The realme GT 7T offers the best value proposition in the new realme GT 7 Series lineup. The phone is priced under Php 30K and packs similar guns as the more powerful GT 7. For one, the phone has a 7000 mAh battery and the same stylish design. The realme GT 7T is powered by a capable Dimensity 8400 Max and packs up to 12GB of RAM.
This interesting set of specs makes me wonder whether this model is a better buy between the two and among its competitors in this segment. In this review, I give you insight into the real-time usage of the phone, and we’ll also answer who it’s for.
Review Summary:
Pros
- Pioneering Graphene-infused design
- Extra Long Battery Life
- Flagship-class performance
Cons
- Storage could be bigger
- Ultrawide camera could be improved
Design
The realme GT 7T is designed with a slick chassis. It comes with a matte texture and it could be slippery on the hands. The phone's back panel houses the rectangular camera module that frames two camera sensors - 50MP Sony IMX906 main camera and an 8MP ultrawide camera - and the LED flash module. We have the IceSense Black colorway for our review unit which comes with a dark gray-toned frame. This combination gives the phone a subtle look. For users who wanted to have a tint of color in their phones, they could opt for the IceSense Blue.
When it comes to the ports and buttons, we have a placement just as we have accustomed to. We have the volume rocker and the power button on the right side; the bottom is a bit busy with the speaker, microphone, USB-C port, and the SIM tray slot. Meanwhile, the top has the secondary speaker, microphone, and IR blaster. Yes, there's no 3.5-mm audio jack here; you can always use some wireless earbuds if you needed to.
Flipping the device over, we have a punched-hole design for the display. I love how the bezels remain slim on all sides. The phone itself is slim and easy to use. It's also surprisingly light despite having a 7000 mAh battery. As flashy as it is, I would still advise using the included case as the chassis tend to slip on my hands easily.
The GT 7 Series bags the crown as the first graphene-integrated smartphone in terms of design which we will discuss later. realme has also used its ArmorShell Protection and ArmorShell Glass on this phone's casing. Unfortunately, I don't want to test these features by dropping the phone, but it's a breath of fresh air to have them around when I actually do.
Display
The realme GT 7T frames a 6.78-inch AMOLED display. Using the device outdoors is such a breeze given that we have a peak brightness of 6000 nits. This is an LTPS panel which supports adaptive 120Hz refresh rate and 360Hz touch sampling rate. Meanwhile, I find the display quality amusing. For a sub Php 30K smartphone, the panel exudes bright and accurate colors. It's also contrasty and has efficient dynamic range.
I love using the phone when I binge-watch my favorite anime shows in Netflix. The screen is so expansive and exudes lots of detail. The viewing angles are also very generous, so sharing content with friends and family is a worthwhile experience.
There's an in-display fingerprint sensor embedded in the display. It's crazy fast in detecting my fingerprints. On top of that, the display is protected with Gorilla Glass 7i, which gives me confidence especially with my frequent habit of stuffing this phone in my bag.
There is a bunch of software features that enhance the display experience, including Adaptive Tone, which adjusts the screen's color temperature based on ambient lighting conditions, and an Extra Brightness toggle that allows users to manually set screen brightness beyond the default range. Overall, this is a very good display for gaming and content consumption.
Performance and Hardware
The realme GT 7T is powered by the shiny MediaTek Dimensity 8400 Max chipset. This SoC is developed using a 4-nanometer process. It is expected to be power-efficient and capable of handling powerful tasks at the same time. The chipset is paired with 12GB of RAM, which supports another 12GB of Dynamic RAM, so that users could take advantage of up to 24GB of memory. We have 256GB of storage, and unfortunately, there is no expansion option, in case your storage gets maxed out. I wished there's a 512GB variant for users who wanted to hoard files and probably would hold on to the phone for more than 2 years.
In our AnTuTu Benchmark test, the phone tallied 1,586,834 score which is slightly lower to realme's claim of 1,780,000 score. This score is quite similar to the realme GT 6 that we have reviewed last year. Meanwhile, our Geekbench 6.0 test proved that this phone is a powerful machine. It scored 1661 in Single Core test and 5797 in multi-core CPU test. In the GPU benchmarks, the GT 7T tallied 10787 in OpenCL and 12017 in Vulkan GPU test.
In our real-time usage, the phone handles most of the tasks thrown at it with ease. Currently, it is my main Mobile Legends: Bang Bang device which never gives up on me especially when I'm spamming skills. I have not experienced any interface "stuttering" or app crashes when juggling through several apps. Yes, this is a multitasking beast, and it definitely takes on heavy-graphic titles like Genshin Impact or Wuthering Waves.
When it comes to the content consumption, the realme GT 7T is a winner. The large display is very ideal for binge-watching shows in my favorite streaming apps. Plus, there's a Hi-Res dual stereo speakers that users can take advantage of. The loudspeaker sounds good with balanced highs and mid sections. Meanwhile, the Bass is quite punchy, but not overwhelming.
The Icesense Graphene Design is complemented by the 7000 mm² cooling system, which keeps the phone cool and heat-efficient while making it light, strong, and sleek. This is due to the high-performance graphene-fiberglass blend on the back panel. Also, realme has infused graphene into the front glass panel to even out heat dissipation across the front and back panels.
There's a zippy optical fingerprint sensor embedded under the display, while the face unlock function is also handy. What I love about this phone is that it captures signals without any sweat thanks to its dedicated SignalCatcher chip. Apart from that, there are multiple antennas strategically placed in the phone's body for it to hook into stronger signals. This showed when I was in a dead zone area, and it had a stronger signal compared to my other phone that's on the same network.
Camera
The realme GT 7T also carries a decent set of cameras. We have a 50MP Sony IMX906 sensor with Optical Image Stabilization and f/1.8 aperture. This is complemented by an 8MP ultrawide camera with f/2.2 aperture. Likewise, there's also a 32MP front-facing sensor with f/2.4 lens. realme is marketing this camera system as "AI Travel Camera" due to a handful of travel filters available in the camera app. These filters are calibrated to capture optimized shots on different travel sites like Mountain, Island, City, and more.
The phone makes use of the AI Landscape+ algorithm which enhances landscape photo clarity and transparency. This AI feature also corrects skewed photos for better framing. When it comes to photo quality, shots taken from the realme GT 7T are full of details and contrast, especially when taken under good lighting condition. Apart from that, the phone produces photos with punchy colors and great dynamic range. The AI Landscape mode adds a dramatic flair to the composition; however, I find it a bit contrasty.
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| Sample Photo |
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| Sample Photo in AI Landscape Mode |
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| Daylight Shots: 1x vs 2x Zoom |
The camera UI has a 2x magnification setting which digitally crops the photos taken by the main 50MP camera. However, I'm glad that this setting retains most of the details and colors without building up noise. The ultrawide camera is always a welcome feature, but we are still stuck with less detail and muted colors. On the other hand, the 32MP front camera captures great selfies with ample details and excellent skin tone, even in low-light. Speaking of low-light, the main camera can produce decent shots with noticeable noise in dark environments.
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| Sample Shot: Ultrawide Camera |
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| Sample Photo: Front Camera |
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| Sample Photos: Front Camera with Filters |
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| Night Shots: 1x vs 2x Zoom |
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| Sample Photos: Low-light Shot vs Low-light Shot with Portrait |
realme retains most of the AI camera features from the realme 14 Pro+ 5G. The AI Snap Mode is very useful in taking moving objects. In fact, realme improvised with the new AI Lightning Snap. Of course, the Street Mode remains to be a fan-favorite, as well as the Underwater Mode. Some useful gems that need to be mentioned are the AI Smart Image Matting, AI Eraser, AI Unblur, and AI Reflection remover, which function just the way they are coined.
Software
Running the whole show is the realme UI 6.0, which is based on Android 15. If you're new to this skin version, you're in for a treat since it is now cleaner and simpler, thanks to the minimalist icon design. The realme UI is one of my favorite Android skins due to the level of customizations you can do with it.
Gamers would also love the inclusion of the GT Boost which I always use in my gameplay. This is a suite of gaming-centric features that is overlayed on compatible apps. This includes the GT Mode, AI Ultra Touch Control, AI Motion Control, and more. I also noticed that this GT Boost version comes with reduced power consumption.
The AI Gaming Coach is one feature that stands out to me. It is embedded within the GT Boost suite and acts as a personalized coach when you're in-game. I used this when playing MLBB, and it predicts the winning probability as well as gives tips to improve your gaming strategy and tactics.
In terms of productivity, realme introduces the AI Planner. This feature can recognize text messages, emails, or travel plans that's found on your screen. Once activated, you can double tap the mid back panel of your phone for it to recognize your screen. I could see the potential in this feature, it's like the Essential app of Nothing Phones. However, I feel like this feature is still half-baked. I tried invoking it to read my email invites, but it failed to create events in multiple attempts. However, I am still looking forward to use this in future iterations when it's not buggy.
Battery
Battery life is the marquee feature of the realme GT 7T. It comes with a whopping 7000 mAh capacity despite being a slim phone. When it comes to real-time usage, the phone can easily last two days with moderate use. It could even extend up to the third day when used lightly. In my testing, a 20-minute game of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang on GT Boost Performance Mode, Ultra Graphics, and Ultra High Frame Rate settings, used up 7% of the battery.
The GT 7T also supports 120W Ultra Charge, which replenishes the battery faster. In our charging test, the phone reached 50% in just 16 minutes and 100% in 42 minutes. For a device with a large battery capacity, this is quite impressive. Of course, the Smart Bypass Charging feature is the cherry on top. Whenever I'm in-game and need to charge, this feature keeps my device cool by directly powering the motherboard. This also reduces battery wear in situations like these.
Verdict: Should You Buy the realme GT 7T?
The realme GT 7T is another interesting device from the company's GT line-up. Of the two, I think this one comes with better value-for-money proposition. It is very easy to recommend due to its flagship-like performance, two-day battery life, stunning display, capable camera, and pioneering graphene-infused design. Its sub-Php 30K price makes it a compelling choice if you're looking for a flagship-like smartphone without shelling out much cash.
The GT 7T is a balanced phone that holds its own not just within the GT 7 Series, but also against its midrange competitors. On top of that, its gaming-focused hardware and software features make it a cut above the rest in this price range. If you're in the market for a new daily driver that could double as a gaming phone and a premium-looking handset, look no further.
