Realme GT7 review: Performance and efficiency highlight this value flagship

Business Standard

30-05-2025

Realme has launched its latest smartphone, the GT 7, in India, powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 9400e chipset. Featuring upgrades across the board, the phone joins a growing list of smartphones with a large capacity battery – 7,000mAh. Moreover, it has a 6.78-inch AMOLED display with 6,000 nits peak brightness, protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 7i. The GT 7 also integrates a suite of AI-powered tools designed to enhance productivity, personalisation, and usability. But does it offer a flagship experience? Let's find out:
Realme GT 7: Design
The Realme GT 7 features a sleek, modern design with a slim profile that feels manageable. Its glossy back panel adds a premium touch, though it can be slippery during everyday use.
The front is dominated by a 6.78-inch display, which is a lot of screen footprint, although one-handed use may feel cumbersome. The curved edges enhance grip comfort, but the overall size requires extra care to avoid slips.
The rear camera module is bold and prominent, placed in the top-left corner and highlighted by a thin red accent line that complements the matching red power button. At 206g, the device is slightly heavy, but the balanced weight distribution ensures it remains comfortable to hold over long durations.
Realme GT 7: Display
The GT 7 sports a 6.78-inch AMOLED display of a 2780 x 1264 pixel resolution, striking a fine balance between size and sharpness. Its is ideal for gaming, streaming, and multitasking.
With a 120Hz refresh rate, the panel delivers smooth scrolling, fluid animations, and responsive navigation. Whether gaming or switching between apps, touch responsiveness is consistently snappy.
A standout feature is the peak brightness of 6,000 nits, placing it among the brightest smartphone screens available. Outdoor visibility is excellent, with dynamic brightness adjustments based on ambient light ensuring readability even in direct sunlight.
Colour reproduction is vivid and accurate, with deep blacks and high contrast. Support for HDR10+ and Dolby Vision enhances content with richer visuals. Additionally, users can customise refresh rates in certain apps to boost performance as needed.
Camera
The Realme GT 7 features a triple-camera setup on the rear:
50MP main sensor (Sony IMX896) with OIS
50MP telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom and OIS
8MP ultra-wide-angle camera
The main sensor captures sharp images with well-balanced exposure and performs well in various lighting conditions. Optical Image Stabilisation helps in low light and improves video stability.
The telephoto lens produces sharp shots in daylight, closely matching the main sensor in sharpness and tone. However, dynamic range is limited, and low-light results require steadier hands. Digital zoom beyond 2x leads to visible quality degradation, especially past 5x. Portrait mode can be inconsistent, with occasional edge-detection errors.
The ultra-wide camera performs best in daylight but struggles in low light, with noticeable noise and loss of detail.
On the front, the 32MP selfie camera captures realistic skin tones and vibrant colours, ideal for social media use. In low light, finer textures like hair or skin may appear slightly softened.
Performance and Gaming
Powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 9400e, the GT 7 handles multitasking and graphically demanding games with ease. Daily operations are smooth, with quick app launches and no visible lag.
Despite the powerful chipset, thermal management is effective. Even during extended BGMI sessions on max settings, the device remains cool. However, recording 8K video at 30fps for extended periods causes some heating.
Gaming is a strong point, with 12GB RAM ensuring fluid performance. Enabling GT Mode activates performance enhancements such as:
AI motion control
Touch optimisation
Geek power tuning
Game focus mode
Features like AI Super Resolution improve visual quality, and Frame Plus enables frame rates up to 120fps for supported games. Tools for notification control, bypass charging, and eye comfort enhance the gaming experience further.
Software and AI
Running on Android 15 with Realme UI 6.0, the GT 7 is packed with a host of AI tools:
AI planner: Detects on-screen content to schedule events and reminders. Activation via double-tap on the back is inconsistent.
AI translator: Offers live conversation, text, and visual translation. Users can translate entire screens or selected sections.
AI smart loop: Suggests sharing/saving options based on screen content. Example: instantly uploading screenshots to Google Photos.
AI recording summary: Summarises long recordings accurately—even with muffled audio—into bullet points.
AI Studio tools:
AI Portrait, AI Reimage, AI Motion
AI Eraser, AI Ultra Clarity, AI Glare Remover (especially effective)
In addition to Realme's native AI tools, the GT 7 supports Google Gemini, including:
Quick access to Gemini assistant
Live interface
Screen and camera sharing capabilities
Battery
The 7,000mAh battery is one of the largest in its segment. Even with intensive tasks like gaming or 4K video recording for an hour, battery drain is minimal. With moderate use, the device easily lasts up to 2.5 days.
The phone supports 120W wired fast charging, reaching 50 per cent in under 10 minutes, and full charge in about 25 minutes. It also supports wired reverse charging, allowing it to charge other devices like an iPhone seamlessly.
Verdict
The Realme GT 7 offers a well-rounded flagship experience for performance-focused users. It handles daily tasks and gaming efficiently, thanks to its robust chipset, large battery, and effective thermal control.
The design feels premium, though the glossy back may require a case for better grip. The camera setup is reliable in most conditions, though low-light and portrait performance could be improved.
Overall, the GT 7 stands out as a powerful, feature-rich smartphone that delivers excellent value in its segment—with few compromises.