Review Summary
Expert Rating
After testing the waters with GT 6T, Realme has introduced the GT 6 smartphone in India. The handset is even more powerful than its younger sibling, thanks to the inclusion of the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 SoC. Additionally, the camera setup includes a new 50MP Sony LYT-808 OIS primary sensor and a 2x 50MP telephoto lens. All these improvements also come with a price. The Realme GT 6 is priced in India starting at Rs 40,999 as opposed to Rs 30,999 for the Realme GT 6T‘s (review) base 8GB RAM and 256GB storage variant.
Does the pricing give the Realme GT 6 a competitive edge over its rivals? Let’s delve into this in our review.
Table of Contents
Verdict
The Realme GT 6 is poised to challenge the OnePlus 12R (review) and iQOO Neo 9 Pro (review). The handset offers exceptional performance for its price, along with a handful of AI features and a pleasant viewing experience even under harsh sunlight. The smartphone also boasts impressive battery life with rapid charging capabilities. While its design may be uninspired, the handset outperforms its closest rivals in daylight photography.
Design and display
| Realme GT 6 | OnePlus 12R | iQOO Neo 9 Pro | |
| Thickness | 8.6mm | 8.8mm | 7.9mm |
| Weight | 199 grams | 207 grams | 190 grams |
| IP rating | IP65 | IP64 | IP54 |
The Realme GT 6 shares a similar design language with the GT 6T, with one noticeable difference being the small camera ring on the back. Unlike the GT 6T, where this ring is flush with the surface and houses a dual LED flash, on the Realme GT 6 it protrudes like other camera rings and accommodates a camera lens. Every other aspect of the device is unchanged. The handset features a glass design with a glossy finish, which is prone to smudges and scratches if used without a case. Overall, while the design may not match the elegance of newer vegan leather-backed phones if you prioritise structural integrity over aesthetics, this phone should meet your needs.
While the handset may not be compact, its relatively lightweight form factor and curved screen design make it comfortable to wield and hold for prolonged usage. The Realme GT 6 sports a 6.73-inch display of AMOLED variety that bears 1.5k resolution, DCI-P3 colour gamut, up to 120Hz refresh rate, and a whopping 6,000 nits brightness. That 6,000 nits is achievable only for a short duration. Typically, the brightness would remain at 1,000 nits, with high brightness reaching 1,600 nits. This ensures excellent legibility even under direct sunlight.
The phone features an LTPO panel capable of dynamically adjusting its refresh rate between 1Hz and 120Hz based on the on-screen content to save some battery. Besides this, the handset delivers sharp and crisp visuals, with decent colour calibration and high contrast ratio. The viewing angles are also impressive, and the handset is Widevine L1 certified, ensuring streaming in FHD quality from Netflix and other OTT platforms.
| Realme GT 6 | OnePlus 12R | iQOO Neo 9 Pro | |
| Size | 6.78-inch AMOLED | 6.78-inch AMOLED | 6.78-inch AMOLED |
| Peak brightness | 6,000 nits | 4,500 nits | 3,000 nits |
Cameras
The Realme GT 6 camera setup includes a 50MP OIS Sony LYT-808 primary sensor, a 50MP 2x telephoto lens, and an 8MP ultrawide unit. There is no noticeable difference between the primary and ultrawide camera performance of the Realme GT 6 and the GT 6T. The colours and details in general look practically the same. However, the Realme GT 6’s primary camera seems to handle dynamic range better than its predecessor, possibly due to the newer Sony sensor. As a result, the highlights are preserved around shadowy areas as well.
The 8MP ultrawide camera captures likeable results in well-lit environments, albeit with boosted colours. If you want to capture more natural colours with this smartphone, the 50MP main sensor is your best bet for regular images. The 50MP telephoto lens is primarily designed for capturing portraits, providing much more natural edge detection than the software algorithms of the GT 6T. While the skin tones might not be perfectly accurate, the facial details appear impressive. The telephoto camera is capable of images with up to 20x zoom, but graininess becomes apparent beyond the 2x optical zoom.
For selfies and video calling, the Realme GT 6 relies on a 32MP snapper that delivers respectable results with slight overprocessing. The images boast a good level of facial detailing and accurate skin tones in daylight.
Daylight
In comparison to its competitors, such as the iQOO Neo 9 Pro and OnePlus 12R, the Realme GT 6 performs better in daylight. The OnePlus 12R produces images with warmer tones, making them look slightly faded and compromising the dynamic range. The iQOO Neo 9 Pro delivers over-saturated images, leaning towards cold tones and duller images. In contrast, the Realme GT 6 maintains colour accuracy, preserving finer details and producing sharper images than its counterparts.
Ultrawide
As for the ultra-wide cameras, the OnePlus 12R might have an edge. This handset delivers more pleasing results by keeping the colours subtle and avoiding the oversaturation seen in Realme GT 6 and iQOO Neo 9 Pro.
Portraits
For portraits, the iQOO Neo 9 Pro excels in edge detection, facial details, and skin tones. Despite having a dedicated telephoto lens for portraits, the Realme GT 6 struggles to separate the subject from the background as precisely as the iQOO smartphone. Both the Realme GT 6 and the OnePlus 12R tend to smooth out facial details.
Low light
In low light, the handset struggles somewhat but still preserves more details than the Realme GT 6T. The Realme GT 6’s primary camera features a superior aperture lens that allows more light in and reduces graininess, enhancing its performance in such conditions. The same is the case with the phone’s video quality when the sun goes down, which is slightly overexposed but looks pleasing.
Performance and software
| Realme GT 6 (SD 8s Gen3) | POCO F6 (SD 8s Gen 3) | iQOO Neo 9 Pro (SD 8 Gen 2) | |
| AnTuTu | 15,01,830 | 15,09,605 | 16,11,015 |
| Geekbench single-core | 1,852 | 1,930 | 2,023 |
| Geekbench multi-core | 4,761 | 5,017 | 5,564 |
The Realme GT 6 is powered by the new Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 SoC under the hood, which can be found on Xiaomi’s 14 Civi and POCO F6 smartphones as well. The handset could not achieve the same level of highs as the POCO F6 in the synthetic benchmark scores, but it doesn’t disappoint either. The Realme smartphone scores 15,01,830 on AnTuTu, whereas on Geekbench, it achieves 1,852 and 4,761 in the single-core and multi-core tests respectively. That said, the GT 6’s CPU throttling performance remains unsatisfactory with its performance dropping to 40 percent in the Burnout test.
That said, when it comes to actually running apps and playing games, the handset functions quite satisfactorily. There were no discernible frame drop or stuttering issues, even during intense activities such as gaming. The Realme GT 6T consistently maintained 60 frames per second (FPS) while playing BGMI on ‘Smooth’ graphics settings for half an hour. At the highest supported graphics setting, Ultra HDR, the FPS did drop to 40, but the gameplay remained enjoyable. The phone offered a similar performance while playing Call of Duty Mobile and Real Racing 3. Simultaneously, the smartphone also kept its thermals in check, with an average temperature increase of 6 degrees after each gaming session.
The Realme GT 6 leverages the chipset’s AI capabilities with features like AI Night Vision, AI Smart Removal, and AI Smart Tool, primarily enhancing photography and videography. AI Night Vision enhances video clarity in low-light settings, while AI Smart Removal integrated into the Albums app seamlessly erases objects or people from photos, filling backgrounds similarly to the Pixel 8 magic editor at times. The AI Smart Tool streamlines sharing across apps by suggesting frequently used platforms, eliminating the need to save images before sharing.
The Realme GT 6 comes with Realme UI 5.0, based on Android 14, right out of the box. Aside from new AI features, the user experience is largely consistent with other Realme smartphones released earlier this year. The phone includes 53 pre-installed apps, most of which are quite useful, including popular third-party apps like Snapchat, Amazon, Facebook, and Myntra. These third-party apps can be removed if not needed. However, if you’re transitioning from a relatively clean stock Android device, the UI might still appear cluttered.
Nevertheless, the software provides several customisation options and features such as File Dock, Floating Windows, Link to Windows, and more for easy usability. The company is offering three years of major software updates and an additional year of security updates for the smartphone. This will keep the Realme GT 6 relevant for at least until 2028.
| Phone | Pre-loaded apps | OS updates |
| Realme GT 6 | 53 | 3 years OS, 4 years security |
| OnePlus 12R | 41 | 3 years OS, 4 years security |
| iQOO Neo 9 Pro | 57 | 3 years OS, 4 years security |
Battery and charging
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC contributes to the battery efficiency of the Realme GT 6. Equipped with a 5,500mAh battery, the handset achieved an impressive score of approximately 15 hours on the PCMark battery test. During our YouTube playback test, where a video was streamed at the maximum supported resolution for 30 minutes with medium volume and graphics settings, the phone’s battery dropped by just 4 percent.
This suggests that the Realme GT 6 offers all-day battery life with regular usage. The handset also handles resource-intensive activities efficiently, reducing battery anxiety during gaming. Playing BGMI in Ultra HDR graphics for half an hour consumes just 6 percent of the battery, while Call of Duty and Real Racing 3 consume 7 percent and 4 percent, respectively.
| Phone | Charging time |
| Realme GT 6 (120W) | 26 minutes |
| OnePlus 12R (100W) | 26 minutes |
| iQOO Neo 9 Pro (120W) | 23 minutes |
If you find yourself in a spot for a quick charge, the handset also has you covered there. The Realme GT 6 supports a 120W fast charging solution which can juice up the device from 20 to 100 percent within 30 minutes. The charger is provided in the box.
Final verdict
The Realme GT 6 appeals to power users, looking for an affordable flagship. While the handset may not top synthetic benchmark charts, it impresses with its powerful Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 SoC, capable of handling nearly anything thrown at it, and its stunning AMOLED display. The handset offers a bright and clear screen with a brightness level that surpasses even the most premium smartphones to date. Additionally, the camera improvements, particularly in daylight photography, and software enhancements with AI features add to the appeal, despite its less distinctive design.
If design, ultrawide camera, and a relatively clean UI experience are not your priority, the Realme GT 6 stands as a compelling choice for those seeking a high-performing smartphone. However, for its original price, the handset might not be an easy recommendation. That said, with a Rs 4,000 bank discount and a Rs 1,000 exchange bonus, the phone becomes a much more attractive option.
Editor’s rating: 7.5 / 10
Reasons to buy
- The handset offers a vibrant display with a dynamic refresh rate and 6,000 nits peak brightness.
- The performance is seamless for most activities including gaming.
- The primary camera delivers highly detailed images with near-accurate colours in daylight.
- The phone offers all-day battery life with heavy to moderate usage.
Reasons not to buy
- The glass design looks mundane and is prone to fingerprints and scratches.
- The ultrawide camera provides underwhelming results.
Tested by: Aditya Pandey
Camera samples: Ujjwal Sharma and Gaurav
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Rs. 40,999.00
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