Realme GT Master Edition Review – An affordable alternative to the Realme GT with a Snapdragon 778G

The Realme GT launched two months ago, and when I reviewed it, I thought it was an outstanding phone offering incredible value for money.

Realme are now back with the Realme GT Master Edition. The name may imply that this is a superior phone, but in fact, it is a slightly downgraded phone swapping out the Snapdragon 888 chipset for the Snapdragon 778G and available at a lower price point.

Realme have also previously announced the Realme GT Explorer Master, which is perhaps a little more interesting using a more powerful Snapdragon 870 chipset, a larger curved AMOLED display and a significantly improved camera with the 50MP Sony IMX766 for the main sensor.

So, does the Realme GT Master Edition offer the same incredible value for money as its bigger brother?

What’s different between the Realme GT Master Edition vs Realme GT?

To the best of my knowledge, the GT Master Edition and GT are identical in specification apart from the following changes:

• New Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G chipset allowing a lower price point while retaining superb performance
• Improved 32 MP, f/2.5, 1/2.74″ selfie camera (up from 16MP)
• Slightly smaller batter with 4300 mAh but better overall battery performance
• Different colour options with : Voyager Grey, Luna White and Daybreak Blue (the Grey model uses vegan leather/texture plastic, not sure about the others)
• A different 64MP camera sensor. Now 64MP 1/2″ vs the 64MP Sony IMX682 with a 1/1.7″ sensor.

What about the Realme GT Explorer Master vs the GT Master Edition & GT?

The Realme GT Explorer Master is quite a bit different, which makes for quite a confusing GT product line-up. This has:

• Larger 6.55 inch curved AMOLED 120Hz display
• Snapdragon 870 chipset which is better than the SD778G but not as good as the SD888
• 50MP Sony IMX766 primary camera which should make this the best Realme camera phone to date (same sensor as the OnePlus Nord 2 and Oppo Find X3 Neo)
• Same 32MP selfie as the GT Master
• Same 4500mAh battery as the GT

Realme GT Master Edition vs GT vs GT Explorer Master Specification Table

Realme GT Master Edition vs GT Design & Display

The underlying design of the two phones are identical, it is basically the same phone shell, and most of the internal components are the same.

The display is identical, including punch hole placement, as are button placements and the 3.5mm headphone jack.

It is only when you flip the phone over do you see a significant design change. The Realme GT had the bright yellow vegan leather with a glossy black stripe. The GT Master has a sort of muted military look about it using an attractive light grey with raises horizontal cross-sections. Realme calls this a suitcase design, which I guess is accurate, but not a way I would expect a company would market the design. The designer stated how important travelling is to his life, and this is why he opted for this style.

Under the Realme logo, you have the signature of the designer Naoto Fukasawa, who is well known through his work with MUJI.

Overall, the build quality is good, and I like the design, it is good that Realme is experimenting with some different design ideas at this price point of the market.

Camera

• 64MP, f/1.8, 25mm (wide), 1/2″, 0.7µm, PDAF
• 8 MP, f/2.2, 16mm, 119˚ (ultrawide), 1/4.0″, 1.12µm
• 2 MP, f/2.4, (macro)

Unfortunately, the weather has not been particularly favourable since my review sample arrived, so my testing has been a little limited.

At first, I thought this had the exact same camera specification as the GT, but Realme has swapped out the main camera for a slightly cheaper 64 MP lens with a 1/2″ sensor. The exact model is unknown.

It is still a competent camera offering good performance for most users. As always with Realme, colours are exaggerated this makes the images a bit more vibrant and fun looking than the real life experience might be. For many, this will be preferable, but some photographers may not appreciate the lack of accuracy.

With no optical zoom, zooming in will quickly deteriorate photos but with a moderate zoom, things can still look good.

The 8MP ultrawide sensor is OK and seems to be the go-to generic sensor many affordable phones use. In good conditions, photos look decent.

Page 2 has camera samples, performance/benchmarks, battery life, price & alternative plus my overall opinion

James Smythe( Editor-in-chief )

I am James, a UK-based tech enthusiast and the Editor and Owner of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Passionate about all things technology, my expertise spans from computers and networking to mobile, wearables, and smart home devices.

As a fitness fanatic who loves running and cycling, I also have a keen interest in fitness-related technology, and I take every opportunity to cover this niche on my blog. My diverse interests allow me to bring a unique perspective to tech blogging, merging lifestyle, fitness, and the latest tech trends.

In my academic pursuits, I earned a BSc in Information Systems Design from UCLAN, before advancing my learning with a Master’s Degree in Computing. This advanced study also included Cisco CCNA accreditation, further demonstrating my commitment to understanding and staying ahead of the technology curve.

I’m proud to share that Vuelio has consistently ranked Mighty Gadget as one of the top technology blogs in the UK. With my dedication to technology and drive to share my insights, I aim to continue providing my readers with engaging and informative content.