The Realme GT 6 is one of half a dozen Snapdragon 8s Gen 3-powered phones launched recently. However, the processor is not the whole story. On paper, the new Realme phone features an upgraded camera system, a bright display, and a big battery. But do these specs translate to real-world benefits and an experience that rivals the OnePlus 12R in the same range?
The Realme GT 6 isn’t a head-turner but it isn’t boring-looking either. The glass back features a dual-tone design with a mirror-like finish on one-third of the body. At 199 grams, it feels comfortable in the hand and doesn’t strain the wrist. The phone is IP65-rated for dust and water resistance, which is slightly better than the OnePlus 12R’s IP64 rating.
On the front lies a big 6.78-inch display under the protection of Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2. It’s a curved glass panel, which makes the phone feel slimmer than it is. You also get an infrared sensor on the top that can be used to control home appliances. It’s one of the underrated features that I like on my phone because I don’t need to look for the remote every time I need to control my TV or projector.
The Realme GT 6 features a big and bright LTPO AMOLED display that supports a dynamic 120Hz refresh rate, 1.5k resolution, and 6,000 nits peak brightness for supported media. For context, the peak brightness kicks in for short durations on a few pixels when watching HDR content. That being said, it’s plenty bright with good legibility in bright daylight. It’s a sharp and vivid screen. You’ll enjoy consuming media on this phone.
The Realme GT 6 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chipset, the same as the recently launched Xiaomi 14 Civi, Motorola Edge 50 Ultra, and Poco F6. It is paired with 12GB/16GB of RAM and 256GB/512GB of storage.
I didn’t have any issues with day-to-day usage, which involves a lot of fumbling around Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp, and Slack alongside a bit of camera and navigation. I was hesitant to play games, but the phone ran Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile on the highest supported settings without any stutters. Unlike the Xiaomi 14 Civi, the Realme GT 6 doesn’t get warm to the touch during extensive camera usage or gaming.
The Realme GT 6 runs Realme UI 5 based on Android 14. In my experience, there were fewer spam notifications than the last phone I tested from the company, the Realme 12 Pro Plus. The UI is smooth and responsive with a slew of customization options. I especially liked the Custom Patterns in Always on Display (AoD) setting that lets you swipe to draw patterns in different colors for your personalized AoD style. Notably, I had no issues with fake touch inputs from the curved display sides.
The Realme GT 6 packs a 5,500mAh battery that supports 120W fast charging. During my two-week testing period, I never had trouble getting through the day. It will last you an entire day with ease. And when you need to charge it, the phone can go from 15% to a full charge within 30 minutes.
The Realme GT 6 sports a triple rear camera setup that includes a 50MP Sony LYT-808 sensor, a 50MP telephoto camera with support for 2x optical zoom, and an 8MP ultrawide-angle sensor. On the front, you get a 32MP selfie shooter.
The primary camera clicks good-looking photos with plenty of details. It can handle the dynamic range well, and the colors are accurate too. The low-light performance is impressive as well.
The telephoto camera comes in handy for portrait shots. You get good edge detection, even in challenging situations where the subject is against the light. However, the processing tends to smoothen facial details. It can go up to 20x, but the images start looking noisy after 4x.
The ultrawide camera is average, but there’s minimal color shift between the primary and ultrawide cameras, which I appreciate. It loses its grip in low light. The selfie camera is also good enough in most situations. Overall, there’s no red flag in the camera system. However, I wish it could go up to 3x optical zoom.
The Realme GT 6 starts at 40,999 Indian Rupees ($490) for the base 12GB RAM and 256GB variant and goes up to 44,999 Indian Rupees ($540) for the 16GB RAM and 512GB storage model. It competes with the likes of the OnePlus 12R, iQOO Neo 9 Pro, and Xiaomi 14 Civi. Out of these, the Realme GT 6 is the most complete phone. I just wish it looked better, though.
If you want to consume media, the comfortable in-hand feel and big display with the loud speaker will serve you well. If you are looking for a performance beast at a lower price, you might want to go with the Poco F6, but the Realme GT 6 won’t disappoint either. And if you want a versatile camera setup on a phone in this price range, you have it here.
The top-notch AMOLED display, snappy performance, excellent battery life with amazing fast charging, and solid cameras make the Realme GT 6 an easy recommendation.