Realme GT 2 Explorer Master Edition, first impressions: a giant slayer dressed in gala

Realme is doing things very well in 2022. The BBK Electronics company, which has been operating in our country for several years, has brought us very interesting phones this year; like the acclaimed Realme GT 2 Pro, Realme GT 3 Neo or the modest Realme 9 and its different variants.

Realme intends to raise the bar even higher thanks to the Realme GT 2 Explorer Master Edition, a phone that arrives ready for anything and with one of the most powerful spec sheets of 2022. For now, this vitaminized version of the GT 2 Pro has only been presented in China. We do not know if it will arrive in Spain, but at EuroXlivewe have had exclusive access to this authentic beast to be able to test it and tell you everything about it. Hold on, curves are coming.

Realme GT 2 Explorer Master Edition data sheet

An amazing design and very comfortable in the hand

The design surprises as soon as we take the mobile out of its box since differs in many ways from the Realme GT2 Pro. For example, we have a very elegant rear surface featuring a cream color, at least in the unit we have tested.

The finish of the back face offers a rough touch, the result of the design created by the artist Jae-Jung. In this particular model, the phone’s brown frame extends to the corners of the rear surface; with a quite different appearance from what we are used to seeing in mobiles of the category to which the Realme GT 2 Explorer Master Edition is directed.

On the back side we also find the camera module. Composed of three sensors, one of them large, this module will catch everyone’s attention due to its volume and also because of its contrast with the rest of the phone. The camera lenses protrude from the body of the devicebut they do not destabilize it when it is placed on a surface.

The Realme GT 2 Explorer Master Edition is very comfortable in the hand, its touch is very pleasant and its weight, of 195 grams, is quite pleasing: this translates into a very light experience using the device with one hand. As with most phones with completely straight edges, its grip is not the best: we have missed the most curved ends. For the rest, we are very happy with the design that Realme has achieved.

The Realme GT 2 Explorer Master Edition offers a large 6.7-inch screen with OLED technology, Full HD+ resolution and refresh rate up to 120 Hz. There is the option to configure said rate at 60 Hz, we can set it to 120 Hz or leave it automatic so that it adjusts to the content we are playing.

The panel makes good use of the front surface of the Realme GT 2 Explorer Master Edition, there is very little room for margins. In the upper frame, the 16-megapixel front camera is centered; which, in turn, acts as a facial recognition system.

After our experience, we find that the screen of the Realme GT 2 Explorer Master Edition fits very well with what can be expected from the high-end. It is true that there is room for improvement since could have an extra resolution or an OLED screen with LTPO technology, but, despite these absences, it is a very usable panel for all uses. And its large size is appreciated, especially for watching movies, series or videos. Not to mention that fluidity is characteristic when playing demanding and fast video games.

Maximum performance, temperature controlled until charging

After the successive criticism that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 has received for its high operating temperature, we have to say that Qualcomm improved this negative point with the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. During the tests we have carried out we wanted to force the machine: after playing Apex Legends Mobile while charging the device, the temperature increased, but to normal values. Therefore, heat management has been optimized with this latest version of Qualcomm’s processor; detail to which is added the passive dissipation developed by Realme for the GT 2 Explorer Master Edition.

At the behavior level, the GT 2 Explorer Master Edition develops a very remarkable fluidity and great performance. If we had to define our experience with a single word, it would be: stability. At no time did we notice a lack of power, nor have we experienced failures or lag. In other words, it has everything good that we can expect from what is one of the most powerful processors out there today.

The battery is another section that stood out during our experience with the Realme GT 2 Explorer Master Edition. The company has not wanted to skimp on resources. and has integrated a 5,000 mAh battery in the body of this phone; without this implying an increase in the weight of the equipment. Its recharge is also quite generous taking advantage of the 100W UltraDart technology: the phone goes from 0 to 100% battery in just under 25 minutes.

Good photography with an unforeseen surprise

And it’s time to talk, or rather, to see, how well the cameras section performs its work. The rear module of this Realme GT 2 Explorer Master Edition is very similar to that of the Realme GT 2 Pro: solid but incomplete. In our opinion, it could have been used much better in this model since the company has prioritized the inclusion of a macro sensor (quite spectacular in microscopic photography, as we will detail later) instead of including a telephoto lens.

In this way, the set of cameras is made up of three members:

• Major: 50 megapixels, f/1.8, Sony IMX766.
• Angular: 50 megapixels, f/2.22, 150º.
• Macro: 2 megapixels, f/2.4

At the level of photographic results, the Realme GT 2 Explorer Master Edition does a good job in general. It does not achieve the best photography within the high rangebut he knows how to defend his cards very well.

The Sony IMX766 main sensor, one of the big favorites of many mobile phone companies in the last year, continues to work hard to bring us good quality images. In automatic mode very interesting results are obtained with a great level of detail and contrast. The processing of this Realme suffers from a certain exaggeration of colors and distances it from natural images. But still the result is correct.

With the wide angle, we lose that good detail that the main sensor gives us; with the advantage that the processing does not usually apply so much saturation. This lens corrects well the classic deformation of the sides: we can immortalize our favorite moments without much problem and saving much more space in the scene.

If we talk about portrait, this Realme phone manages to create very attractive snapshots, with a good level of blur and with a well-defined crop. On some occasions it can be very exaggerated, but it usually defends itself well enough.

Where this Realme GT 2 Explorer Master Edition has impressed us the most has been in the microscope photography, perhaps because it is not very common in this type of phone. It is not the first time that a company has opted for this type of photography inside a mobile phone, OPPO already did it in its day with the OPPO Find X3 Pro (which did not have continuity in the following model, the OPPO Find X5 Pro).

Tissue sample taken with the macro camera

Although we are not going to use macro photography every day, and it is a more anecdotal than useful function, we must highlight how impressive it is and how well defined the results are. We can get incredible detail out of anything around useven of ourselves.

Macro focusing is extremely fast. And, although the sensor sometimes suffers to frame the image, the results are very spectacular.

Below is a gallery of photos taken with the Realme GT 2 Explorer Master Edition.

If we go to the video section, the Realme records with a maximum resolution of 4K at 60 frames per second and with remarkable video quality. Here the good role of the video stabilizer stands out: it corrects the trepidations of our movement quite well.

Realme GT 2 Explorer Master Edition, the EuroXliveAndroid option

The Realme GT 2 Explorer Master Edition is one of the strongest proposals that we have tested during this 2022. All its sections shine with their own light. And the little room for improvement that we found would be in increases in quality on the screen and in the camera, two aspects that could be improved in a noteworthy set.

Power and fluidity are the words that come to mind every time we take hold of this Realme. Unfortunately, the GT 2 Explorer Master Edition has no confirmed date in Spain, at least for now. And it’s a shame: the direct conversion of its prices (remember that in Spain it would surely grow due to imports and taxes) would make this proposal a promising purchase.

This phone starts at 3,499 yuan in China, about 518 euros to change, for the 8/128 GB model. And it reaches 3,999 yuan for the 2/256 GB version, about 592 euros to change. If it arrived in Spain it would be great news: a giant killer like this is not seen every day.