Realme GT 6 review: an all-rounder worthy of admiration

The Realme GT 6 is one of six Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 phones that have been launched recently. However, the processor isn’t the only thing that counts. On paper, the new Realme phone features an improved camera system, a bright display, and a large battery. But do these specs translate into real-world benefits and an experience that rivals the OnePlus 12R in the same range?

Ergonomic design and clear screen

The Realme GT 6 doesn’t draw attention to itself, but it doesn’t come across as boring 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 tire out the wrist. The phone has an IP65 rating for dust and water resistance, which is slightly better than the OnePlus 12R’s IP64 rating.

On the front, there is a large 6.78-inch display protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2. It is a curved glass panel, which makes the phone look thinner than it is. It also has an infrared sensor at the top that can be used to control home appliances. It is one of the underrated features that I like about my phone because I don’t need to search for the remote every time I need to control my TV or projector.

The Realme GT 6 features a large and bright LTPO AMOLED display that supports a 120Hz dynamic refresh rate, a 1.5k resolution, and a peak brightness of 6,000 nits for supported media. To put that into context, the peak brightness kicks in for brief periods on a few pixels when watching HDR content. That said, it’s plenty bright and has good readability in broad daylight. It’s a sharp and vivid display. You’ll enjoy consuming media on this phone.

Agile performance and lasts all day

The Realme GT 6 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 processor, the same as the recently launched Xiaomi Mi 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 handling Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp, and Slack along with a bit of camera and browsing. I was hesitant to play games, but the phone ran Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile at the highest supported settings without any stutters. Unlike the Xiaomi 14 Civi, the Realme GT 6 doesn’t get warm to the touch during intensive camera use or gaming.

The Realme GT 6 runs Realme UI 5 based on Android 14. In my experience, there were fewer spammy notifications than the last phone I tested from the company, the Realme 12 Pro Plus. The UI is smooth and responsive, with a wealth of customization options. I particularly liked the Custom Patterns setting in Always on Display (AoD) that lets you swipe to draw patterns in different colors for your personalized AoD style. Notably, I had no issues with false touch inputs from the sides of the curved display.

The Realme GT 6 packs a 5,500mAh battery that supports 120W fast charging. During my two-week testing period, I never had any issues with it lasting through the day. It will last you a full day without any issues. And when you do need to charge it, the phone can go from 15% to a full charge in 30 minutes.

A versatile camera system

The Realme GT 6 features a triple rear camera setup that includes a 50MP Sony LYT-808 sensor, a 50MP telephoto camera with 2x optical zoom support, and an 8MP ultra-wide-angle sensor. On the front, there is a 32MP selfie shooter.

The main camera takes attractive, detailed photos. It can handle dynamic range well and colors are accurate too. Low-light performance is also impressive.

The telephoto camera is very useful for portrait photos. Good edge detection is achieved, even in difficult situations where the subject is backlit. However, the processing tends to soften facial details. It can go up to 20x, but images start to look noisy after 4x.

The ultra-wide camera is average, but there is minimal color shift between the main and ultra-wide cameras, which I appreciate. It loses its appeal in low light. The selfie camera is also good enough in most situations. Overall, there are no red flags in the camera system. I do wish it could go as high as 3x optical zoom, though.

Realme GT 6 review: Verdict

The Realme GT 6 starts at INR 40,999 ($490) for the base 12GB RAM/256GB storage variant and goes up to INR 44,999 ($540) for the 16GB RAM/512GB storage model. It competes with the likes of the OnePlus 12R, iQOO Neo 9 Pro, and Xiaomi 14 Civi. Of these, the Realme GT 6 is the more well-rounded phone. I wish it looked better, though.

If you want to consume multimedia content, the comfortable hand feel and large display with a powerful speaker will come in handy. If you are looking for a device with incredible performance at a lower price, you might prefer the Poco F6, but the Realme GT 6 won’t disappoint you either. And if you want a versatile camera setup on a phone in this price range, this is it.

The top-tier AMOLED display, fast performance, excellent battery life with incredible fast charging, and solid cameras make the Realme GT 6 an easy recommendation.