Realme GT5 Pro Review: Flagship dream for budget-conscious users

PROS:


  • Capable camera system especially main and telephoto

  • Battery performance

  • Fast wired and wireless charge

  • Gorgeous display

CONS:


  • No ultra-wide video recording

  • Palm unlock and air gesture features can be improved

RATINGS:

AESTHETICS
ERGONOMICS
PERFORMANCE
SUSTAINABILITY / REPAIRABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY

EDITOR'S QUOTE:

With its stylish design, good camera performance especially in low-light situations, bright display, outstanding battery performance, and fast charging, Realme GT5 Pro is a compelling option for those who seek well-rounded, feature-rich devices without breaking the bank.

Realme is one of the fastest-growing smartphone brands in the world, having shipped over 200 million units globally. Realme launched the GT5 Pro on December 7th in China, positioning it as the flagship phone in the GT line. While the GT line has represented Realme’s premium segment, the brand has not, until now, offered a true flagship device. Although the term “flagship” lacks a formal definition, it is generally considered to pack the latest and most powerful chipset and excellent camera capabilities.

Realme is positioning the GT5 Pro as a dual-engine flagship, claiming it strikes a balance between performance and imaging without compromise. The phone boasts the newest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and triple camera setup with the industry’s largest IMX890 periscope telephoto lens. Of course, the device has a lot more going for it, including a bright display and 3VC Iceberg Cooling System.

Designer: Realme

Aesthetics

The design of the GT lineup has undergone significant transformations from one model to the next. The GT2 Pro, designed by a world-renowned industrial designer Naoto Fukusawa, featured paper-like a back panel made with pulp extract and other renewable materials. Its successor, the GT3, adopted a more futuristic design boasting a customizable RGB light on its upper back right next to the square camera island.

In contrast, the GT5 Pro showcases a clean and sleek design. A big, round camera island takes up much of the top half of the GT5 Pro’s back. The camera island houses an LED flash, a triple camera set-up (A main camera, a periscope telephoto, and an ultra-wide), and finally, a placeholder to form a perfect symmetry. The intricate radial engraving underneath the glass extends to the side of the camera island giving a tactile feature to the camera island. This design, which Realme calls the “Star Trail lens”, gives a luxurious touch to the device. The Realme logo shines below the camera island.

The GT5 Pro offers three color options: Red Rock (red), Bright Moon (white), and Starry Night (black). The Red Rock and Bright Moon variants feature textured vegan leather, while Starry Night shines a glass back panel. I was hoping to receive the Red Rock variant which reminds me of a certain luxury handbag brand and has more character, but I ended up with the Bright Moon for the review. Despite my initial letdown, I found myself appreciating the appeal of the Bright Moon’s soft eggshell-like color.

Realme includes a protective cover, opting for a gray cover instead of the typical transparent case. Although typical transparent cases are far from attractive, the gray cover that comes with GT5 Pro isn’t aesthetically pleasing either.

Ergonomics

The phone weighs approximately 218g (224g for the Starry Night variant) and measures about 161.72 x 75.06 x 9.23 mm. Thanks to the center-circle design, it feels balanced when you hold it in your hand. The volume rocker and power button are located on the right side of the device, while the SIM card slot and USB-C port are situated at the bottom.

The GT5 Pro has a slightly curved panel and round shiny aluminum copper frame, which is stronger than a titanium frame, according to Realme. It doesn’t dig into your palm without being slippery.

While the phone is comfortable to hold, there is a notable consideration regarding the placement of the fingerprint sensor. Positioned very close to the bottom edge of the screen, approximately 1 centimeter or 0.4 inches above the bottom edge, the fingerprint scanner requires a slight stretch of the thumb for unlocking. Luckily, the GT5 Pro can be unlocked with other methods including one of the main features – palm gesture. But there is more to discuss about this feature.

Performance

The Realme GT5 Pro has a triple camera setup. There is a 50MP main camera that uses a LYT-808 1/1.4-inch sensor with OIS stabilization and an f/1.69 aperture lens with OIS stabilization. The upgraded 50MP periscope telephoto camera uses an IMX890 1/1.56 sensor and f/2.6 aperture lens. The telephoto also comes with OIS stabilization. It can zoom 2.7x optically and supports macro mode at 3x. Finally, there is an 8MP ultra-wide IMX355 with f/2.2 aperture.

The main camera produces great daylight photos with nice vibrant yet natural colors. It captures plenty of details without being overly processed and has good dynamic range, though there is a tendency for bright spots to be slightly overexposed. Additionally, the main camera performs admirably in low-light conditions, exhibiting excellent dynamic range and adeptly handling mixed lighting situations.

The 3x photos captured with telephoto are impressive thanks to its big 1/1.56 inch sensor. While the phone lacks a dedicated macro camera, the macro mode is implemented on the 3x zoom. The resulting images are just fine; however, I believe only a niche group of users will find this feature particularly noteworthy.

Turning our attention to the ultra-wide camera, it doesn’t stand out as particularly exceptional spec-wise, and the images it produces. The images display a decent dynamic range, and the color rendition aligns with that of the main camera is, but details especially towards the not very wide with FOV of 112 degrees.

Flip the phone over, the front camera takes pleasant selfies in a wide variety of shooting situations. Images came out a bit on the softer and warmer side, but not overly done.

In terms of video, it can record video up to 8K at 24FPS with the main camera. The telephoto is capable of recording up to 4K at 60 FPS, 1080p at 30 FPS for the ultrawide, and 4K at 30 FPS for the front camera. Videos captured by the device are not going to wow you. One thing that bothered me was that the 0.6x ultrawide option is not visible on the main video interface unless you set the recording resolution to 1080p or lower. It would be more convenient to have a 0.6x ultrawide option accessible directly on the main video interface, with the resolution automatically adjusted to 1080p when the 0.6x is selected.

As for the screen, the GT5 Pro boasts a 6.78-inch, 2,780 x 2,364 AMOLED screen with a 144 Hz refresh rate, 460 pixels per inch, and an impressive peak brightness of 4,500 nits. We have to take the very high peak brightness with a grain of salt as this measurement probably does not reflect real-life usage scenarios. Realme provides a more realistic figure of 1,600 nits of global peak brightness. Nevertheless, the screen remains impressively bright performing well even under harsh sunlight. The narrow bezel is an additional noteworthy feature.

Under the hood, the phone is powered by the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, and four memory versions are available starting with 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 256GB storage up to 16GB/1TB, which is the review unit that we received. There’s also the 3VC Iceberg Cooling System with a heat dissipation area of 12,000 mm2 which Realme claims to be the largest in the market. So the device won’t get hot even when it’s handling heavy loads.

In terms of software, the GT5 Pro runs Realme UI 5.0 based on Android 14. One of the unique features of the Realme GT5 Pro is that you can unlock the phone with your palm using the front-facing camera and do all other sorts of stuff like opening apps, scrolling up and down, taking screenshots, and more. While I was initially excited to try these features, the experience turned out to be disappointing. To be fair, Realme mentioned the limitation of palm unlock, stating that for the feature to work, strong light, low light, or backlit conditions have to be avoided. The palm unlock functionality proved to be inconsistent. Even when I did manage to unlock the phone with my palm the 2-second duration required to hold my palm in front of the front camera felt a bit too long. The air gestures required some practice, and I struggled to smoothly navigate the device. I can envision the potential usefulness of palm unlock and air gestures in various situations, so let’s hope Realme improves its accuracy and usability in the future.

The phone is equipped with a massive 5,400 mAh battery, delivering excellent performance that easily sustains a day’s use without issues. When it’s time to charge, GT5 Pro charges remarkably fast at 100W via USB-C. Additionally, for the first time for Realme’s device, the phone supports wireless charging at 50W.

Sustainability

Apart from reduced plastic packaging which has become pretty much an industry standard nowadays, there isn’t much to mention about the sustainability aspects of the GT5 Pro. Considering Realme’s proactive approach in incorporating bio-polymer materials in the aforementioned GT2 Pro, which used bio-material for its back panel, the lack of use of renewable materials in the GT5 Pro is disappointing. Since its inception in 2018, Realme has always shown commitment to being an eco-friendly and sustainable tech player. Let’s hope they’ll strengthen the commitment as Realme steps forward into true flagship space.

Value

The Realme GT5 Pro offers incredible value starting at 3,499 CNY which translates to roughly US$490. Boasting capable cameras, a sleek design, a gorgeous screen, excellent battery life, and rapid wired and wireless charging capability, the GT5 Pro stands out in its price range. Unfortunately, it is currently exclusively available only in China, leaving us hoping that Realme will extend its market availability to other regions in the near future.

Verdict

Realme’s venture into the premium segment has left a positive impression. While it may not be flawless there’s no denying that the GT5 Pro offers a host of features. With its stylish design, good camera performance especially in low-light situations, bright display, outstanding battery performance, and fast charging, the Realme GT5 Pro is a compelling option for those who seek well-rounded, feature-rich devices without breaking the bank.

The post Realme GT5 Pro Review: Flagship dream for budget-conscious users first appeared on Yanko Design.

realme 12 Pro wraps a premium telephoto camera in a luxurious watch design

Almost all smartphone makers try to advertise their design-centric processes and products, but few actually live up to the expectations they set. Of those few, realme has had a track record of teaming up with big names in the industry to come out with a variety of designs that target different audiences, from youngsters to travelers to connoisseurs. This year, it seems that realme is aiming to tickle the fancy of watch lovers with a flagship that takes deep inspiration from these masterpieces of design and craftsmanship. Of, the realme 12 Pro isn’t just a pretty face and promises to also elevate your mobile photography with a new premium telephoto camera.

Designer: realme x Ollivier Savéo

In the past, smartphone telephoto cameras could only use digital tricks to get closer to a subject, but the development of periscope-style lenses finally enabled true optical zoom without bulking up the phone too much. With the realme 12 Pro, the brand is taking that to the next level with a combination of innovative elements and engineering to deliver a premium telephoto experience. In addition to a state-of-the-art periscope telephoto lens, the flagship phone utilizes the latest OmniVision OV64B, a 64MP 1/2-inch sensor that’s twice as large as your typical telephoto camera, including the one on the iPhone 15 Pro Max. These two pieces work together to provide not just 3x optical zoom but also 6x in-sensor (hybrid) zoom, getting you close and personal without the usual degradation associated with simple image cropping.

Of course, the realme 12 Pro’s main camera isn’t going to be left behind. With a 50MP Sony IMX890 1/1.56-inch sensor, the primary wide shooter promises rich details even at night. This is further enhanced by the MasterShot algorithm developed in collaboration with Qualcomm, enabling the phone to process RAW images directly, among other process-intensive capabilities. Along with the ultra-wide shooter, this camera system supports a wide range of lossless zoom levels, from 0.6x to 6x, similar to that of more expensive handsets.

Although the cameras are a focal point of the realme 12 Pro (pun intended, the phone’s design takes its cue from a different kind of luxury product. Teaming up with luxury watch designer Ollivier Savéo, the phone bears the aesthetic and tactile hallmarks of an elegant and premium timepiece. A fluted bezel wraps the circular camera island, giving the semblance of a classic watch face, while the vegan leather material that covers the phone’s back is akin to the leather straps of these luxurious accessories.

The realme 12 Pro takes this a step further with a 3D jubilee bracelet, similar to a metallic strap, that runs down the middle of the phone. With its three-dimensional rhomboid precision splicing, this minute detail adds a new texture and a touch of class to an already stylish phone. The realme 12 Pro is set to launch this month, with availability details and exact specs still to be disclosed.

The post realme 12 Pro wraps a premium telephoto camera in a luxurious watch design first appeared on Yanko Design.

Realme GT5 Pro claims to recognize your palm print to unlock your phone

Fingerprint sensors and Face ID on smartphones are so common these days that we almost don’t give a second thought to how we unlock and authenticate with our devices. By now, many might have already forgotten the bad old days of “1234” PINs or no security measures at all, but some think that we could still do better in some ways. These security methods, after all, require you to at least touch your smartphone or hold it near your face, which isn’t always possible in all circumstances. When you need to unlock your phone from a distance, you’re pretty much out of luck, unless you own a Realme GT5 Pro that can apparently unlock your phone just by reading your palm.

Designer: Realme

Although face recognition technologies like Face ID do work from a short distance, you will need to either stoop down or have your phone at head level in the first place. If you’re in the kitchen cooking with the phone on the counter or have smudgy thumbs, neither fingerprints nor faces will be convenient or practical. Realme’s latest flagship tries to offer a third method where you can simply bring your palm near the screen and it will unlock automatically. You might think that it’s simply using a proximity sensor to detect if a hand is nearby, but the brand insists that isn’t the case.

1

It instead uses the 32MP front-facing camera to take an image of your palm and compare it to secure references, pretty much the same way optical fingerprint scanners work beneath the phone screen. Admittedly, the technology is still a bit new, especially in this kind of application, so there might be some hesitation in relying on it completely for security. Fortunately, there’s also the usual under-screen fingerprint scanner for more regular uses.

The Realme GT5 Pro also uses that system to enable hands-free control using hand gestures. A thumbs up can “Like” a post on a social media platform, a pinch can take you to the recent apps list, and flipping your palm can take you to the home screen. Considering you can’t really use your face for such actions, these gestures will be a huge help when you can’t touch your phone’s screen for one reason or another.

As far as the phone itself goes, the Realme GT5 Pro is quite a handsome device, with vegan leather white or orange variants as well a more classic matte black model. A large camera bump sits in the middle of that rear panel, designed to mimic the look and feel of a camera lens rim. At the moment, the smartphone is available only in China with an international launch to be announced later.

The post Realme GT5 Pro claims to recognize your palm print to unlock your phone first appeared on Yanko Design.

Realme GT5 240W Review: Insane specs, disappointing design

PROS:


  • Ultra-fast 240W charging

  • Impressive flagship specs and performance

  • Very affordable price tag

CONS:


  • Only available in China for now

  • Unremarkable design

RATINGS:

AESTHETICS
ERGONOMICS
PERFORMANCE
SUSTAINABILITY / REPAIRABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY

EDITOR'S QUOTE:

With 24GB of RAM and 240W ultra-fast charging, the Realme GT5 240W looks mighty tempting if not for its limited availability and plain appearance.

Smartphones are more than just devices these days, becoming more like lifestyle choices and extensions of ourselves. That said, it’s impossible to separate the specs from the design because even the most beautiful phone will fall flat if it ends up being unusable anyway. In fact, people do buy phones primarily for their features, with aesthetics and ergonomics coming a close second, especially for those who’d slap on a protective or decorative case anyway. Realme’s newest wonder could very well satisfy this kind of user, cramming in the latest and greatest that mobile technology has to offer, so we had to give the Realme GT5 240W a good test run to see if it can truly rice to the challenge despite its rather unremarkable appearance.

Designer: Realme

Aesthetics

It’s hard to ignore a shift in the smartphone market that has made consumers more aware of how design plays an important role in the overall experience of their smartphones. They no longer just want a slab of glass and metal that seemed to be cobbled up in order to house the hardware inside. They want phones that give a positive visual impact, make them stand out, or more closely express their style and interests. Unfortunately, if you’re looking for a stylish smartphone, Realme’s latest flagship might not be to your taste.

The most distinctive part of smartphones is their backs, and here the Realme GT5 seems to take a page from different smartphones, creating a mishmash of designs that feel a little incongruous. The sandblasted metal texture looks like a blast from the past, while the large camera bump seems to be an overgrown version of the Google Pixel’s “visor” design. Even the fancy “Pulse Interface Design 2.0” LED light that strangely frames a Qualcomm Snapdragon logo is reminiscent of the Nothing Phone’s now iconic Glyph Interface gimmick.

It’s not that the Realme GT5 240W is unattractive. It is admittedly distinctive in how its camera bump spans the entire width of the phone rather than just one side, but it’s an underwhelming design nonetheless. When you consider how Realme has released many beautiful, unique, and creative designs over the past years, you come to expect a bit more from the brand, especially when it involves the flagship GT line. Fortunately, this phone has other things going for it beyond its somewhat plain looks.

Ergonomics

A phone’s design isn’t just about its appearance. Every part and every design element has an impact on both the phone’s performance as well as its usability. Put too many powerful components inside and you risk burdening the hands of your users. Arrange them in the incorrect way and it might also feel a little unbalanced.

The Realme GT5 240W is a little of both. At 205g, it is a bit on the heftier side, though not exactly by much compared to other devices on the same premium tier. It is, however, a bit top-heavy, thanks to the design of the camera bump and the components that are located there. Adding features always comes with a price, especially when they’re a bit more on the inessential and decorative side. This could result in lower confidence when holding the phone, pushing owners to slap on the opaque and unappealing case that Realme ships inside the box.

The one advantage of the phone’s wide camera design is that it will lie balanced on a flat surface like a table, unlike other phones with bumps only on a corner. The phone won’t wobble no matter how hard you tap on the phone when it’s lying on its back. Additionally, you might even be able to use that protrusion to your advantage when holding the phone, letting one of your fingers rest beneath it to prevent the phone from sliding off.

Performance

Although the Realme GT5 240W looks unremarkable at first glance, it is one of those things that definitely deserves a deeper look. That’s because, despite its modest appearance, this phone is filled to the brim with high-end features that are easily accessible, at least if you reside in a specific market. The Realme GT5 240W is, at its heart, a premium flagship smartphone and it has the guts to prove it, and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is actually just the tip of the iceberg.

This particular model boasts a whopping 24GB of RAM, a feat that so far only one other smartphone has managed to pull off. It’s no surprise, then, that the phone performs smoothly without any hiccups, deftly taking anything we throw at it. CPU, GPU, and memory all work in harmony to deliver a fluid interface and flawless user experience, even considering how loaded Realme UI can be. As for data storage, there’s an equally astounding 1TB inside which makes any argument about microSD cards moot.

The Realme GT5 240W also has a gorgeous and bright 6.78-inch 2772×1240 AMOLED display capable of 244Hz refresh rates and 2,160Hz high-frequency pulse-width modulation (PWM) dimming. What these figures mean in practice is that, depending on the app or content, the visuals you’ll get will be smooth as butter. With dual speakers with Dolby Atmos, this phone becomes an entertainment powerhouse for videos, music, and especially games. The one catch is that we found the phone to get a little too warm for comfort, and that’s just when playing Fortnite with medium settings at 60Hz. Performance at that level was quite impressive, but you might want to pay more attention to the heat it generates.

This particular phone’s killer feature can be seen from its name. While the regular Realme GT5 already has super-fast 150W charging, this one nearly doubles that to 240W. In just 5 minutes, we got from 60% to 100%, which is one of if not the fastest on the market. Of course, you’ll have to use the large charging brick it comes with to reach that record speed, but it’s going to be worth it if you really need to top up quickly.

Where the Realme GT5 240W shines least is in the one aspect that a lot of smartphone buyers consider to be the next most important thing: the cameras. The trio is led by a 50MP Sony IMX890 sensor, which takes very good shots with plenty of detail when under bright light. The other two, however, are nothing to write home about, with a 112-degree 8MP ultrawide and a 2MP macro camera completing the team. They take OK photos, given the right conditions, but they’re a huge step back from the performance of other flagships in the market.

The phone runs realme UI 4.0, the company’s customized experience built on top of the current Android 13 release. It is as you would expect, given the target Chinese market, which means loads of customization options and bloatware. There is no Google Play Store, of course, but users in that region are already used to that situation anyway. The phone will most likely take a different route when or if it launches in global markets, though some aspects, like the presence of pre-installed apps, won’t be changing. The Realme GT5 also features the company’s newest “Pulse Interface Design 2.0,” which is basically a way to have colorful LED light notifications on the back of your phone.

Sustainability

Realme is one of the few smartphone brands that has a laudable stance on sustainability. It has a clear vision and target for becoming a more environmentally conscious company and has taken concrete steps towards that goal. It has even launched phones that made use of more sustainable materials, though those have been limited to a few special editions.

Unfortunately, none of those marks can be seen on the Realme GT5 240W, whether in terms of materials used or even the phone’s durability. There is no formal dust and water resistance rating, so it might not inspire confidence in using the phone everywhere. The packaging is fortunately minimal but, thanks to its ultra-fast charging tech, every box will ship with that large charger. It’s not like Realme is the biggest offender, but it definitely has a lot of opportunity to rise to the challenge and outpace other brands when it comes to establishing a Greener Tomorrow.

Value

The Realme GT5 240W is, without a doubt, a premium smartphone, even if you might have misgivings about its not-so-premium looks. It can definitely walk the talk and more, especially with 24GB of RAM and an insanely fast 240W charging. What makes the phone exceptional isn’t just the specs but the fact that it isn’t demanding for an extremely high amount of money. In fact, it only costs 3,799 RMB for all these features, which is around $520, give or take.

The phone would have almost been perfect if not for the simple fact that it isn’t available anywhere outside of China, at least not at the moment. There’s a chance it could reach some global markets, but major ones like the US are often still out of the question. You might be tempted to import one, but the total cost of ownership, plus the Google-less software, makes it a very poor investment overall.

Verdict

Smartphones have started to become as much fashion accessory as they are tech gadgets. They have started to appeal to the more design-conscious masses while rushing to compete for the next head-turning trending look. The Realme GT5 240W seems to stand out by not standing out, looking rather plain and almost forgettable if not for the features it carries underneath that “ordinary” skin.

Fortunately, the phone is worth a lot more than its looks, carrying some of the greatest hardware available to smartphones today. It’s hardly perfect, especially in the camera department, but with a powerful processor, an overly generous 24GB of RAM, and a blazing 240W charging speed, you will be getting your money’s worth, and it won’t even cost you that much. Presuming, of course, you can get your hands on one.

The post Realme GT5 240W Review: Insane specs, disappointing design first appeared on Yanko Design.

Realme 11 Pro+ 5G Review: A mid-range stunner

PROS:


  • Luxurious design

  • Excellent battery life and fast charging

  • Impressive main camera

  • Slim and lightweight

CONS:


  • No official IP rating

  • Uncertain display durability

RATINGS:

AESTHETICS
ERGONOMICS
PERFORMANCE
SUSTAINABILITY / REPAIRABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY

EDITOR'S QUOTE:

With its stunning design, imaging capabilities, and powerful features, the Realme 11 Pro+ 5G punches above its price bracket and is a great option for budget-conscious consumers.

The mid-range smartphone segment used to be filled by dull designs, subpar build quality, and sluggish performance. Gone are the days when budget-friendly vanilla smartphones would save you money but also leave you disappointed. Today, you can find plenty of mid-range smartphones that are nearly indistinguishable from top-of-the-line devices costing twice as much, offering a satisfying user experience without breaking the bank. While they may lack some standout features such as a big camera sensor or super sharp display, these smartphones strike a favorable balance between features and affordability.

The newest number series from Realme is one of the best-looking mid-range smartphones we’ve seen on the market so far. The Realme 11 Pro+ 5G offers more than just the looks, though, boasting a 200MP main camera, a 6.7-inch 120Hz refresh rate curved display, and a 5,000mAh battery, among other things. We took a close look at this fashionable mid-range phone to see what other boxes it checks and if it’s worth your hard-earned money.

Designer: Realme

Design

Designed in collaboration with Matteo Menotto, a former print and textile designer for Gucci, the Realme 11 Pro+ 5G sets itself apart with its unparalleled style. Drawing inspiration from the streets of Milan at sunrise, Menotto designed the Realme 11 Pro+ with a circular camera module symbolizing the rising sun. The yellow and white vertical line running through the middle represents a road extending into the distance, according to the brand. The 3D woven texture vertical line is sealed with transparent plastic, and while it does not provide tactile satisfaction, adds a charming accent to the design of the device. The prominent circular camera module houses a 200MP main camera highlighted by a golden ring design. The main camera is accompanied by an ultrawide camera on its right, a macro camera on its left, and an LED flash on top of it.

The phone has a vegan leather material on its back with a lychee-like texture that delights the fingers, while the stitching in the middle and around the camera reminds you of luxury handbags or car interiors. These design elements are seamlessly integrated, evoking a sense of luxury and sophistication. The Realme 11 Pro+ is definitely one of the most striking mid-range phones I’ve ever come across to date.

In addition to the Sunrise Beige variant, the Realme 11 Pro+ also comes in Oasis Green and Astral Black color options. The Oasis Green variant maintains the same design as the Sunrise Beige, featuring the same distinctive elements but with a different color. On the other hand, the Astral Black variant shares only the circular camera module with the two other colorways, instead distinguishing itself in terms of overall appearance with a plain matte finish that has no vertical line running through the middle of the device, leaving a clean and unbroken surface.

Ergonomics

For a 6.7-inch smartphone, you’ll be surprised how thin and light the phone is, measuring just 8.7mm thick and weighing only 189g (or 8.2mm thick and 183g for the Astral Black variant). The phone manages to impress with its lightweight build, making it feel comfortable to hold in your hand.

The leather finish of the phone not only adds a touch of luxury but also provides a better grip, preventing the phone from easily slipping from your hand or sliding off of surfaces. Additionally, the textured back panel prevents smudges and fingerprints. You can snuggle 11 Pro+ nicely in your hand thanks to the vegan leather back and the slightly curved – 61 degrees to be precise – back panel and display.

The plastic frame has a glossy finish at the sides and accommodates the power button and volume button on the right side. In contrast, the top and bottom plastic frames have a matte finish. The top houses a speaker and a microphone while the bottom houses a speaker, microphone, USB-C port, and a dual-SIM tray.

The in-screen fingerprint scanner works flawlessly, delivering consistent and accurate performance. However, one aspect to note is its placement close to the bottom edge of the screen. While it effectively unlocks the phone, it occasionally requires you to adjust your grip afterward, which can become a somewhat bothersome experience over time.

Performance

Aside from its design, another standout feature of the Realme 11 Pro+ 5G is the 200MP main camera, the highest megapixel count for the mid-range segment, that sits in the center of the circular camera module on the back. The phone boasts a triple-camera setup on its back and a single selfie camera at the front. The main 200MP camera features a Samsung ISOCELL HP3 with a 1/1.4” sensor size, 2.24um pixel size, a f/1.69 aperture, and OIS. Realme promises lossless 2x and 4x zoom, achieved by sensor cropping the massive 200MP main sensor. This enables you to shoot telephoto-like digital images. Accompanying the 200MP main camera is an 8MP ultrawide camera with f/2.2 aperture. Finally, a 2MP macro camera with f/2.4 aperture makes up the device’s triple camera setup. On the front side, there is a 32MP selfie camera with f/2.45 aperture.

Full 200MP

By default, the main camera takes 12.5MP, 16:1 binned photos for enhanced quality. In daylight or under good lighting conditions, the Realme 11 Pro+ takes excellent photos at 1x magnification, capturing good details, contrast, and dynamic range. The colors are nicely saturated, occasionally resulting in slightly too vibrant for lighter greens, but not over-the-top at all.

12.5MP, 16:1 binned

The daylight 2x zoomed photos are great as well. Although the images taken with 4x zoom are not lossless, they capture a fair amount of details with a nice dynamic range. The main camera captures great low-light photos at 1x magnification. 2x photos, while not completely lossless, still offer enough sharpness and retain some detail with good dynamic range. When zoomed to 4x, the photos remain acceptable, although some noticeable noise may be present.

1x (AI Mode)

2x (AI Mode)

4x (AI Mode)

Ultrawide (AI Mode)

The 8MP ultrawide takes excellent images in good lighting conditions, while the low-light photos on ultrawide are satisfactory. For low-light images, there is a tendency to overexpose bright spots, and at times photos may appear somewhat undersaturated. However, overall, the results are still good. Macro photos taken with the 2MP camera are subpar, not capturing much detail. However, this will not be a dealbreaker for most people unless you have a specific interest in macro photography. The selfie camera takes good photos, but it has a tendency to render a slightly orange tone to the skin color.

1x Night Mode

2x Night Mode

4x Night Mode

Ultrawide Night Mode

You can choose HI-RES mode to shoot 200MP or 50MP photos. However, keep in mind this is achieved at the expense of loss in detail and dynamic range. There is street mode with different focal lengths. The street mode comes with a neat auto-zoom feature where you can tap on the subject that you want to zoom in on and it automatically adjusts the zoom level and try to achieve the best framing.

1x

Macro

As for the video, you can shoot 4k 30fps stabilized video with the main camera. Dropping the resolution down to 1080p will let you take 60fps video. The ultrawide and selfie cameras, however, are limited to shooting 1080p 30fps videos. The Realme 11 Pro+ does offer a pleasant video shooting experience across the main and ultrawide camera for what you paid for.

The Realme 11 Pro+ 5G is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 7050 5G chipset backed by 8GB or 12GB RAM and 128GB or 256GB of memory. RAM can be expanded an additional 4GB using the Dynamic RAM Expansion. It is quite capable of handling any tasks, including watching videos and light gaming. In terms of software, Realme 11 Pro+ boots Android 13 with Realme UI 4.0, which offer pretty solid customization options.

The mid-range smartphone features a 1080p 120Hz OLED display with HDR10+ capability and 950 nits local peak brightness. The flagship-grade display is smooth, vibrant, and bright enough to use under broad daylight. The stereo speakers of 11 Pro+ deliver good audio quality with a good amount of volume.

As for the battery and charging, the Realme 11 Pro+ houses a 5000mAh battery despite its slim body, and it comes with a 100W superVOOC charger. While it lacks wireless charging capabilities, its super-fast charging requires a mere 3 minutes to boost the phone’s battery up to 17%, and a full charge can be achieved in just 26 minutes. The battery life of the Realme 11 Pro+ is indeed impressive, and the phone can easily last a full day with moderate use.

Sustainability

The glass protecting the display from scratches and damages is what Realme calls double-reinforced glass. Realme does not provide any specific details regarding the durability of the double-reinforced glass, and we can only hope it is tough enough to safeguard the screen in the event of accidental drops on rough surfaces like concrete.

Another thing you have to be careful about with this sleek phone is that it comes with no official IP rating for water and dust resistance. So you want to be mindful of using the phone outside when it’s raining or at the beach.

While the vegan leather back is a nice touch, it barely steps away from the typical plastic materials used on this tier of smartphones. The plastic frame is also an unfortunate choice in terms of sustainability, though it does save up on the build costs that consumers eventually have to pay for. Unlike some of its higher-end models, the Realme 11 Pro+ doesn’t exactly make a conscious effort to be more eco-friendly, which is still something that mid-range phones like it have to grow out of.

Value

The Realme 11 Pro+ is currently available in China and India only. Its price ranges from roughly equivalent to 300 USD to 390 USD, depending on RAM and storage. Global availability doesn’t seem to be on the table, though that could still change in the near future.

While there are some great mid-range phones available on the market, the Realme 11 Pro+ has some unique features that could set it apart from the competition. With a remarkable 200MP main camera, a sizable battery, and 100W fast charging, this device undoubtedly offers exceptional value for its price. Its stylish design adds a significant bonus to its overall appeal, especially for people who want a smartphone with a personality right out of the box.

Verdict

The Realme 11 Pro+ definitely punches above its price bracket. Its stylish design, capable main camera, and excellent battery life make this mid-range phone a great choice for budget-conscious consumers. Sure, it doesn’t come with the fastest chipset, water and dust resistance rating, or wireless charging, but you cannot expect to have it all at this price point.

If you are looking for an affordable yet powerful smartphone with stunning design and imaging capabilities, the Realme 11 Pro+ 5G is a great option. With its remarkable features and competitive pricing, this smartphone offers excellent value for money. That is, if you can actually get your hands on one.

The post Realme 11 Pro+ 5G Review: A mid-range stunner first appeared on Yanko Design.

Realme’s latest phone comes with bizarrely fast 240W charging, and a Nothing-inspired light interface

The Realme GT3 240W can juice your entire phone from 0% to 100% in less than 10 minutes… and just 30 seconds of charging could give you enough battery life for a 2-hour call on a 5G network. It’s so fast that wireless charging suddenly doesn’t seem convenient anymore.

While most of Realme’s presentation at MWC was just stats, there was a nifty 80-second demo of the GT3 charging at 240W, going from 0 to a staggering 23 percent in just the 1 minute and 20 seconds. In fact, the battery consumed most of the phone’s keynote, with a little time spent on a ‘new’ detail that Realme calls the Pulse Interface. Housed right beside the camera module, this interface borrows heavily from the Nothing phone (1)’s rear design, sporting a transparent window with an LED rectangle within it. The LED rectangle shines in 25 different colors, and can be customized for a wide variety of notifications, although its most important ones are to let you know when you’ve got a low battery, when you’re getting a call/notification, and when your phone’s actually charging. Additionally, you can make the lights glow ambiently while gaming or listening to music, or counting down the timer when you’re clicking a photo.

Designer: Realme

With more than 15 full minutes of the keynote being spent on the GT3’s battery alone, it’s probably the most notable feature on the phone. The 240W charging capabilities give you 20% in less than one and a half minutes, 50% in four minutes, and a full 100% in under ten minutes, making the GT3 the fastest-charging phone on the planet right now and making that red battery icon on the top right a thing of the past. The fast-charging feature works while the phone’s in use too, with Realme boasting of a o-100 in just 17 minutes if you’re playing a game.

You’d think that that kind of rapid charging does an absolute number on the battery, but Realme has us believe that their battery and phone architecture are designed to optimize and preserve battery health over time. For starters, the phone has three strategically-located chipsets in the phone dedicated to just charging, and a new stainless steel vapor cooling system to cool the GT3’s ultra-thin 4600mAh battery. The battery is built to charge optimally in both high heat and sub-zero temperatures, with a life cycle that’s double what the average phone has – 1600 charge cycles before the battery degrades to 80% health. To help facilitate this 240W charging feature, the GT3 also comes with its own GaN charging adapter and a rugged 12A charging cable.

Flip the phone over and you see its second standout feature – the Pulse Interface. Sort of like the Nothing phone (1)’s Glyph Interface, but with a palpable lack of, well, glyphs… the Pulse Interface sits right next to the camera bump, under a transparent window. The LED rectangle has the words ‘Dare To Leap’, Realme’s slogan, on it, and right in the center is a nameplate bearing the Snapdragon logo on it. You wouldn’t be alone in wondering whether that’s actually the phone’s chipset… although I hate to burst your bubble, but it isn’t. The chipset sits well within the phone, surrounded by the vapor-cooling system. This, right here, is just a nameplate that serves a branding purpose more than anything. There is, however, an NFC-reader located right below the Pulse Interface… just where it says ‘NFC’.

A close-up of the Snapdragon nameplate and the Pulse Interface

The interface lights up to signify a variety of notifications, with as many as 25 colors to choose from. You can customize the color and blinking pattern of the Pulse Interface to go with various alerts too, with even the ability to color-code certain contacts so you know when they’re calling even with your phone facing downwards. Moreover, the LED ring glows red when your battery’s depleted, blue, when it’s charging, and green when you’re at 100%, so you know when to unplug your charger. Alternatively, you could just wait 10 minutes and unplug your charger anyway!

The GT3 240W also comes with a 6.74-inch 144Hz Ultra AMOLED display that has an in-display fingerprint reader, three main cameras (50MP wide, 8MP ultrawide, 2MP macro), and a 16MP wide-angle selfie camera. Available in 3 colors (black, white, and purple), the GT3 has five tiers to choose from, including a lower 8GB RAM + 128GB storage tier that starts at $649, going all the way up to an absolutely bonkers tier with 16GB RAM and 1TB storage, whose price wasn’t disclosed at the announcement. Hey Realme… does the 240W charger come in the box?

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Realme 10 Pro 5G Coca-Cola Edition Review: Delicious Brand Tribute With a Bit of Muscle

PROS:


  • Fun design effectively showcases Coca-Cola's energy

  • Meticulous attention to detail, from packaging to charging animation

  • Bright and vibrant display

  • Large, fast-charging battery

CONS:


  • Mediocre performance

  • No telephoto or ultra-wide cameras

  • Limited market availability

RATINGS:

AESTHETICS
ERGONOMICS
PERFORMANCE
SUSTAINABILITY / REPAIRABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY

EDITOR'S QUOTE:

Delightfully fun at every turn, the Realme 10 Pro 5G Coca-Cola Edition successfully conveys the spirit of the brand, but the phone's mediocre specs could give some pause for thought.

While some people want their smartphones to look mature and business-minded, there will always be people who prefer to let their personalities and interests shine through their mobile devices. From skins to cases to themes, there are countless ways to personalize one’s smartphone, often without permanently altering their outward appearance. Still, fans of brands and franchises will always be tickled pink when a manufacturer caters to their interests with a limited edition phone that unambiguously shouts that admiration for the world to see. Realme, whose target audience is exactly this group of people, is always game for some branding love, so we take a close look at its latest sweet edition to see if the “Coke Phone” is all fizz or if The Real Thing after all.

Designer: Realme

Aesthetics

When people put branded skins, cases, or even stickers on their phones, it’s a sign of affection for those particular things or people. Often that involves company logos, fictional characters, bands, or even animals. Few would probably use their phone as a walking advertisement for a particular food or beverage, no matter how much they love it. That, however, is exactly what makes the Realme 10 Pro 5G Coca-Cola Edition refreshingly novel, boldly smashing two totally unrelated brands in a way that is full of surprising details.

The most obvious is, of course, the Coca-Cola colors and name on the back of the phone, creating a 30/70 black-to-red ratio. While the Realme 10 Pro’s back is actually made of plastic, this rather impressive Matte Imitation Metal coating process really makes it look like the familiar brushed aluminum of the soda cans. Contrary to what you might have expected, Coca-Cola’s name isn’t displayed in full, giving it a somewhat edgy and dynamic personality that matches the beverage’s bubbly texture. Given how well-known it is anyway, your brain easily fills in the missing parts, too.

Realme is great at paying close attention to the minutest details, and it shows once again in this limited-edition phone. While most will be content just slapping on a brand’s name or color scheme, Realme really goes overboard with things you might not notice but appreciate when things finally set in. The halo rings around the dual cameras, for example, are tinted with the same metallic red hue, making it look like small Coca-Cola cans viewed from the top. There’s also the most adorable SIM ejector pin you’ll ever see, looking like a soda bottle crown that you will never want to throw out.

The rest of the phone is pretty much the same Realme 10 Pro 5G, except in darker black than the black Dark Matter color option. The side edges are completely flat, save for the chamfered corners where the front and back meet the frame. There are almost no bezels either, except for the usual chin, providing a full view of the Coca-Cola-themed custom interface that Realme created for this edition. All-in-all, every part of the phone, including its packaging, screams “fun,” which is exactly the kind of message that Coca-Cola probably wants to send through this Realme phone.

Ergonomics

The first thing you will probably notice when you finally finish gawking at the phone’s rear and put it in your hand is how light it is. It might even feel too light as if there’s nothing inside at all. That’s mostly due to the plastic rear and frame that Realme has used for this mid-tier device, and some might find that a little off-putting. Thankfully, it’s actually comfortable to hold in your hand, and the chamfered edges don’t bite into your palm, either. As a bonus, the Matte Imitation Metal surface is resistant to scratches and fingerprints, unlike real metal.

Just like the normal Realme 10 Pro 5G, the Coca-Cola Edition bucks the trend and puts the fingerprint scanner on the side power button rather than beneath the lower half of the display. It might not be popular anymore, but it’s actually a more convenient position since one of your fingers will always land there, no matter how you pick up the phone or hold it. There are fewer risks of accidentally dropping the phone while your thumb stretches to reach the in-display fingerprint sensor. Optical fingerprint scanners also tend to be more accurate and faster, but that advantage is slowly disappearing.

The one disadvantage of trying to imitate metal is that the phone’s back is actually a bit too smooth and slippery despite having “matte” in its name, so you’ll want to have a solid grasp of the sides when holding it. Realme does throw in a transparent case so you can still enjoy and flaunt the Coca-Cola design without sacrificing the phone’s safety.

Performance

Despite its very dynamic appearance, the Coca-Cola Edition phone shares almost everything else with the regular Realme 10 Pro 5G when it comes to the specs. The short of it is that it is what you’d label as a mid-range phone, but the lines between tiers have been getting blurry. In practice, it isn’t really as bad as it may sound, and the Realme 10 Pro 5G can definitely meet most phone users’ needs and then some.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G gives the phone its muscles, and it is paired with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Both of the latter are expandable, one through the phone’s settings and the other with a microSD card up to 1TB in capacity. This is definitely enough for average use cases, from Web browsing to social media. You’ll have to set your expectations a bit low when it comes to gaming, though, but it’s definitely doable and might even be enjoyable, thanks to the phone’s other hardware.

For one, there is the 6.72-inch 2400×1080 FHD+ display that is really bright and vibrant, making the phone’s red theme pop out even more. The 120Hz refresh rate and 240Hz touch sampling rate are figures that gamers will want to take note of in this case. There is no advertised support for HDR, though, but the screen quality helps make up for that missing feature. Despite the phone’s lightweight and slim figure, it houses a large 5,000 mAh battery that can charge up to 50% in a little over 20 minutes. In other words, it is well-equipped for entertainment, as long as you don’t try to push it too hard with max settings.

The Realme 10 Pro’s 108MP camera is also no slouch, and it captures clean and crisp images whether in the default 12MP “Nonapixel Plus” mode or the full 108MP resolution. It does, however, lean more towards oversaturating photos, so you might have to switch to Pro mode if you want more natural colors. The second camera, despite its large lens, is actually a 2MP depth sensor, just there for additional data rather than other camera modes. That does mean that there is no dedicated telephoto or even ultra-wide camera, which could disappoint some mobile shutterbugs. Coke fans, however, might be delighted to find an “80s Cola” filter available on Realme’s dedicated Street Photography mode.

The Coca-Cola theme actually extends inside the phone experience, unsurprisingly. Perhaps as a testament to the flexibility of Realme UI, almost every nook and cranny of the user experience has nods to the beverage. Not only is the color theme very red, even the custom red icons have a pop culture thing going, referencing real-world objects that might seem obscure to some younger people today, like a cassette recorder or a gaming joystick. The phone’s notifications are also themed around the Coca-Cola experience, like how the camera shutter sounds like opening a soda bottle. There’s almost something to be discovered in every corner, making it a fun treasure hunt for the brand’s fans.

Sustainability

The Realme 10 Pro 5G Coca-Cola Edition, at the end of the day, is a Coke-branded Realme 10 Pro, which means it shares many of the same perks and flaws. That’s especially true when it comes to sustainability, and, to some extent, this edition does a little bit worse in that regard. Unlike more expensive phones that use glass and metal on the outside, the phone’s body mostly uses plastic. Regular phones are not easily repairable, and special editions are even more so, especially when replacement parts with custom designs aren’t available later on.

While the packaging and bonus items are delightful, they take a detour from the very space-efficient and sustainable trend that some phone makers are embracing. Stickers and the Realmeow figure add a bit more plastic content to the overall package. Fortunately, this is a limited edition product, so its overall impact will not be as drastic as a mass-produced phone. Still, it bears noting how some special editions come with hidden costs like that, especially on the environment.

Value

Realme’s first Coca-Cola phone is undoubtedly just as bubbly as the beverage it represents, and it will perhaps resonate with a lot more people around the world compared to anime-inspired editions. Brand recognition definitely plays a huge part in its impact, but Realme’s attention to detail and craftsmanship is nothing to scoff at, either. It’s a phone that carries Coke’s spirit to great effect, giving you more enjoyment when using the phone, at least until the novelty wears off.

Of course, it isn’t an easily accessible phone either. As a limited edition, only 6,000 of these will be sold worldwide, and the package includes a soda can-shaped card that indicates your special place in that group. The Realme 10 Pro 5G Coca-Cola Edition costs 20,000 INR, roughly $254, which isn’t that far from the regular edition’s retail price. In other words, you’re really not missing out on anything. And even if you’re a die-hard Coke fan, the mid-range specs on the phone, decent as they may be, might give you second thoughts on making this your daily driver.

Bonus: The Realmeow

Realme’s limited edition branded phones often come in special packaging, so the Realme 10 Pro 5G’s Coca-Cola Edition might look a bit underwhelming on the outside. Other than its size and the same black and red Coke branding, the huge box might seem plain and too big for the phone it holds. Of course, looks can be deceiving, and it’s more like a treasure box than a phone package.

The star of the show, of course, is Realme’s feline mascot, Realmeow, naturally themed to match the special edition. The heavy glass figure is filled with a type of reddish resin that tries to imitate the soda’s bubbly appearance and the emotions associated with it. It’s definitely a worthwhile decoration for your desk or shelf, regardless of whether people will be able to make the connection with Coca-Cola.

The phone box also includes two sheets of stickers with various Coke and Realme images and slogans. In addition to the bottle cap ejector PIN, the box also holds a pocket for documentation with an outline of a bottle, and the underside of the phone box cover has Coca-Cola images as well. It’s definitely impressive how far Realme goes when creating these special edition phones and packaging, a testament to the company’s commitment to its customers and their favorite brands and franchises.

Verdict

As a product designed to showcase or promote a certain brand, the Realme 10 Pro 5G Coca-Cola Edition is close to perfection. From its broad color scheme to small details like icons and ejector pins, Realme has gone above and beyond to craft an experience that gets the bubbly and energetic character of the beverage across. Admittedly, some might find it a bit overwhelming given how many details there are, but it’s a well-crafted and impressive design nonetheless.

Of course, a Coke phone still has to be a phone, and that is where the Realme 10 Pro’s strengths and weaknesses show. While its performance is decent and its price tag is affordable, it will be hard to justify it as a primary phone, especially when there are plenty of better smartphones around for almost the same price, if not a little bit more. Then again, if you’re a collector of any sort and have nothing but love for the sweet, brown beverage, you can try grabbing one if you can.

The post Realme 10 Pro 5G Coca-Cola Edition Review: Delicious Brand Tribute With a Bit of Muscle first appeared on Yanko Design.

realme 10 Pro+ brings a touch of elegance to an affordable market segment

There are plenty of beautiful smartphones these days, but one thing that most of them have in common is the premium price tags they carry. While beauty and luxury have always traditionally gone together, it doesn’t always have to be the case, especially with breakthroughs in design and technology. Bringing exciting products to people from all walks of life has always been a pipe dream of many designers and companies, but it often requires the right timing to bring the right ingredients together. realme is one such company investing heavily in making delightful smartphones for its target audience, and it is bringing that vision to fruition in the new realme 10 Pro series that’s now launching globally.

Designer: realme

As a company born to target a younger crowd of smartphone users, realme has always endeavored to deliver products with trend-setting designs to the market. That market, however, has traditionally been filled with devices that lean more towards affordable prices at the expense of performance and aesthetics, but thankfully, the tech industry has been changing to include more market tiers in its goal of achieving excellence. Technologies and designs that were once thought to be exclusive to expensive devices have now become more accessible thanks to the efforts of brands like realme.

The realme 10 Pro+ is a glittering example of that new trend. It brings to the midrange smartphone segment a curved screen that has been the hallmark of premium phones not just because of their looks but also because of the high cost of production. Paired with a COP Ultra Packaging process that narrows the bottom bezel even further, the realme 10 Pro+ looks like it’s all screen and all business. This “segment-first” 120Hz curved display isn’t just a pretty face, though, and it boasts a 2160Hz PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) technology that reduces screen flickering to deliver a more comfortable viewing experience, enough to earn two TÜV Rheinland certificates on eye protection.

The back of the phone is just as striking with a new Hyperspace Design. The refraction of the light that changes at every angle makes it appear as if it’s traveling at warp speed, similar to the effects you’d see in some sci-fi shows located in space. These beams of light all converge towards the twin-lens reflex cameras, making it unambiguous how photography is still one of the key elements of the mobile experience, pun intended.

The realme 10 Pro+ isn’t all just looks, and it bears hardware that’s aimed to satisfy a wide range of people of any age. The “Plus” model runs on a MediaTek Dimensity 1080 5G processor with up to 12GB of RAM and comes with a whopping 108MP Prolight camera. It is also the first of its kind to run realme’s new UI 4.0, which promises a more fluid experience without bogging the phone down or devouring battery life.

Beyond the tech specs and features, realme is making a heavy investment in making sure that breakthrough design is made available to every market segment, not just the ones with four-digit prices. It is committed to bringing exciting designs to each new model, pouring resources on new materials, finishes, colors, and human-machine interaction, not just for a privileged few but for everyone, especially the younger generation of smartphone users. The realme 10 Pro+ starts at $379 for 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, while the standard realme 10 Pro starts at $319 with the same memory configuration.

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Realme GT2 Explorer Master Edition tries to remind you of the joys of travel

After being cooped up indoors for so long, many people have already made or even executed their “revenge travel” plans. Of course, not everyone might be interested in crossing borders, but many people still like to imagine themselves in some Savannah or tropical island, kicking their feet up while enjoying a refreshing drink. For the rest of us, however, all we have are memories, dreams, and reminders of our more adventurous and more expensive days. Realme, one of the more fashion-conscious brands in the smartphone market, has always had a thing for travel, and its latest Realme GT2 Explorer Master Edition tries to bring back those memories yet again. This time, however, it is doing it in a subtler but even more fashionable manner.

Designer: Realme x Jae-Jung

Last year, Realme surprised the market with a bold and unusual design for a smartphone. Working with famed industrial designer Naoto Fukasawa, the Realme GT Master and Explorer Master Editions resembled travel suitcases with their ribbed surfaces that were unorthodox for a smartphone. The goal was to evoke emotions and longing for travel, especially after almost two years of COVID-19. The effect was a quirky yet attractive smartphone that almost felt bespoke because of its unique appearance and structure.

This time, the smartphone maker’s Realme Design Studio teamed up with fashion designer Jae-Jung from The North Face and formerly Ralph Lauren. The goal is still the same, but the expression is significantly different. The theme revolves around a Travel Trunk rather than a rugged suitcase, which means it looks a bit classier and stylish. In fact, Realme describes it as a “Fashion-Forward” flagship.

There are three color variants available, with Snowfield and Black Beach being fancy names for white and black colorways. Both feature what the company brands as “IceSkin AG Process,” giving the phone a matte texture that feels cool to the touch. The headlining model, however, is Wilderness, and its design will make you dream of taking a safari vacation. If the high-class vegan leather isn’t enough to remind you of old-school trunks, the metal rivets on each corner will. Completing the trunk look are the flat edges and matte cover that surround all edges of the device.

In terms of hardware, the Realme GT2 Explorer Master is a flagship in every sense. Powered by a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor, it has more than enough muscle to get you through your day-to-day adventures. The phone also brings virtual triggers from popular gaming smartphones to a stylish handset, and the large 5,000 mAh battery promises fun and productivity for hours on end. In the camera department, the large 50MP Sony IMX766 with optical image stabilization sits on top of two smaller lenses, creating a symmetrical arrangement that looks more pleasing than the obnoxious camera designs of many smartphones today.

Compared to last year’s model, the Realme GT2 Explorer Master Edition is less eccentric but still remains distinctive. It’s a phone that grabs attention without being showy and wouldn’t look out of place in a gala or boardroom meeting. It is also another example of how smartphones can become more than just hi-tech gadgets and be the fashionable extensions of ourselves that they have already become anyway.

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Realme GT Neo 3 Naruto Edition Hands-on: Design Ninja Moves

You might not be a Naruto or anime fan, but you still have to give Realme mad props for its manufacturing trick.

Smartphones have become so important to our daily lives that they are pretty much extensions and expressions of ourselves. Sometimes, you can tell a lot about a person based on the phone they’re using, especially if the devices are adorned with accessories or decals showing off their preferences. There are plenty of ways to customize a smartphone, and there’s an almost endless supply of cases and themes catering to different fandoms, but there’s still something to be said when a phone maker officially creates a special edition for a specific franchise, especially when that manufacturer bends over backward to create that special design, just like what Realme did for the Limited Naruto Edition of the GT Neo 3.

Designer: Realme

Realme is a brand that was born out of the desire to tap a younger market than most smartphone companies do. That focus is reflected in Realme’s business model and, of course, its designs. Realme phones often get editions themed around activities and brands that a more youthful audience gravitates towards. And there is perhaps nothing more “youthful” (despite embracing fans of all ages) than one of the most popular anime characters in recent memory, the ironically boisterous ninja Naruto.

It would have probably been easier, simpler, and cheaper for Realme to just throw in a custom case specially themed around Naruto, alongside themes and accessories designed the same way. In fact, Realme does have that, though some, like the customized GT Neo 3 case and a Power Bank 3 Pro Naruto Edition, are sold separately. The large and rather hefty 160W SuperDART charger that ships with this Naruto Edition phone do have the character’s iconic flaming orange color as its main hue. The USB-C cable, on the other hand, is predominantly black but does have orange bands on each end. Even the SIM tray ejector pin is designed to match the theme.

Realme, however, went the extra mile and gave the GT Neo 3 phone itself a Naruto makeover, inside and, most especially, outside. You might immediately be taken by the phone’s rear design, sporting that same fiery orange and black motif that the shinobi (Japanese for “ninja”) wore during his Shippuden era. The camera area even looks like the standard headband for ninjas hailing from Naruto’s hometown of Konohagakure, completing the semblance of a “Naruto Phone.”

What makes this Naruto Edition particularly intriguing is the design and manufacturing process that went into producing that design. Rather than simply painting over or under the matte glass back, Realme employed a painstaking and costly process that allowed them to have different textures and colors on the same single piece of glass. The orange and black areas of the case are easy enough to tell apart, but the Uzumaki clan’s crest in the middle is also part of that same whole piece. More impressive, perhaps, is that metallic section that does feel almost like metal and is even a fingerprint magnet like the real thing. They even used micro 3D patterns to create the illusion of rivets on the metal plate.

This is definitely more than what you might expect, even from a company like Realme that has been putting unique and unorthodox designs on the back of its phones. It also shows its attention even to the minutest details that may escape most people’s notice. The matte black area, for example, features three glossy stripes on each side, symbolizing Naruto’s distinctive facial feature.” You can even feel the difference between the two areas as if those stripes were engraved into the phone’s back and coated with a different material. Fortunately, most of the phone’s back has a matte texture for better grip, but those who still find it slippery can use the clear gel case included in the box.

As for the hardware, the Realme GT Neo 3 is quite on par with many flagships launched early this year. The 6.7-inch Full HD+ display is bright and colorful, making it the perfect canvas to show off Naruto-themed wallpapers and icons. The MediaTek Dimensity 8100 5G processor and 12GB of RAM (expandable up to 7GB) handle mobile games without breaking a sweat. The phone’s superpower, much like Naruto’s Rasengan, is its super-fast 150W charging capability. And in line with that theme, the phone plays a custom lock screen animation when it’s being charged (using that UltraDart brick), which also happens to be a five-element Rasengan.

Sadly, the special manufacturing process used to create that striking design is also part of the reason why this has to be a limited edition phone. Realme says that only 5,000 units (shadow clones) of the GT Neo 3 Naruto Edition are being sold, and all of them are in China only. It is definitely worthy of a Naruto fan’s attention, especially when they learn how much work Realme put into delivering something that isn’t just a faithful tribute to the character but also one that pushes the limits of phone designs.

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