Realme GT 5G is the best cheapest Snapdragon 888 phone.

Realme GT 5G debuts in Europe for just €449: Cheapest Snapdragon 888 device on the market.

Realme has now brought its performance-focused affordable premium phone, the Realme GT 5G, over to the global market. Europe, specifically. The Realme GT 5G offers a Snapdragon 888 and up to 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB while bearing a lithe €369(around $450) price tag for now.

As part of Qualcomm’s annual Tech Summit in late 2020, we were introduced to its next flagship-tier mobile chip: the Snapdragon 888. So naturally, manufacturers – including Realme – clamored to shout about their upcoming phones powered by this hot new silicon.

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Realme GT 5G with cheapest Snapdragon 888

Realme launched the Realme GT 5G a few months ago in China as its affordable performance-focused device positioned against the Redmi K40 Pro. The company has now brought the device over to the European market. Also, it hopes to snag a portion of the market away from bitter rivals Xiaomi.

Before we dive into the specs, let’s take a look at the phone’s design. (which, to be honest, is actually the most boring part in today’s flagship market), the Realme GT comes in three flavors: “Racing Yellow,” “Dashing Silver,” and “Dashing Blue.”

Let’s uncover the pulchritudinous of Realme GT

Personally, I’m all for the “Racing Yellow,” which features vegan leather jazzed up with a glossy race track stripe. Even though I’d most likely keep the bundled protective case on, I do like the feel of the ultra-fine grain. This version comes in at 9.1mm thick, and 186.5g heavy, which isn’t bad considering these are just an additional 0.7mm and 0.5g over the other two glossy designs, respectively.

The Realme GT ticks all the boxes for a 2021 flagship: Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor, 120Hz Super AMOLED panel (6.43 inches, FHD+), in-display fingerprint reader, Dolby Atmos stereo speakers, dual Nano-SIM slots, NFC, a 4,500mAh battery, and 35-minute rapid charging (a 65W SuperDart Charger is included). Realme would have been nice to throw in the third microphone for even better noise cancellation if I nitpicked. 

Most of the phone’s spec sheet leaked ahead of launch, but the complete, official picture is as follows:

• 6.43in 20:9 120Hz Full HD+ AMOLED display w/ 360Hz touch response rate
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor w/ stainless steel & copper vapor chamber cooling
• 8GB or 12GB LPDDR5 RAM
• 128GB or 256GB UFS 3.1 storage
• Rear cameras:
  • 64Mp f/1.8 Sony IMX682 sensor
  • 8Mp f/2.3 119° ultrawide sensor
  • 2Mp f/2.4 macro sensor
• 16Mp f/2.5 front-facing camera
• Stereo speakers w/ Dolby Atmos
• Hi-Res Audio support
• Under-display fingerprint sensor
• ‘4D Tactile Engine’ haptics
• Realme UI 2.0 atop Android 11
• Support for Android 12 Beta
• 5G
• NFC
• Bluetooth 5.2
• 3.5mm headphone jack
• USB-C
• 4500mAh battery
• 65W flash charging
• 158.5mm x 73.3mm x 9.1mm (glass-backed), 158.5mm x 73.3mm x 8.4mm (leather-backed)
• 186 grams (glass-backed), 186.5 grams (leather-backed)

Are you a gamer?

Realme is also pitching this as a mobile gaming device, thanks to its 360Hz touch sampling rate. A linear motor tactile engine, 3.5mm headphone jack, and stainless steel vapor cooling system can apparently reduce the core temperature by up to 15 degrees Celsius. In addition, you can activate a “GT Mode,” which pushes the processor performance and screen refresh rate to the max. As a matter of fact, so long as you keep an eye on the battery level.

Check out The Best affordable gaming laptops for you.

Realme is also working on bringing its “flagship killer” to other major markets, namely the UK and India, which will undoubtedly further threaten the likes of Xiaomi, Samsung and Huawei. That said, the company currently has no plans to bring its phones to the US.

In addition to Realme’s surprisingly ambitious push into the global flagship smartphone market, the company is launching its Techlife line of smart home devices, starting with a robot vacuum that sucks and mops using LIDAR mapping and a 300ml water tank. This will cost 299 euros (about $360) when it starts pre-sale on AliExpress on June 16th.

The Bottom Line

Alongside that, Chase also confirmed that the smartphone would be featuring LPDDR5 RAM and UFS3.1 storage. It previously revealed that the device would pack the top-of-the-line Snapdragon 888 SoC under the hood. If we consider the pricing, the device could be well on its way to be the cheapest Snapdragon 888 device.

When stacked up against the competition, the pricing of the Realme GT is significantly lower for the specifications it boasts. Realme’s unique selling proposition has always been offering the best features at affordable prices. The company seems to be following it with its latest flagship as well. Whether the device is actually able to outrank its competitors remains to be seen.