Looking at the title, we can already anticipate the main highlights that realme wants to highlight in this model. That's right, the realme GT8 Pro is their first device released in collaboration with camera company RICOH.
RICOH, known for its expertise in street photography, is trying to open up a new dimension by integrating camera technology into this mobile device. Realme is committed to providing a more convenient and practical experience to users through this concept. Here is my full review of this device.
Specifications
Realme GT8 Pro
Screen 6.79″ (1440 x 3136 pixels)
AMOLED, 1B colors, 144Hz
HDR10+, HDR Vivid, Dolby Vision
7000 nits, 19.5:9 ratio (~508 ppi)
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor (3 nm)
2 x 4.6 GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix L chips
6 x 3.62 GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix M
Adreno 840 Graphics Chip
RAM 12GB RAM LPDDR5X
Internal Load 512GB ROM UFS 4.1
Primary Camera 50 MP (f/1.8) wide PDAF, OIS
200 MP (f/2.6) telephoto periscope
PDAF, OIS, 3X optical zoom
50 MP (f/2.0) ultra-wide
Selfie camera 32 MP (f/2.4) wide
Battery Si/C Li-Ion 7000 mAh
120W wired
SIM/Nano Telephony/eSIM
NFC Yes
Audio Jack No
Waterproof IP68/IP69
Scanning System Fingerprint Scanner
Face Scan
Selling Price RM4299 (12/512GB)
Usage Experience
My experience using the GT8 Pro is similar to when reviewing the Oppo Find X9 Pro. In fact, it is also similar to using a modern iPhone due to its completely flat body design.
I did not face any problems with this design, in fact I think it is very comfortable to hold. Its wide size is really suitable for use, while the thickness is at the right level for a flagship phone. I have no further comments because the flat body is indeed a little thicker than a device with a curved design. The entire frame of the device feels solid, thus providing an attractive added value.
However, I am less satisfied with the finish of the back panel, especially for the Urban Blue color model. The color is beautiful, I admit, but the soft recycled paper-like finish in my opinion is easily damaged when hit by sharp objects. The finish feels soft when held. For that reason, I chose to use it with the included free frame, even though the black color of the frame covers the original finish of the device.
The camera bump is definitely the main highlight. It uses the concept of a camera bump that can be modified according to the user's needs. Originally, I received this device with a round bump from the purchase box but changed it to a square shape that felt more suitable.
As an explanation, the device I received also came with an additional box containing another square-shaped camera module. The replacement process involves using a special small T4 screwdriver. This tool is also provided in the sales box for the purpose of making it easier for users. However, the process needs to be done carefully since the screws used are too small and easily dropped.
It is fun to use at the initial stage, but in my opinion all of this is just a gimmick that provides temporary pleasure and 'hype'. Over time, perhaps not all users have the time or patience to frequently change this camera module. The replacement process that involves unscrewing and reinstalling the screws also certainly gives the user some inconvenience.
The button layout on this device is standard, the same as most other Realme smartphones. The right side houses the power button and the audio adjustment button while the left side is left empty without any components. On the top there is an audio grille, IR blaster and microphone hole while on the bottom there is an additional audio grille, microphone hole, SIM slot and USB-C port.
The speakers used are stereo type with the sound from the bottom being louder than the top. The sound quality produced is clear and loud, but it sounds unbalanced and a little clipped. Despite that, it is still fun to use especially when watching movies on Netflix but does not provide any significant additional advantages in terms of the overall audio experience.
The fingerprint scanner works well because it opens the device smoothly without any failure issues during this review period. The same goes for the face scanning system that operates quickly and smoothly, especially in bright conditions. However, the shortcomings begin to be noticeable when used in dark lighting because this system often fails to identify faces accurately. In addition, this phone also supports the IP68 standard, thus providing a safer feeling when used in various daily situations.
My experience using the screen on the device can be said to be satisfactory because it offers a good balance between quality and performance. The size and type of panel maintained from the previous generation provide consistent continuity while the increased resolution of 1.5K makes the display clearer and sharper. The high refresh rate support is also seen to ensure that every movement looks smooth, making the experience of scrolling content enjoyable without any interruptions.
However, the 144Hz refresh rate has its drawbacks because it increases battery consumption and not all applications support it. Therefore, using the Auto Select setting is more practical because it can balance performance with energy saving, thus ensuring that the daily experience remains smooth without affecting battery life.
In addition, the presence of the Ultra Vision Engine feature with options such as AI Hyper Clarity, AI Always-On HDR, and AI Hyper Motion provides significant added value. These features not only make the display sharper and colors more vivid, but also ensure smoother motion, thus improving the video watching and gaming experience more satisfying.
Internal Hardware and Software
This device uses the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, which is the latest processor from Qualcomm. It offers better performance improvements, especially in terms of energy efficiency, processing speed and graphics handling. These capabilities make this device a challenger to several other models such as Oppo Find X9 Pro (Dimensity 9500), vivo X300 Pro (Dimensity 9500), IQOO 15 (Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5) and OnePlus 15 (Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5)
AnTuTu benchmark test results show that the GT8 Pro is below the IQOO 15, OnePlus 15 and Find X9 Pro. However, the GT8 Pro still scores better than the iPhone 17 Pro which uses the A19 Pro chip.
AnTuTu 3D
Score Device
Realme GT8 Pro 3,066488
iQOO 15 3,726,305
Honor Magic8 Pro 3,424,247
Vivo X300 Pro 3,507,869
OnePlus 15 3,720,096
Google Pixel 10 Pro 1,214,735
Oppo Find X9 Pro 3,472,342
Apple iPhone 17 Pro 2,634,345
Geekbench 6
Single Core Multi Core Device
Realme GT8 Pro 3482 8153
iQOO 15 3480 9789
Honor Magic8 Pro 3587 9853
Vivo X300 Pro 3507 10469
OnePlus 15 3553 10484
Google Pixel 10 Pro 2303 6134
Oppo Find X9 Pro 3158 9298
Apple iPhone 17 Pro 3560 8835
3DMark Wildlife Extreme
Score Chip
Realme GT8 Pro 5461
iQOO 15 6788
Honor Magic8 Pro 7659
Vivo X300 Pro 7075
OnePlus 15 6741
Google Pixel 10 Pro 3266
Oppo Find X9 Pro 6127
Apple iPhone 17 Pro 5873
Benchmarks are just numbers, real-world usage is more important. Throughout this review, I have not encountered any issues with the system. In fact, all daily activities can be carried out smoothly, comparable to some of the flagship devices that have been tested before.
Scrolling is smooth, animation transitions are not stuck and the download process takes a short time. With the help of a 144Hz screen, the experience is better, although the battery aspect has to be compromised because the high refresh rate uses more energy. If you are switching from a more premium flagship device, the difference may not be so noticeable, but for most users, the performance is still impressive.
The experience of playing games also did not cause any problems. Although the graphics settings are not always at the highest level, the game performance is still fast without interruption. Tests with high-graphics games also show that the chip is able to handle it well with consistent frame rates and smooth display.
The Asphalt Legends – Racing Game game can be run very smoothly while the AMOLED display provides bright colors and a more immersive visual experience. Even when playing Subway Surfer, there were no issues and the game ran smoothly as usual.
Realme UI 7 is also provided with various AI-based features that enhance the user experience. These include AI Mind Space that allows users to automatically save notes and important information, AI Planner that identifies events from the screen and enters them directly into the calendar, and AI Notify Brief that generates a notification summary by combining information such as calendar events and important tasks similar to Samsung's Now Brief.
In addition, there is also an AI Planner function to identify events by tapping on the back of the phone, AI Search for extensive information search, AI Translate for live translation, and AI VoiceScribe for voice transcription.
My experience using AI Editor also showed some interesting features although some are still not perfect. AI Recompose is able to change the composition of the image for the better, but sometimes the results look unrealistic.
AI Eraser provides two options to either cover objects with 'paint over' or remove people from the image. AI Ultra Clarity is supposed to enhance colors but in most of the images tested it did not show significant changes. AI Sketch Image can generate images based on simple sketches such as flowers but does not support the generation of human faces. Meanwhile, AI Perfect Shot Suggestion provides the best photo suggestions but requires several reference shots and sometimes looks unrealistic.
There are also additional functions such as AI Remove Reflections and AI Glare Reduction that can help reduce reflections and glare in images, AI Landscape that helps improve the color of images especially for landscape shots and AI Edit Genie that is carried over from realme 15 with the same usage as before.
Camera and Image Quality
The 50 MP main camera uses a 1/1.56″ sensor with PDAF and OIS to ensure sharper and more stable images. There is also a 200 MP periscope telephoto camera with an f/2.6 aperture and the same size sensor also offers 3x optical zoom. Next, the 50MP ultra-wide camera complements this camera system for wide-angle recording. This camera also comes with a RICOH lens with HDR and panorama support. It is also capable of recording up to 8K/30FPS and is equipped with Dolby Vision and 10-bit LOG to make the recording more professional.
My experience using the device's camera clearly shows a balance between advantages and disadvantages that deserve attention. At prime focal lengths such as x1, x2 and x3, the camera is able to produce images with more natural colors, thus providing realistic-looking results. In addition, other aspects such as white balance, exposure and highlights are still well controlled, making the image not too bright or too dark. At the same time, details remain clear, allowing images to be recorded with a satisfactory level of sharpness.
However, when using maximum zoom through the telephoto sensor, the results are less satisfactory because the image looks dark and details are almost lost. On the other hand, nighttime recordings show excellent performance with more saturated colors, striking vibrance and details that are still preserved. However, the white balance can be slightly disturbed when there is too bright light, especially purple or blue lights.
The RICOH function on this camera initially felt unusual to me and I even wondered how it was actually used. However, over time I started to like it because it offers a different photography experience. I also tried several presets shared by other users on the internet, and the results were quite interesting to experiment with after getting recommendations from several acquaintances who actually use RICOH cameras.
In this mode, most of the colors produced through custom presets truly depict the atmosphere of street photography. Although aspects such as color and exposure can be considered subjective because users are free to change the settings according to their own tastes, my experience shows that this mode has the potential to be the main choice for street photography enthusiasts compared to regular photo modes.
Kodak Chrome
Standard Film
Classic BW
In addition, the built-in preset options provided such as positive film, negative film and black and white provide interesting variations, thus adding a creative dimension to the recording. In addition, the settings in this mode are quite detailed because users can change highlights, color saturation, clarity, sharpness and various other aspects according to their own tastes. I myself have tried several presets obtained from the internet such as Kodak Chrome, Classic BW, Regee Nega and others which provide different and interesting results to try.
RICOH Preset – Kodak Chrome
Standard Setup
Regee Nega
However, the zoom options are quite limited so users need to be closer to the subject to get close-up images. However, I was informed that Ricoh camera users rarely use the zoom function because they are more comfortable with the cropping process after recording.
Kodak Chrome
Regee Nega
Classic BW
Overall, it is suitable for those who have used RICOH cameras, especially individuals who like to 'experiment' with settings. For ordinary users, you can take advantage of the 'presets' available in the phone or get additional settings from the community and sources on the internet.
Portrait mode provides very good results with a smooth and neat bokeh effect. The skin tone on the subject's face looks slightly saturated but not excessive. The subject can also be separated from the background well because the edge separation is still maintained even though the light behind the subject is very bright. Portrait shooting at night also shows satisfactory performance with reduced and insignificant noise, while the sharpness level remains clear.
In video mode, the street photography atmosphere also stands out clearly. The footage produced gives a cinematic aura through more vibrant colors, especially when recorded at night. In addition, the stabilization system works very well and helps produce more stable and consistent footage, thus improving the overall experience when using this camera.
In terms of performance and overall experience, this camera shows good results although there is a slight delay during the post-recording process, but the situation is not too disruptive to use. In addition, the street photography atmosphere, dynamic range, and colors produced are worthy of praise, especially through Ricoh GR mode, video recording, and portrait.
However, there are some shortcomings when taking pictures at night because in some situations there is a rather excessive blooming effect. Meanwhile, the interchangeable camera hump is more cosmetic and does not affect the user experience. However, users will probably not change the hump often because the process is crisp.
Battery and Fast Charging
The device comes with a 7000mAh battery that is paired with 120W fast charging support, 50W wireless charging and 5W reverse charging. With a capacity of this size, I expect at least a day and a half of use.
However, real-world experience shows that the battery performance is quite disappointing. Throughout this review, I used the device as my primary phone and found that battery life was the most noticeable weakness. On average, the SOT time recorded was only around 4 – 6 hours during daily use.
Although the 120W fast charging is able to recharge the battery quickly, the battery performance in daily use still does not meet expectations for this size of capacity. This clearly shows that intensive usage factors such as continuous camera, 5G network and high screen refresh rate have a major impact on battery life.
Conclusion
The collaboration with Ricoh certainly brings a new dimension to the GT8 Pro, but not all users will get used to it immediately since most prefer devices that are ‘ready to go’, i.e. take pictures and can be uploaded immediately. However, this does not mean that the feature does not add value at all, because there are still users who want to try the experience of using the camera with this new approach.
I myself found it a bit difficult to get used to at first but liked it after understanding how it works. As for the concept of interchangeable cameras, I think it cannot be completely considered a gimmick. Logically, some users may be excited to try it but I believe the 'hype' will not last long.
However, this is subjective and depends on each person's needs. In terms of performance, there is nothing to deny because it is at the tiptop level. However, compromises still need to be made on the heating issue that occurs during intensive use.
Pros
Comfortable design to hold.
A bright and smooth 144Hz AMOLED display.
A flagship chip with solid performance.
High-quality camera with solid performance.
Fast charging 120W wired and 50W wireless.
Cons
Shorter software support.
Battery endurance is less satisfactory.
