The Realme GT6 is a spectacular return to the high end after two generations in white, thanks to a delightful screen, excellent performance, and a very good camera, although it does have a few things that need polishing.
It’s even curious to see it here, especially considering that both the Realme GT5 and Realme GT3 were not released in Europe —the 4 does not exist due to superstitions of Chinese companies— and I think that’s why I was so eager to get my hands on it.
In the end, the last of the family came out in 2022, and personally, I still consider it one of the most complete and interesting phones to come out in recent years.
The Realme GT 2 Pro was (and is) a real beast, so I had very high expectations for the Realme GT 6, which I had the opportunity to test for a few weeks.
And, to be honest, it has practically fulfilled all of them.
It has a starting price of $599 for the 8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage version, which is practically a gift for everything it offers, but it can reach $799 for 16 + 512 GB.
It has a delightful screen, excellent performance, and extraordinary battery life, plus a fabulous design and a very complete camera system. Curious? Keep reading to find out my in-depth opinion in this review of the Realme GT 6.
Design: premium construction and fantastic grip, although it gets covered in fingerprints
This Realme GT6 has a simply outstanding build that exudes premium quality everywhere you look. Not only because it’s so well defined, but also because it offers fantastic grip, a delightful feel, and ideal weight.
It’s true that depending on the size of your hand, it may feel a bit big, but I think it’s easy to handle with one hand.
However, despite its high-end appearance, it also suffers from a common criticism of this type of device: it gets covered in fingerprints everywhere, especially in the area where its curious camera module is located, just above a mirror strip that reflects everything.
If you’re a stickler for this kind of thing, I’m telling you now that you’re going to suffer quite a bit, since it gets dirty just by looking at it. That said, it has a design that makes it clear that you’re looking at a top-of-the-line product.
A design that, in my opinion, loses personality when compared to other GT models from Realme, which opted for something more distinctive, such as the Realme GT 2, which is still my favorite to date, or even the Realme GT 3
Again, this is entirely personal, but I think they’ve lost their own identity and fallen into the trap of premium devices.
Otherwise, it has the classic button panel on the right side, USB-C and SIM slot located at the bottom, integrated fingerprint sensor on the screen, and IP65 protection.
Screen: a delight in fluidity, color, and brightness, but with curves that don’t suit it very well
The screen is one of the device’s star features thanks to its 6.78 inches with FullHD+ OLED resolution and 120 Hz to ensure maximum fluidity.
And the truth is that all this is noticeable: the fluidity of the animations is amazing, the color representation is magnificent, and it has a maximum brightness that has left me pleasantly surprised.
Not only because of its excellent automatic adjustment, but also because it has a maximum peak of 6,000 nits, which means you won’t have any problems in any lighting conditions.
So much so that there is even an option in the settings that allows you to increase the screen brightness even further than usual, if you want extra brightness, with the consequent reduction in battery life, of course.
The only downside I can find with the screen is that it’s a curved panel.
I understand the decision; ultimately, it gives the impression of an infinite panel and makes the device look more premium, but this causes color flaws on the sides when you turn the phone, which can be somewhat annoying depending on the situation.
Performance and software: an absolute powerhouse with a great operating system
Inside, the Realme GT6 hides the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, a recently launched processor from Qualcomm that is found in the Honor 200 Pro and the Motorola Edge 50 Ultra and is more or less halfway between Gen 2 and Gen 3.
Ultimately, it’s a high-end or premium mid-range chip that falls a little short in terms of power, but gains in stability, consistency, and above all AI capabilities.
That said, to say it falls short is just nitpicking, as the device flies, performs flawlessly, and can do absolutely everything you could ask of it.
Here’s a comparison with the Samsung Galaxy S24+ and the iPhone 15, which shows that, although it falls slightly short, it still delivers fantastic numbers.
As for the operating system, it comes with Android 14 + realme UI 5.0, which keeps Realme’s classic software as intuitive and clean as ever.
It also includes a gesture control system that allows you to control the phone without touching it, but I haven’t been able to get it to work at any point. A real shame, as I was quite taken with its possibilities.
Otherwise, I think it more than delivers, as usual, with refined software after a long time of refinement and different versions.
Camera: very complete camera with several AI features for editing
The camera on this Realme GT6 is also one of the device’s strong points.
As always, let’s start with the camera’s specs:
Main Sony LYT-808; 50 MP 1/1.4“; f/1.69 OIS
Telephoto Samsung JN5; 50 MP 1/2.8”; f/2.0
Ultra wide angle Sony IMX355; 8 MP 1/4”; f/2.2
Selfie: 32 MP
This is a very versatile configuration that really delivers on everything it promises.
Not only because of its frankly good main lens, but also because it performs well in virtually every area, with special mention for the telephoto lens and a night mode that manages to capture excellent snapshots.
The selfie camera’s portrait mode also produces very good images, both in portrait and normal mode, and the blurring is more than adequate.
As for the portrait mode of the main camera, it is an absolute delight with images that leave a lot of detail and vivid, well-defined colors.
All this is rounded off by a very intuitive and easy-to-use camera app, with a short and fast shutter speed, as well as an AI editing system, which has already been seen on many devices, allowing you to remove things you don’t like to create the perfect photo.
If I had to find a fault, I would say that I missed a macro mode for capturing small details, although it is true that the camera already performs quite well when zooming in on an image.
Battery: huge battery life with fast charging… which you have to buy separately
Battery life is also one of its strong points, as thanks to its enormous 5,500 mAh capacity, it lasts for more than two days without any problems.
I also get the feeling that it works very well with the processor, as in addition to always maintaining a stable temperature, I think it manages to squeeze out extra hours.
In addition to this, I was struck by the fact that after updating the device, the application optimizer opened and analyzed everything to see if it could do anything to adjust the battery life, and the truth is that after that day I noticed an increase of a few hours of use.
The downside? Although it has 120W fast charging, the charger is not included in the box and must be purchased separately if you want to use this useful feature that has become so popular in recent years.
The Realme GT6 is one of the best in its range
Personally, I think the Realme GT6 is one of the best devices so far this year.
What’s more, if you go for the 8 GB RAM + 256 GB option, you get a device at a really good price with almost no competition in terms of performance.
It excels in absolutely everything, and although it’s true that there are certain things that, in my opinion, have been lost, such as the lack of a distinctive design or the curved screen, everything else is exemplary.
