Realme GT8 Debuts with Snapdragon 8 Elite and Ricoh-Tuned Cameras

The Realme GT8 has officially landed, joining its Pro sibling in China with a design that feels familiar yet carries a few intriguing differences under the hood. At first glance, the GT8 mirrors the Pro’s aesthetics – sleek, modern, and available in white, green, and blue. The green variant stands out with its micro-texture finish, offering a subtle play of light and grip, while the matte white and blue exude a more understated premium feel.

Unlike the Pro, though, the GT8’s camera island isn’t customizable, so buyers will want to choose their favorite color right from the start.

Inside, Realme has opted for the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor for the GT8 – a powerhouse from 2024 that slightly differs from the 8 Elite Gen 5 found in the Pro. Despite this distinction, the GT8 still delivers exceptional flagship performance and thermal efficiency. Powering it all is a 7,000mAh battery that supports 100W fast charging, slightly slower on paper than the Pro’s 120W, but still manages a full charge in just 45 minutes – only a two-minute gap in real-world use. Wireless charging, however, is off the table, which might disappoint a few users looking for complete flagship convenience.

The display remains one of Realme’s strongest suits. The GT8 sports a 6.79-inch AMOLED panel with a crisp 1440p resolution and a 144Hz LTPO refresh rate, ensuring buttery-smooth motion whether gaming or scrolling. With 2,000 nits of typical brightness and peaks reaching 4,000 nits, outdoor visibility shouldn’t ever be an issue. It’s a display made for those who crave vibrant color and fluid motion.

Realme’s collaboration with Ricoh adds an artistic flair to the camera experience. The GT8 features a 50MP main sensor – a 1/1.56-inch unit paired with a 22mm f/1.8 lens – and brings Ricoh’s signature color tuning to the table. Shooting modes like Hi-contrast B&W, Monotone, and Standard allow users to experiment with Ricoh’s photography heritage, known for natural tones and sharp detail. Though the Pro flaunts a higher megapixel telephoto, the GT8’s 50MP zoom camera offers an 80mm f/2.8 lens, which provides better reach and maintains clarity. The ultrawide camera, on the other hand, is a modest 8MP – enough for casual wide shots but not the strong point of this device.

Running on Android 16-based Realme UI 7.0, the GT8 introduces a redesigned camera app inspired by Ricoh’s aesthetic minimalism. The software feels more polished, with smoother transitions and refined controls. The phone launches in China today, starting at CNY 2,899 ($407) for the 12GB/256GB variant, scaling up to CNY 4,099 ($575) for the top 16GB/1TB model. With Chinese brands pushing aggressive specs at competitive prices, this model could redefine mid-flagship expectations globally. If it reaches global markets around €450 in the coming months, it may easily become one of the best value smartphones of 2025.