I am currently in Belfast, Northern Ireland to attend the launch of the Realme 15 Pro Game of Thrones Limited Edition. The journey from Asshai (Malaysia) across the Dothraki Ocean (India) before crossing the Narrow Sea (English Channel) to arrive in Westeros (Ireland) took 15 hours. As if by serendipity, the time spent attending took the same as the number of devices launched.
After using the Realme 15 Pro Game of Thrones Limited Edition for a few days, here are my thoughts on it and how it differs from the previously launched Realme 15 Pro.
Specifications
Realme 15 Pro Game of Thrones Limited Edition
6.8-inch screen, 1280 x 2800 pixels
OLED, 144Hz, 6500 nits (peak)
19.5:9 ratio (~453 ppi)
Corning Gorilla Glass 7
Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 processor (4nm)
1 x 2.8 GHz Cortex-720 chip
4 x 2.4 GHz Cortex-720
3 x 1.8 GHz Cortex-520)
Adreno 722 Graphics Chip
RAM 12GB RAM LPDDR4x
Internal Storage 512GB UFS 3.1
(no microSD card)
Primary Camera 50 MP, f/1.8 (wide), PDAF, OIS
50 MP, f/2.0 (ultra-wide)
4K@30/60FPS
Front Camera 50 MP, f/2.4 (wide),
4K@30/60fps
1080p@30/60fps
Battery Si/C Li-Ion 7000 mAh
80W wired
Dual SIM/Nano SIM Telephony
NFC Yes
Infrared Yes
Waterproof IP69
Scanning System Fingerprint Scan
Face Scan
Selling Price RM2099 (12/512GB)
Usage Experience
Throughout using the Realme 15 Pro 5G, I found the design comfortable and suitable for daily use. Let's start with the OLED screen with a refresh rate of up to 144Hz which makes scrolling feel smooth. It is not of the LTPO type but sufficient for a mid-range device
I am not a fan of curved screens but they are still popularly used on mid-range devices. With an OLED screen everything looks bright and clear even in bright lighting situations. The panel supports HDR10+ but in Netflix only HD and normal HDR resolutions are supported.
The fingerprint scanner is built into the screen of the optical type. It is fast and responsive even though it is not ultrasonic. Face scanning is also supported with faster unlocking than using a fingerprint scan.
The body of the device is very comfortable in the hand due to the use of a “dragon skin” panel on the back as well as the Targaryen family dragon crest. The rough texture of this skin makes the device non-slip and does not collect fingerprints easily.
This skin will change color from black to Lannister red when it reaches a temperature of around 45 degrees Celsius. An interesting feature but this red color does not last long. It is also only activated when exposed to hot water. When playing with the back panel, it does not heat up enough for it to change color.
In addition to the dragon skin, the metal parts of the device are all gold, making this phone look premium. The camera bump on the Game of Thrones version is also larger, making the back panel look more balanced compared to the regular Realme 15 Pro variant.
There are two dragon grips and the crests of the 9 largest families in Westeros engraved on the glass surface of the camera bump. The largest bump has the Targaryen motto “Fire and Blood” engraved. On the camera's metal ring, there is an engraving of the Lannister motto "Hear Me Roar" and Stark's "Winter is Coming". These are some details on the device that only die-hard GoT fans will notice.
The Pulse Light feature is also maintained with this light lighting up for several functions such as message notifications, GT mode and camera. It is still white and I am a little disappointed that it is not red which can make it look like a dragon's eye.
Completing the device's specifications are an infrared emitter at the top, a pair of stereo speakers, NFC support, and the body passes the IP69 standard
Software and Usage
The Realme 15 Pro Game of Thrones Limited Edition is equipped with a Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 chip along with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. Although it is a limited edition device, there is no effort to add more RAM or larger storage. All changes are made to the exterior and aesthetics only
Memory can be added by another 14GB through the virtual RAM Expansion system. Throughout the review, I set the virtual memory to only 4GB of RAM and it is sufficient for various application needs. I must emphasize that for the majority of users, the base memory of 12GB is actually more than enough and the RAM Expansion can be disabled without any change in performance.
The Android 15 operating system is used with the Realme UI 6.0 interface with Realme promising support for 3 Android version updates and 4 years of security patches. This is satisfactory for a mid-range device. Only Samsung offers longer support for devices in this class. The Galaxy A56, for example, receives 6+6 years of support as standard.
Throughout use, the Realme 15 Pro 5G worked well without any problems. The interface scrolling was smooth, the animations looked neat and the applications opened and downloaded quickly. Overall, I did not face any major problems while using this device for daily activities.
But it is still not as smooth as a true flagship device because the memory is only LPDDR4x and the storage is only UFS 3.1. As a user of a flagship device, I can feel that the installation and launching process of applications is still not as lightning fast as enjoyed on the Realme GT7 Pro reviewed last year.
The interface with the Ice and Fire theme is given as two options. The pack comes with a background screen, lock screen animation and an icon pack that uses the Game of Thrones theme. The boot screen is also changed according to the terms along with the animation when activating GT mode. It reminds me of the Coca Cola theme on the Realme 10 Pro a few years ago. At first glance, it is unique and distinctive. But when digging into it, the shortcomings begin to be exposed.
First of all, the theme is only on the front of the device. When opening the application, the face of each application returns to normal. It looks awkward when the theme changes from the dragon theme to Google Material Design. The app settings screen, phone app, messages, Photos and more remain unchanged. More awkwardly, there is no more iconic Game of Thrones theme ringtone included.
This is the biggest disappointment for me because I belong to a group of die-hard fans. Out of frustration, I downloaded the theme song ringtone composed by Ramin Djawadi on this phone. If you remember the Coca Cola theme before, there was the sound of bubbles and Coca Cola bottle opening which really made the device feel more exclusive. A Realme representative confirmed that the Game of Thrones theme song is not offered as a ringtone due to licensing issues.
There are various smart features that make daily tasks easier. For example, Sketch to Image allows me to convert sketches into more realistic pictures while AI Recording Summary helps summarize meetings or class recordings automatically.
I also use AI Copywriting to generate catchy captions complete with emojis. Meanwhile, Smart Loop can identify my actions and suggest suitable apps instantly just like the Magic Portal feature found on Honor devices.
This camera system supports several interesting features such as Ultra Clarity to improve the sharpness of blurry images, Motion Deblur to make moving subjects appear clearer and Eraser 2.0 to easily remove unwanted objects. In addition, the Best Face feature allows correction of closed eyes in photos while AI Studio allows users to produce various visual styles from a single image.
I also found the Touch to Share function very useful as it makes it easy to share photos and videos between Android and iOS devices with just one touch. However, the presence of bloatware is still an issue and sometimes affects the overall user experience.
Benchmarks
Here are some of the benchmark scores that were recorded for the Realme 15 Pro Game of Thrones Limited Edition. Clearly the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 is a mid-range processor that is adequate for a variety of common applications, social media, basic video editing and gaming with mid-range graphics settings
AnTuTu 3D
Chip Score
Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 1,012,352
Dimensity 8400-Ultra 1,590,533
Dimensity 8450 1,437,541
Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 788,110
Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 1,524,100
Tensor G4 1,016,712
Geekbench 6
Chip Single Core Multi Core
Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 1201 3540
Dimensity 8400-Ultra 1575 6121
Dimensity 8450 1615 6174
Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 1146 3123
Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 1137 3130
Tensor G4 1916 4644
3DMark Wildlife Extreme
Chip Score
Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 6368
Dimensity 8400-Ultra 3839
Dimensity 8450 3780
Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 1037
Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 5334
Tensor G4 2567
In terms of first-hand experience, I was able to play Honor of Kings (HOK) at up to 120FPS with stable frame rates. This provides a smooth and satisfying experience, especially for users who value graphics performance. In terms of temperature, the device felt warm during normal gaming sessions but got quite hot when running benchmark tests.
Cameras and Image Results
The Realme 15 Pro 5G has two 50MP main cameras. The first camera is a wide-angle lens with autofocus and optical image stabilization (OIS), so the images are more stable and clear. The second camera is an ultra-wide lens that is suitable for capturing landscape photos or subjects in a group. In addition, it is equipped with features such as LED flash, HDR and panorama to help produce more interesting photos.
This device supports video recording up to 4K at 30/60FPS as well as 1080P with several frame rate options. Users can choose color profiles such as ‘Vibrant’ and ‘Textured’ according to their taste. It also offers photography features such as AI Landscape, Night, Portrait, Street and Film. In Photo mode, there are Smart Scene options such as Party, Stage, Silhouette and Fireworks for more creative recordings that suit the atmosphere.
Throughout the use of the main camera, I found the photos taken to look sharp and the colors were attractive in good lighting situations. This is an experience based on the Realme 15 Pro 5G review during the day. But in Northern Ireland it is autumn now. For 3 days here the weather was very gloomy and the sun was almost non-existent. So the camera performance was not so great without the sun in the sky.
Look at the picture below, the colors look cooler (bluish) compared to the real world situation. The city of Belfast is indeed cold and cloudy but it does not look gray which makes you feel depressed like the pictures below.
In the dark conditions of the Game of Thrones Studio Tour, I feel that the photos taken are still bearable. All the photos below were taken using night mode as far as I remember. It's still clear, just less sharp because the exposure took about 3 seconds. The photos taken with the Galaxy S25 Ultra and Pixel 10 Pro XL that I took in the same situation are indeed more beautiful. But this is not fair because both of these devices cost 3 times more.
The camera gimmicks provided are the Kingdom filter (giving a mode like being in King's Landing) and Northland (a mode like being in Winterfell). Personally, I feel that both of these filters are just gimmicks that are not good. The photos in Belfast feel like they were taken in New Mexico or are too blue like the lens is coated with blue ink.
Battery and Charging
Realme 15 Pro Game of Thrones Limited Edition offers a large battery capacity in its class, which is up to 7000mAh, which is a figure rarely found in commercial devices today. In normal use, the battery still has 35% remaining after being used for more than 16 hours. So when it comes to battery life, it's not impossible.
Recharging the battery takes just 60 minutes using the included 80W charger. This is much faster than the 70 minutes it takes for the S25 Ultra to charge 5000 mAh. Realme is also not shy about giving away a charger and charging head with every purchase of the device.
In the Box
Here's what you get in the box with your purchase.
1x Realme 15 Pro Game of Thrones Limited Edition
4x Game of Thrones Postcards (Daenerys, Jon, Arya, Tyrion)
2x Game of Thrones Stickers.
1x Game of Thrones Secret Letter.
1x Game of Thrones King's Hand SIM Pin.
1x Special box with The Iron Throne.
1x USB-A to USB-C charging cable.
1x 80W USB-A Charger
1x Silicone Case
Conclusion
Overall, the Realme 15 Pro Game of Thrones Limited Edition is the same as the Realme 15 Pro 5G that was just reviewed earlier. All the strengths and weaknesses are the same.
The 7000mAh battery can last more than a whole day with a 1-hour charge. The Galaxy S25 Ultra with a 5000mAh battery takes 70 minutes to fully charge. The camera is just average with two GoT filter features offered, which I feel are just gimmicks that are not very practical.
But this is a limited edition device for true Game of Thrones die-hard fans. I feel that if you are a “collector” it is an interesting feature to complete your collection. The design is quite unique and interesting. The box provided is also different from the limited edition Naruto, Coke and Dragonball offered by Realme.
The Realme 15 Pro Game of Thrones Limited Edition is available in Malaysia for RM2499 with a special box, protective case, six GoT postcards, a Realmeow GoT figurine, a Hand of The King pin and a few other freebies starting October 10. If you're not that into GoT, the regular device without the limited edition is available for RM2099.
Pros
Unique Game of Thrones world decoration.
Special interface with two Game of Thrones themes.
Smooth and stable performance with Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 chip.
Bright and sharp 6.8-inch 144Hz OLED display.
Stereo audio system is quite adequate.
IP69 waterproof.
AI Edit Genie supports voice commands in Malay.
Large 7000mAh battery and 80W fast charging.
Cons
Theme implementation is not comprehensive. No GoT song ringtones are included for example.
HDR10+ is not supported by Netflix.
The two GoT camera filters are just gimmicks.
Portrait mode is messy.
AI Edit Genie is inconsistent.