, photos at a maximum resolution of 64 MP, slow motion, dual view video, i.e. from the rear and front cameras simultaneously, manual mode for movies, ultra macro, time-lapse, starry and panorama modes.

The quality of photos from the main lens is good and I have no complaints at this price. During the day, the amount of details is large, the tonal range is correct, the colors are strong and saturated, sometimes even on the verge of good taste. So the operation of AI is a questionable issue, because quite often after turning it on, the photos become very unnatural and in my opinion the interference in the photos is too much. The 2 and 5x digital zoom is very good, the portrait mode looks nice, it cuts out the foreground quite accurately. The degree of blur can be adjusted.

The wide angle is of poorer quality, there is relatively little detail on the sides of the photo and they are darker compared to those on the main matrix. There is nothing to write about the macro, we will take a better photo from a wide angle.

Night photos in the city scenery are brightened and not very natural, but the amount of details is at a very good level. Selfies are very nice, the background blur in portrait mode looks impressive and is quite accurate.

In video recordings, we have a lot of details, especially in 4K, although in this resolution one also has the impression that the image is floating a bit - probably due to the stronger interference of electronic stabilization. Therefore, in my opinion, it is nicer to watch movies in FHD.

Sample pictures:

Sample video:

How long does the battery last? - 4+ rating

The battery has a capacity of 4300 mAh, which is not very impressive, the standard is rather 4500 or 5000 mAh. Despite this, the phone is decent and lasts from a day to one and a half on a single charge - depending on our use. In my case, the SoT times were 5h. The great advantage is 65W charging - if we do not charge the phone from scratch, only 10%. to fully charge it, we need just over 20 minutes. From zero to 100 percent that's about half an hour. We cannot charge the phone inductively.

Our final assessment

realme GT Master Edition is a very interesting device. Its biggest advantage for me is the screen and operation. I would put size and handiness right behind them, which greatly improves the comfort of use. I also have no objections to the software that is well-designed and stable. Although the plethora of options may take some getting used to. The photos are also solid, certainly not the best in their class, but also without any major flaws.

However, the question of who this phone is for remains an open question. If someone needs an efficient device, he will rather turn to the POCO F3, which has a better processor, battery, at least an equally good screen, and in addition to stereo speakers. The successful OnePlus Nord 2 is also at a similar price. The competition may even be the older brother, the realme GT, which appears from time to time on promotions at very favorable prices. If we give up 5G, we can in turn buy the Samsung A52, which takes better photos, is waterproof and has stereo speakers. And there is also the great Mi 11 Lite 5G and a lot cheaper, although of course less efficient OnePlus Nord CE 5G. If someone chooses from these phones realme GT Master Edition will not regret it, but the competition in this price segment is really big. Therefore, personally, if I had to decide on this phone, I would bet on its cheaper version 6/128 costing PLN 1499.

We love: the screen

We don't like: the lack of any waterproofing

Who is realme GT Master Edition for:

Who is realme GT Master Edition not for:

Alternatives to realme GT Master Edition:

Further information on the realme GT Master Edition smartphone: