It’s nearly a year since Realme unveiled its GT smartphone to the world, which means that rumours are beginning to surface of what we should expect in its successor.
While there’s no news yet on the standard GT 2, the company has confirmed that its bigger brother – the GT 2 Pro – will be the first premium flagship device to bear the Realme badge and, what’s more, it’ll be powered by the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. Here’s all we know so far.
When will the Realme GT 2 Pro be released?
As the GT range is still relatively new, there’s no established release cycle yet, but we can still look to the previous models to see when the GT 2/GT 2 Pro might appear.
The Realme GT 5G was introduced in China on 4 March 2021, but it didn’t make it to international markets (including the UK) until later that same year, on 21 June. This was followed by a few other models in the range, – including the Realme GT Neo – which arrived in China on 31 March but didn’t receive a release in other territories.
To confuse matters somewhat, Realme introduced a few special editions of the GT shortly after launch too. These were the GT Master Edition – which featured a redesigned chassis and a more modest chipset (the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G 5G, as opposed to the Snapdragon 888) all for a cheaper price tag.
This was accompanied by the GT Explorer Master Edition, which employed a Snapdragon 870, some tweaks to the camera modules, and a slightly larger display. Both arrived in China in July 2021, with the Master Edition making it to global markets in August 2021. Read our guide to the Realme GT range for more details on the specs, prices and release dates for those Realme products.
So, if Realme follows suit, then we should see the Realme GT 2 arrive in March 2022. At the moment though, the only solid rumours and details we have relate to the Realme GT 2 Pro; a new model to add to the growing list.
The existence of the Pro was first confirmed on 12 November by Realme CEO Sky Li on his Twitter feed, with the statement:
It’s official: realme to advance into high-end market with smartphones over USD800. What do you expect most from realme full flagship phone?
— Sky Li (@skyli_realme)
November 12, 2021
This was followed with:
GT 2 Pro – that’s how we are going to name our first and most premium flagship phone. Always feel great to deliver something new and exciting to users worldwide. #realmeGT2Pro pic.twitter.com/ngX5VI409S
— Sky Li (@skyli_realme)
November 29, 2021
Tech site RealmiCentral also reported that the new model would make its debut in the first quarter of 2022, which would match the March window previously used to launch the original Realme GT.
Despite the GT 2 line’s expected launch taking place in 2022, however, numerous Realme executives have suggested that the brand will at least introduce the GT 2 Pro to the market before the end of 2021.
See you this December!#realmeGT2Pro #Snapdragon8Gen1 https://t.co/X8qN1YK2aQ
— Madhav Sheth (@MadhavSheth1)
December 1, 2021
Madhav Sheth, who runs Realme’s international business endeavours, promised that fans would be able to meet the GT 2 Pro “this December,” while the brand’s Weibo account promised a reveal of the phone (in China, at least) on 9 December, in Shenzhen.
While 9 December came and went with little more than an “urban camping experience” for Chinese Realme fans also crowing the first Realme GT 2 Pro owner (as detailed on the company’s Weibo page), the phone didn’t materialise.
Instead, Realme has now officially set a date of 20 December for its ‘GT 2 Series Special Event,’ where the company says it’ll be “premiering three world-first innovative technologies,” centred around eco-friendly materials, photography and communication.
In the press release pertaining to this announcement, the company also revealed that it would once again be partnering with Naoto Fukasawa – the man responsible for every previous ‘Master Edition’ Realme phone, suggesting the GT 2 line will be getting a similar treatment.
“Furthermore, Realme and Naoto Fukasawa also explore values beyond design by applying innovative bio-based materials for the first-ever time in smartphones. This eco-friendly material is able to reduce carbon emission by 63% per kilogram while remaining as strong and durable as traditional methods.”
In the meantime, the Realme GT Neo 2 has already been released and is now available globally. So if you want to see how the second generation of the line’s more affordable handsets shapes up, you can read our full Realme GT Neo 2 review.
How much will the Realme GT 2 Pro cost?
As you can see from the statement by Realme CEO Sky Li, the GT 2 Pro will be the first device from the company to break the US$800 mark. By how much, we don’t know, but logic dictates that it can only be from $801 to $899 (otherwise it would break the $900 mark).
If, for a moment, we were to speculate that the price was $849, this would translate to around £650 or €750. Of course, there are local taxes, import duties and similar charges to consider; so if we apply VAT to the UK price, it gives us £780, which could easily move to £799. The same could be true of European markets, so be prepared to pay around £800/€800/$849 for the first ‘true’ Realme flagship.
What new features will we see in the Realme GT 2 Pro?
Realme itself has confirmed that the GT 2 Pro will come with the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset, which launched at the end of November 2021. That at least lives up to the company’s promise that this is truly a premium flagship.
It’s official! #realmeGT2Pro, our first and most premium flagship will pack #Snapdragon8Gen1. Along with the best chip, what else do you think makes a true premium flagship smartphone? #realmeGT2series pic.twitter.com/oFcDGkeVfr
— realme (@realmeglobal)
December 1, 2021
One interesting report from 91Mobiles details AnTuTu benchmarks that have appeared online featuring the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 in a Realme GT 2 Pro, with a score over 1 million points; comfortably beyond the last flagship generation. So, whenever the device arrives, it’s sure to be fast.
91Mobiles has managed to report more leaked specs, as well as some detailed renders of the new design. The image, which comes courtesy of OnLeaks, shows a bulbous strip on the back of the chassis, reminiscent of the old Nexus 6P from 2015, as well as a nod to the current Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro.
The report says that the strip will most likely be home to dual 50Mp modules (a wide and ultrawide) and an 8Mp GR (telephoto) lens. These will be joined by a 32Mp selfie camera, as on the GT Master and Explorer Editions.
The display is expected to be a 6.8in WQHD+ OLED panel, with a 120Hz refresh rate. While internally, Realme will opt for 12GB of RAM, 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage and possibly a battery that will support 125W fast-charging.
Considering the 65W fast-charging on the original GT could replenish the battery from zero to 100% in just over thirty minutes, it’s entirely possible that the speed on the GT 2 Pro could cause users to actually travel in time; although Realme refused to confirm this would be a feature on the new model.
To see what it will be up against, take a look at our pick of the best phones and best Chinese smartphones.
