It’s nearly a year since Realme unveiled its GT smartphone to the world, which means that rumours are beginning to surface of what we should expect in its successor. While there’s no news yet on the standard GT 2, the company has confirmed that its bigger brother – the GT 2 Pro – will be the first flagship device to bear the Realme badge. Here’s all we know so far.
When will the Realme GT 2 Pro be released?
As the GT range is still new, there’s no established release cycle yet, but we can still look to the previous models to see when it might appear.
The Realme GT 5G was introduced in China on 4 March 2021, but it didn’t make it to the international markets (including the UK) until later that same year, on 21 June. This was followed by a few other models in the range, including the Realme GT Neo, which arrived in China on 31 March but didn’t receive a release in other territories.
To confuse matters somewhat, Realme introduced a few special editions of the GT shortly after launch too. These were the GT Master Edition – which featured a redesigned chassis and a more modest chipset (the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778 5G, as opposed to the Snapdragon 888) all for a cheaper price tag.
This was accompanied by the GT Explorer Master Edition, which employed a Snapdragon 870, some tweaks to the camera modules, and a slightly larger display. Both arrived in China in July 2021, with the Master Edition making it to global markets in August 2021. Read our guide to the Realme GT range for more details on the specs, prices and release dates for those Realme products.
So, if Realme follows suit, then we should see the Realme GT 2 arrive in March 2022. At the moment though, the only solid rumours we have relate to the Realme GT 2 Pro; a new model to add to the growing list. The existence of the Pro was confirmed by Realme CEO Sky Li on his Twitter feed, with the statement:
It’s official: realme to advance into high-end market with smartphones over USD800. What do you expect most from realme full flagship phone?
— Sky Li (@skyli_realme)
November 12, 2021
This was followed with:
GT 2 Pro – that’s how we are going to name our first and most premium flagship phone. Always feel great to deliver something new and exciting to users worldwide. #realmeGT2Pro
— Sky Li (@skyli_realme)
November 29, 2021
Tech site also reported that the new model would make its debut in the first quarter of 2022, which would match the March window previously used to launch the original Realme GT.
In the meantime, the Realme GT Neo 2 has been released and is now available globally. So if you want to see how the second generation of the lines more affordable handsets shapes up, you can read our full Realme GT Neo 2 review.
How much will the Realme GT 2 Pro cost?
As you can see from the statement by Realme CEO Sky Li, the GT 2 Pro will be the first device from the company to break the US$800 mark. By how much, we don’t know, but logic dictates that it can only be from $801 to $899, otherwise it would break the $900 mark.
If, for a moment, we were to speculate that the price was $849, this would translate into around £650 or €750. Of course, there are local taxes, import duties and similar charges to consider, so if we apply VAT to the UK price, it gives us £780, which could easily move to £799. The same could be true of European markets, so be prepared to pay around £800/€800/$849 for the first ‘true’ Realme flagship.
What new features will we see in the Realme GT 2 Pro?
While it’s still a few months until the expected release of the GT 2 Pro, several sites are reporting spec lists that seem to have leaked states that the new device will come with the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, which adopts Qualcomm’s new approach; separating the two names and making Snapdragon an independent brand. The Gen 1, as the name implies, is the first generation of this chipset which has already been spotted on benchmark platforms and seems to outperform the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888, which is currently one of the fastest chips available.
has managed to report more leaked specs, as well as some detailed renders of the new design. The image, which comes courtesy of OnLeaks, shows a bulbous strip on the back of the chassis, reminiscent of the old Nexus 6P from 2015, as well as a nod to the current Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. The report says that the strip will most likely be home to dual 50Mp modules (a wide and ultrawide) and an 8Mp GR (Telephoto) lens. These will be joined by a 32Mp selfie camera, as on the GT Master and Explorer Editions.
The display is expected to be a 6.8in WQHD+ OLED panel, with a 120Hz refresh rate. While internally, Realme will opt for 12GB of RAM, 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage and possibly a battery that will support 125W fast-charging.
Considering the 65W fast-charging on the original GT could replenish the battery from zero to 100% in just over thirty minutes, it’s entirely possible that the speed on the GT 2 Pro could cause users to actually travel in time; although Realme refused to confirm this would be a feature on the new model.
One interesting report from is that the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 benchmarks that have been spotted online at AnTuTu, would position the Realme GT 2 Pro as the first smartphone to score over 1 million points. So, whenever the device arrives, it’s sure to be fast.
To see what it will be up against, take a look at our pick of the best phones and best Chinese smartphones.
