In a market where price and performance no longer clash, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for smartphones to stand out. The newly launched Realme GT 6T, featuring the India-first Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3, establishes itself as a strong competitor in the mid-high segment. Marking the Realme GT series’ return after a two-year break, I decided to put this new smartphone to the test. If you’re looking for flagship-level performance, is the Realme GT 6T the right choice for you? Let’s delve into the review and see how it performs.
Realme GT 6T Specifications
Before we dive into the review, here’s a quick overview of the Realme GT 6T’s technical specifications for your reference:
Realme GT 6T Box Contents
Included in the box are a 120W GaN charger, a Type-A to Type-C cable, a high-quality silicone case, and a SIM ejector tool saving you the trouble of searching for accessories. The model I’m reviewing is the Realme GT 6T in Fluid Silver with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage.
Realme GT 6T Design and Build
In terms of design, the device didn’t leave much of an impression. The Fluid Silver color option feels rather plain, and I find the hues of the Razor Green more appealing. The dual-tone nano-mirror design on the plastic back makes an obvious attempt to imitate glass, but it’s quite evident it’s not as soon as you pick up the phone.
That said, the overall look is subtle, with the Realme logo discreetly placed on the left side. Despite the handset feeling somewhat cheap in hand, the curved display (which I’ll discuss later) helps offset that impression slightly. However, if you have sweaty hands, the phone can feel a bit slippery.
I’ve been using the device for a few days, mostly with the in-box case on, and so far, I haven’t noticed any scratches on the back. However, the weight distribution feels a bit uneven, with the top being slightly heavier, likely due to the protruding cameras at the back.
This imbalance also causes the phone to wobble noticeably when placed on a flat surface. On the plus side, the camera module features stainless steel, which adds a premium touch. I do wish some of that metal had been incorporated into the phone’s frame as well.
The frame is made of plastic with a matte finish, and I’m not too keen on the decision to cram all the buttons onto one side. The volume rocker and power button are positioned on the right and, while they are tactile, they feel wobbly and lack a sense of sturdiness. On a positive note, the phone comes with an IP65 rating, which provides decent protection.
Realme GT 6T Display
The 6.78-inch 120Hz ProXDR LTPO AMOLED display on the Realme GT 6T is impressive. It offers a dynamic refresh rate that ranges from 1Hz to 120Hz, which helps conserve battery life (more on that later). The curved display strikes a nice balance between style and functionality, while the slim bezels at the top and bottom enhance the overall look.
Realme claims the display can reach 6000 nits of brightness, but our measurements with a Lux Meter only hit around 2700 nits. While this is still quite impressive, it falls short of the advertised figure. This discrepancy might be due to certain limitations that are not easily bypassed.
Despite the brightness not reaching the claimed 6000 nits, the display remains bright and provides excellent visibility both indoors and outdoors. It can dim enough at night to avoid straining your eyes. The viewing angles are excellent, and the screen minimizes light reflection.
As a 1.5K resolution Dolby Vision-tuned display, it delivers sharper text and content compared to a 1080p panel. Colors are vibrant and rich, especially when watching HDR videos on YouTube, thanks to its 100% DCI-P3 color gamut coverage.
However, it doesn’t yet support HDR on Netflix. Nonetheless, the blacks and color vibrancy are still quite impressive. Another noteworthy feature is the option to manually switch between 1.5K and 1080p resolutions, which is a great addition.
For protection, the display is covered with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2, which offers top-tier durability. Throughout my time using the device without a screen protector, I didn’t observe any scratches.
Overall, this is undoubtedly one of the most stunning displays I’ve seen in this segment.
Realme GT 6T Speaker Output
Supporting the display are stereo speakers, which surprisingly don’t feature Dolby Atmos despite the Dolby Vision-backed screen. While the speakers are loud, their output is fairly flat.
The audio lacks richness, but on a positive note, there’s no crackling. However, the audio separation is only decent at best.
Realme GT 6T Software Experience
Out of the box, the Realme GT 6T runs Android 14 with the RealmeUI 5.0 skin. The software is supported by 3 years of major OS updates and 4 years of security patches, which is the best you’ll find in this segment.
The UI itself is cleaner compared to some others in the segment, but it’s not entirely free of bloatware. You’ll find around 6 pre-installed apps and Glance on the lock screen, plus ads in the search menu, which can be annoying.
Animations are smooth, and app transitions and multitasking feel fluid. You also get to use features ported from OxygenOS, such as File Dock and the full Microsoft Phone Link experience, which are nice additions. Despite these positives, the overall experience is somewhat diminished by the bloatware.
Realme GT 6T Performance
The Realme GT 6T is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3, making it the first phone in India to feature this chipset. It’s a step up from the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 found in the POCO F5, which was already quite powerful. The GT 6T pairs this chipset with up to 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage.
In addition to the top variant, the phone is available in 8GB + 128GB, 8GB + 256GB, and 12GB + 256GB configurations. However, do note that the base 128GB model comes with UFS 3.1 storage. With the specifications covered, let’s see how the phone performs in daily use, benchmarks, and gaming.
Day-to-day Usage
The Realme GT 6T proves to be a highly reliable performer, showcasing its impressive specs in daily use. I had around 20-25 apps open in the background, and the phone handled it effortlessly. Switching between apps was incredibly smooth, and RAM management was excellent, with most apps resuming right where I left off.
Even when exposed to outdoor temperatures of 45 degrees, the phone barely exceeded 40 degrees, despite taking numerous photos and videos. This was a welcome improvement compared to the overheating experience I had with the Pixel 8a recently.
Benchmarks
Regarding benchmarks, I ran tests ranging from CPU throttling and AnTuTu to the crucial Wild Life tests. The Realme GT 6T demonstrated impressive stability, with CPU throttling at just 88%. On the GPU side, it scored over 1.5 million on AnTuTu, which is remarkable for its price range. Here’s a quick comparison of how the phone stacks up against other devices we’ve tested in the segment:
With that covered, here’s a quick summary of all the benchmark results:
Additionally, even during intensive benchmarks like AnTuTu, the temperatures barely exceeded 40 degrees (and that was in a non-AC room), as shown here:
Gaming
As expected from a Realme GT series device, gaming truly shines as the standout experience. I put the phone through its paces by testing a variety of games to push it to its limits. From BGMI and CoD Mobile to Warzone Mobile and even GRID Autosport, here’s what this phone can deliver with these titles:
The issue with newer chipsets is that they often lack optimization for certain games, meaning you won’t see the highest settings, like 90FPS, in games like BGMI right away. However, once phones with these chipsets are commercially released, those settings usually become available in time. Realme has confirmed that BGMI will receive 90FPS support by mid-June, so it’s only a matter of waiting.
The overall gaming experience on the GT 6T was outstanding. The temperatures were well-managed, staying just below 42 degrees after an hour of gaming in a non-AC room. In an AC environment, the phone remained even cooler, with temps hovering between 37-40 degrees.
Additionally, the phone cooled down quickly, indicating that Realme’s advanced cooling system is doing its job. They call it the Iceberg Vapor Cooling System. On top of that, gamers can take advantage of Realme’s proprietary GT Mode, which boosts performance in games. This mode offers features like framerate and temperature tracking, sensitivity adjustments, and the ability to overlay apps while gaming, providing a comprehensive set of tools for a better gaming experience.
Realme GT 6T Cameras
Though the GT 6T focuses heavily on performance, it still offers a decent camera setup. It features a Sony LYT 600 primary sensor with OIS, but the secondary 8MP ultra-wide sensor feels a bit underwhelming. The front houses a 32MP selfie camera. I gave the camera system a quick test, and here’s what I found:
Daylight
In daylight, the primary sensor captures impressive shots with decent detail, even when zoomed in. The shadows and highlights are well-balanced, effectively handling dynamic range in the images.
Switching to the ultra-wide camera isn’t ideal, as the 8MP sensor struggles to capture much detail. The images tend to lose sharpness and appear lighter, causing a noticeable color disparity compared to the primary sensor. This also affects the dynamic range, which takes a slight hit.
On the other hand, the primary sensor does a good job with human subjects, and portrait mode performs well. Edge detection and depth mapping are accurate, with detailed textures in hair and skin pores. However, the sensor tends to enhance skin tones and introduces some over-sharpening, which may not suit everyone’s preferences.
Night Time
At night, while most details are preserved, photos tend to be quite grainy. If you like that aesthetic, you might appreciate this flaw, but for others, it can become an annoyance that’s hard to overlook. Whatever you do, steer clear of using the ultra-wide camera in low light conditions.
The results are often smudged, and if your hand isn’t perfectly steady, the images blur quickly. Additionally, the ultra-wide sensor struggles to handle light sources properly at night, making the shots less appealing.
Selfies
The 32MP front camera delivers clear selfies with solid detail retention. Portrait mode also provides solid edge detection. However, it significantly enhances skin tones, which may not appeal to everyone personally, I’m not a fan. There’s also some skin smoothing applied, which I don’t particularly like either. That said, the selfies are still quite good overall.
Videos
The Realme GT 6T can record videos in up to 4K at 60FPS, which is impressive. Although, the front camera is limited to 4K at 30FPS. For vlogging, you can still use the 1080p at 60FPS option.
Realme GT 6T Battery and Charging
One of the standout features of the GT 6T is its battery. It features a substantial 5,500mAh battery, one of the largest in its segment. While the OnePlus 12R offers a similar battery capacity, it comes at a higher price.
I tested the battery by playing Genshin Impact, running benchmarks, and watching hours of YouTube and Netflix, achieving around 7 hours of screen-on time. This was with auto-brightness enabled and the display refresh rate set to auto. For typical users, this means you can easily get between 1.5 to 2 days of usage.
If that wasn’t impressive enough, the included 120W charger fully charged the phone in just about 26 minutes, which is extraordinary. This blend of battery life and fast charging is among the best available in a smartphone.
Should You Buy the Realme GT 6T?
Although I’m not a fan of its design, the Realme GT 6T has a lot going for it. It features a stunning LTPO AMOLED display for watching content and gaming, backed by a robust 5,500mAh battery. The 120W fast charging is a standout feature, adding to the phone’s impressive overall package.
Performance is another strong suit, with the phone handling gaming and multitasking effortlessly. Realme has clearly put a lot of thought into this device, and it delivers on all fronts.
If your budget is between Rs 30,000 and Rs 32,000, the Realme GT 6T is one of the most powerful options available. It’s also encouraging to see Realme extend its major OS updates policy to 3 years for this price range. At Rs 31,000, the Realme GT 6T is an easy recommendation for those prioritizing performance while still seeking a solid all-rounder.
Final Verdict
Design & Build
Display
Speaker Output
Performance
Cameras
Battery & Charging
AzMo Tech Score
At under Rs 35,000, the Realme GT 6T offers exceptional performance, a large battery, incredibly fast charging, and a stunning display. While its cameras and design might not be perfect and could be seen as subjective drawbacks, they may not be significant to everyone. If you’re looking for a powerful and dependable all-rounder, the Realme GT 6T stands out as a top choice.
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