realme teased us with the upcoming release of its realme GT 7 Series, following the successful launch of last year’s realme GT 6. The company has sent over the GT 7T for review, and I was immediately intrigued when I saw the phone’s spec sheet. On paper, it looks like a performance monster. However, there's only so much I can share at this point, so let me walk you through my unboxing experience and first impressions.
Unboxing Experience
The packaging follows realme’s familiar GT-style. It's a clean black box, bold logo and yellow accents. Inside, you get the phone, a chunky 120W SUPERVOOC charger, a USB-C cable, a silicone case which mirrors phone back panel, SIM ejector, and paperwork. No headphones, but that’s expected these days.
As soon as I peeled off the protective film, I was met with a sleek, modern design that feels premium without screaming for attention.
Design and Build Quality
We have the IceSense Black colorway for our review unit. Those who wanted a tint of color could go with the IceSense Blue option. First impression when I held it? Solid. The realme GT 7T is not heavy in a bad way, but you feel the 7000mAh battery inside. It has that confidence-inspiring heft, balanced out by the slightly curved back and smooth velvety finish.
There’s a subtle shine when light hits it, but it doesn’t pick up fingerprints easily. The rear panel houses some intriguing branding like "Graphene" and HyperImage+. For sure these point out to essential features of the phone which we will discuss in our review. We also have a raised rectangular camera module which houses the cameras and an interesting LED flash configuration.
Meanwhile, we have a plastic railing which comes in a dark gray color. It complements the black backing of our unit. The gold-accented power button is on the right side together with the volume rocker. The bottom side is busy with the SIM tray, microphone, USB-C port, and the speaker grille. The top is a home to the secondary speaker, microphone and IR blaster.
realme also went all-in on durability. With IP69, IP68, and IP66 ratings, this thing isn’t just water-resistant - it’s dustproof, pressure-resistant, and practically built for rugged use. I wouldn't throw it in a pool, but it’s more than safe around accidental splashes and rain.
Display: Smooth and Bright
The 6.78-inch LTPS AMOLED display immediately stood out. It’s a 120Hz panel, so it’s buttery smooth whether you’re scrolling through feeds or switching between apps. In our initial test, the panel is very bright compared to most phones we've seen.
I tested it outdoors under direct sunlight and the screen stayed legible. For an AMOLED panel, this is borderline flagship-level visibility.
Performance + Hardware
This phone runs on the MediaTek Dimensity 8400-MAX, and it’s not playing around. I'll just assume that it would score high on AnTuTu. But more than the benchmark numbers, it’s the actual day-to-day performance that impressed me.
Apps launch instantly. Multitasking feels effortless, even when bouncing between resource-heavy games, messaging apps, and background streaming. This has been my main mobile gaming phone for a week and it impresses me so far. I played continuously for an hour, and the phone stayed cool to the touch. This feature would be very interesting to discuss in the review.
I haven’t put the camera through serious testing yet, but early shots look sharp with decent dynamic range. The AI post-processing does a nice job enhancing color without going overboard.
The based on the setup, I could tell that the phone has dual-stereo speakers. They are surprisingly loud, with decent depth and clarity. Perfect for gaming, YouTube, or podcasts.
Early Verdict
The realme GT 7T doesn’t feel like a budget flagship - it feels like a performance-focused phone. From the ultra-bright AMOLED display to the beastly Dimensity 8400-MAX and other impressive features I've tested so far, this phone seems like it could tick multiple boxes in this segment.
I’ll spend more time testing the camera and digging into real-world battery life, but so far, the GT 7T feels like one of those rare devices that hit the sweet spot between power and practicality. The realme GT 7 Series will be launched in the Philippines on May 27. Stay tuned for the full review.
