We expected the Realme GT 2 family to be one of the most intriguing phone launches of 2022 - that was until the follow-up to the Realme GT, one of our favorite Realme phones, was confirmed to debut in late 2021.
Realme has actually already teased some aspects of the Pro phone including its launch date, its premium status and its use of a top-end chipset, so the highest-end member of the family is already taking shape.
In fact, we haven't heard anything official about the standard Realme GT just yet, but we'd be surprised if it didn't come along since a 'Pro' version is confirmed.
There's likely still a long way to go because we're expecting the Realme GT 2 family to be unveiled in the first few months of 2022, and the GT Neo 2 is fairly new as it is.
But we've collected everything we've heard about the upcoming smartphone so far and you can find it all below. We've also written up a short wish list based on current premium phones and Relame's performance so far.
Cut to the chase
- What is it? Realme's second-gen family of GT mid-range phones
- When is it out? Launches December 20
- How much will it cost? A mid-range GT 2 and an expensive GT 2 Pro
Realme GT 2 release date and price
Realme has already confirmed the GT 2 series will launch on December 20 - and the word 'series' was used by the company, not us, suggesting more than one phone will come along then.
That's a surprisingly early launch. The original Realme GT was unveiled in March 2021 but was released globally about five months afterward; the GT Master Edition and GT Neo 2 were unveiled in the last few months of the year but went on sale pretty quickly.
Coming this early, the Pro model can better compete against the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S21, Xiaomi 12 and OnePlus 10.
Pricing is a mystery, especially because the GT 2 Pro is going to be the brand's first premium phone. The original GT cost €449 (about $550, £390 or AU$710) and we expect a successor to cost roughly the same, but the Pro model will likely cost a lot more – maybe even double.
News and leaks
While Realme confirmed the GT 2, we don't have too much about the phone.
We do know one thing: the Pro will use the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset. This is a new processor from Qualcomm which will run in loads of top-end phones in 2022 – and Realme confirmed the GT 2 Pro is one of them.
We've also seen some renders of the Realme GT 2 Pro which make it seem quite a lot like the Google Pixel 6, as it has a horizontal camera bar featured prominently on the rear.
In a curious twist, we've also heard rumors of a 'Realme GT 2 Fold' – this was before the Pro was confirmed, so at the time we understood the Fold to be the top-end model, but now it sounds like a third member of the family.
What we want to see
1. Stick with the affordable price
One of our favorite aspects of the Realme GT was its price. Despite top-end specs, a faux-leather rear and super-fast charging, its price was incredibly competitive.
We've seen plenty of champions of the mid-range market blow their advantage by selling their phones for too much though, and we don't want Realme to make the same mistakes.
We'd like the Realme GT 2 to launch for the same amount as the GT did, so it can continue to undercut other brands. The GT 2 Pro can cost more, but we'd ideally like it to be cheaper than the Samsung Galaxy S22 or Xiaomi 12.
2. A better way of buying it
The Realme GT was only available to buy on AliExpress in Europe – it didn't go on sale on Amazon, or from Realme's website, or from telecom companies, or anyone else.
This made it rather hard to buy, especially because AliExpress can be confusing and intimidating for the uninitiated.
If Realme wants to be a big player in the West, its smartphones need to be easier to purchase.
3. Improved software
Realme phones run RealmeUI, a fork of Android, but something we've noticed on quite a few models is their bloatware.
Bloatware is the presence of loads of pre-installed apps, usually ones you don't want, whose companies have paid to have their apps on the software. Realme UI is bad for this kind of thing.
Though you can delete these pre-installed apps, it takes some work, and it still results in a messy-looking phone when you first boot it up. Let's hope Realme loses some of the bloatware for the Realme GT 2 family.
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