Here we are with Realme GT2 Explorer Master another smartphone that in theory will not arrive in Italy. After the test of the Xiaomi 12S Ultra we therefore propose a test without particular ambitions, if not the pure curiosity to try what the brands offer outside our market and that maybe we will see in the coming months in a slightly revised sauce.
In this case the GT2 Explorer Master can be considered as the sum of the many Realme smartphones released in 2022: brings together some features of the GT2 Pro (which still remains one of the best smartphones of recent months), something of GT2 and a touch of GT Neo 3, all mixed in an original and very special design. Let’s go find out.
INDEX
- DESIGN
- DATA SHEET
- EXPERIENCE OF USE
- PHOTO AND VIDEO
DESIGN
Realme GT 2 EM was made in three color variations: Wilderness (the one in our test) was created in collaboration with the stylist Jae-Jung (The North Face, Ralph Lauren and others); Snowfield and Black Beach instead have a more classic design.
In particular lhe rear of the smartphone is inspired by sturdy suitcases that are often seen at the airport, the frame is in aluminum, while the back cover is in imitation leather with metal inserts. In short, it is certainly original, you may like it. Too bad for the absence of IP certification against water and dust, because to see it it almost looks like a rugged.
Frontally the frames are very thin on the two long sides. A little thicker only the chin, but thanks to the flat edges the first aesthetic impact is truly remarkable, it almost seems that the screen is raised and vaguely reminded me of some Nubia from a few years ago, nice!
For more the display is not bad at all, it is a 6.7-inch OLED with 1 billion colors, FullHD + resolution and a refresh rate of 120 Hz, not adaptive. It is embellished with Gorilla Glass 5 and an excellent oleophobic treatment, which can be appreciated after removing the pre-applied protective film. Outdoors it is not very bright, unfortunately thanks to the holidays I have not yet had the opportunity to take measurements in the office, but we are on the level of Realme GT2, so just above the peak 1000 nits.
In terms of ergonomics it is not bad: despite being a fairly large smartphone, it can be held in the hand without much effort. Of course, the angular design is not exactly the best in terms of comfort, but it must be said that in the package there is a nice soft TPU cover of clearly above average quality.
DATA SHEET
- Display: 6.7 “(2,412 × 1,080 pixels) Full HD + AMOLED 10-bit, 100% DCI P3 color gamut, DC Dimming, 120Hz refresh rate, 360Hz touch sampling rate, 1000Hz instant touch sampling rate
- Processor: Up to 3.2GHz Octa Core Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 4nm + X7 independent display chipset
- GPU: Adreno next-gen
- RAM: 8GB / 12GB LPDDR5X
- Internal storage: 128GB / 256GB (UFS 3.1)
- Rear cameras:
- Main: 50 megapixels, Sony IMX766 V2.0, OIS, f / 1.88 aperture
- Wide angle: 50 megapixel 150 °, Samsung JN1 sensor, f / 2.2 aperture
- Microscope: 2 megapixels, up to 40x zoom
- Front camera: 16 megapixels, f / 2.5 aperture
- Safety: fingerprint sensor in the display
- Gaming: Dual pressure sensitive gaming trigger, dual stainless steel vapor cooling system
- Audio: USB Type-C audio, Stereo speaker, Dolby Atmos, Hi-Res Audio
- Dimensions: 161.3 × 74.3 × 8.17mm (Black and White) / 8.5mm (Wilderness)
- Weight: 195g (Wilderness) / 199g (Black and White)
- Connectivity: 5G SA / NSA, Dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 6 802.11 ax, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS (L1 + L5) / GLONASS / Navic / QZSS / Galileo, NFC, USB Type-C, Dual SIM (dual nano SIM)
- Battery: 5,000mAh with 100W fast charge, capable of charging from 0 to 100% in 25 minutes
- Operating system: Android 12 with realme UI 3.0
I told you that Realme GT 2 Explorer Master is a remix of other Realme of 2022. The display for example is the same as Realme GT2, the photographic sector of the GT 2 Pro, but we also find the 100 Watt recharge and the new Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 and some goodies dedicated to the gaming world and performance in general.
PERFORMANCE AND GAMING
It is very fast in doing anything, a bit like the OnePlus 10T I tried recently, but here, in addition to the usual software optimizations, there is also an important hardware component: the X7 chip it is separate from the SoC and takes care of managing the graphics processes, in particular the frame rate, resolution and color depth of multimedia content and games.
That’s not all, because Realme GT 2 EM is also one of the first smartphones to be equipped with the latest generation LPDDR5X RAM memories and features the huge multi-layer dissipation plate that we have seen (and appreciated) on the latest GT Neo 3 and 3T. .
In gaming it is excellent, so much so that it could almost be defined a masked gaming smartphone. There is a rather rich software suite to improve gaming sessions, including the possibility of activating virtual triggers that are activated via pressure sensors positioned on the left side (top side holding the smartphone in landscape). Performance is not lacking and fluidity is pushed to the maximum thanks to software controls to improve the framerate.
EXPERIENCE OF USE
As for Xiaomi 12S Ultra, this one does not want and cannot be a classic review since the model is designed for the Chinese marketalthough it must be said that compatibility with local networks is complete therefore, for those wishing to buy it imported, there would be no major problems in daily use, if not some small (solvable) problem related to the software in the china version.
In terms of connectivity, it surprised me positively, as did the last Realme that I tried: it takes very well and works flawlessly on Bluetooth, GPS (dual band) and WiFi. Too bad for the absent e-Sim support, however compensated by the double nanoSIM.
In call comfort is high, you can also take advantage of the two stereo speakers in hands-free. The audio is of fair quality, the speakers are stereo but not particularly incisive in terms of sound pressure and presence on low frequencies, the 3.5 mm audio jack socket is also missing.
AUTONOMY AND RECHARGE
It is not easy to get a realistic idea of ​​autonomy due to the Chinese software that has different characteristics from that intended for the Western market, the 5000 mAh of battery however are more than enough to arrive in the evening and the good optimization of the Realme UI emerges, always well balanced and sparing in consumption. Probably with the European software the consumption would be slightly higher, but this would not represent a big problem and we are still going by hypothesis.
The recharge reaches 100 Watts with the charger in the package (Chinese socket of course), and allows you to bring the smartphone from 0 to 100% in just under half an hour. About the battery charger there is a curiosity, why is made with GaN transistor (gallium nitride) which is a semiconductor that can replace the metal oxide used in MOSFET transistors, thanks to this technology the dimensions are particularly compact compared to the power it can carry and in the charging phase the overheating is lower than 85% (declared value).
REALME UI 3.0 CHINESE
On board we find the Realme UI 3.0 based on Android 12, updated with the security patches of August 2022. As already mentioned, this is the Chinese version, very similar to the one we know on European smartphones but with some more functions and a lot of pre-installed bloatware.
Without going too far on the functionality, I would like to point out the compromises, which in reality are very few and all solvable.
We must first of all know that Realme GT 2 EM is certified by Google, you will not have any problems with payments, with the installation of apps and with the various services of the company. The first catch, however, is that when you turn it on you will not find the pre-installed PlayStore. The first step will therefore be to go to the pre-installed browser (strictly in Chinese) and do a search for Google.it, once you enter the Google page, just search for the PlayStore as an apk file, nothing complicated, of course. Once the PlayStore is installed, the game is done, Google services are updated and all the apps that we normally use can be installed.
The other compromise concerns the system language: there are many but not Italian, I have set it in English and I assure you that you will get used to it in no time, if you want there is also French if it can be useful. As for the bloatware, a little patience is enough to uninstall everything that is not welcome, there will remain only two Chinese apps of Realme, one is the store and the other app refers to a forum for the community.
Here and there there are functions with residues in the Chinese language, but it is sufficient to deactivate them to no longer have that little annoyance. Only every now and then the assistant Breno activates me and I have not been able to figure out how to send him to the grave definitively, amen.
PHOTO AND VIDEO
The photo sector is identical to that of the Realme GT 2 Pro, in turn very similar to that of other smartphones in the OPPO galaxy: it therefore relies on the tested Sony IMX 766 50MP with OIS for the main camera, flanked by the 50MP Samsung JN1 with 150 degree FOV (fisheye) for the ultrawide and complemented by a 3MP 40X magnification microscope lens.
The photos look pretty good exactly like on all smartphones with the same sensor (I no longer count how many I have tried in the last 2 years!). During the day there is a nice paste, slightly warm at the wb level, but well contrasted and not exaggerated on the added sharpness. Even at night this sensor asserts itself, there are no particular problems and the noise is well controlled. Ultrawide good but with the plus of being able to shoot photo with fisheye effect, fun. Finally the microscopewhich serves practically nothing, but is likeable and is far better than those dubious 2MP cameras for depth of field.
A decent 16 MP selfie cam closes the equipment, I’ve seen better ones but all in all it gets along well during the day, just be careful to disable the enhancement effects that are automatically reactivated each time.
The videos come in at 4K at 60 fps and are convincing from all points of view, the best results in terms of stabilization are still seen at 30 fps.
IN CONCLUSION
We arrive at the end of this mini-review, which in reality will not end with a vote, as for other models destined for the Chinese market: it is difficult to make a timely evaluation on all aspects, as well as clearly not being able to calibrate the judgment on the price of price list, which does not exist for the old continent.
So I leave you with some final considerations: Realme GT2 Explorer Master confirms, if still needed, the solidity that Realme has now achieved in its proposals, especially in the mid and medium-high range, as in this case. A super top of the range is still missing, but perhaps it is not even necessary since the popularity of the brand is constantly growing without having to make fireworks.
Will it arrive in Italy? In theory not, but when Realme contacted us to propose this test, the door did not seem closed completely. Also see this article as a little test to probe users’ waters. In China it costs just over 500 euros at the exchange rate, which in our country suggests a positioning similar to that of the Realme GT 2 Pro.
