Realme GT 7 review: Long-lasting battery and powerful performance under Rs 40,000, but should you buy?

India Today

4 days ago

The Realme GT 7 is one of those rare phones that works as advertised. Realme bills it as a flagship killer and after having spent some time with it, I can say with confidence that it also works like one. Not that there was any doubt. The specs are top-notch. But it is always worth mentioning when smartphone brands walk the talk. Everything about the GT 7 feels flagship. Unlike other premium phones, this one doesn't burn a hole in your pocket.The GT 7 has an understated look. It is super-durable with an IP69 rating. The display is high-quality, and the processor is fast as well as fairly efficient. The battery is a massive 7,000mAh unit and one can quickly top it up with the bundled 120W charger. There is a proper telephoto camera for long-range zoom and a primary shooter that is high-resolution. Yes, there are a few quirks, but they are easy to live with and not something that many would consider a deal-breaker. The price is the real kicker, starting at Rs 39,999. Having said that, should you buy the Realme GT 7? Read the detailed review to find out.advertisementSleek and premium looksThe Realme GT 7's design is a throwback to the Realme GT 7 Pro. Since it's a more premium phone, it's a good thing that this new 'affordable' version draws inspiration from it. But there are some tweaks to achieve a lower cost. The GT 7 has a fibreglass back and an outer frame made of plastic. This is glass and metal in the GT 7 Pro. The back of the GT 7 has a smooth matte finish. It doesn't get smudged easily. The red accents on the power button and camera assembly give it just enough personality without being too flashy – this assembly is also less pronounced and so, it wobbles less on a surface than the GT 7 Pro.
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The GT 7 feels surprisingly light despite packing a 7,000mAh battery. It measures 8.3mm and weighs 206 grams, which is respectable for a big-battery phone in its class. The boxy sides give it a modern look while subtle curves on the back (where it meets the frame) improve grip and handling. The display is completely flat with minimal bezels.
You get an IP69 rating in this phone. For those unaware, the '6' means total dust resistance, while the '9' guarantees survival against high-pressure water jets and even steam cleaning. Just to flex this point further, Realme has also added an underwater photography mode, though we don't recommend dunking your phone in water just for a cool poolside snap. The moment you fire it up, the GT 7 software warns you that water damage is not covered under warranty, so basically, you are on your own if things go south.Rich, vibrant display with minor quirksThe Realme GT 7 appears to have the same display as its predecessor, the Realme GT 6. It is a 6.78-inch LTPO AMOLED with a 1.5K resolution and a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz. Where this display really stands out is in brightness. That 6,000nits peak brightness figure you have heard about? That's only for tiny areas of the screen during HDR playback. In real use, the 1,600nits high brightness mode is what matters — bright enough that I could actually see my screen properly while sitting in direct sunlight. Watching HDR content on Netflix or JioHotstar looks particularly good thanks to the 10-bit colour and Dolby Vision support. Dark scenes have proper depth, and bright elements like explosions or sunlight really stand out.
The screen offers good picture quality, though the default colour scheme is slightly on the warmer side (this can be fine-tuned from the settings). That said, Realme could have optimised the phone's refresh rate slightly better since I observed some jitter while watching fast-paced videos like King Kong. It was also a little inconsistent during day-to-day tasks, like using the calculator. Thankfully, the phone showed no visible signs of slowing down or inconsistent frame rates during gaming.It is worth mentioning that Realme has put several quality-of-life features on the GT 7 which makes the display even more useful – and practical. One of them is that it works with gloves, so presumably, the GT 7's screen will remain usable during harsh winters. It also has rainwater smart touch, meaning that it can hold its own against ghost touches during rain and drizzle. Finally, the flat panel design makes it less susceptible to cracking and general wear and tear compared to a curved screen. Realme is using Corning's Gorilla Glass 7i for protection.advertisementTop-class performance with decent thermal managementThe Realme GT 7 marks the India debut of MediaTek's freshly minted Dimensity 9400e processor. It might seem like a souped-up Dimensity 9400 but it's a mixed bag, and a cross between the 9400 and 9300+. You can think of it as MediaTek's answer to Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8s Gen 3. The 9400e shares the same CPU layout (4x Cortex-X4 + 4x Cortex-A720 cores) and 4nm process as last year's Dimensity 9300+ but misses out on the 9400's faster clock speeds, newer Cortex-X925 cores, and superior GPU.Benchmarks tell an interesting story. In Geekbench, the GT 7 scored 7,183 in the multi-core test which is a hair above most of its rivals. Antutu results were even more surprising at 2.1 million, matching phones with Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 that cost significantly more. However, the 3DMark Wildlife Extreme test revealed limitations — after just 2 minutes, performance stability dropped to 34.9 per cent, showing some serious throttling under sustained load. However, one should not completely rely on benchmarks as real-world experience matters more.
advertisementAnd our test results are beyond stellar. Apps launch instantly, scrolling through social media is slick, and multitasking is smooth. Gaming performance is particularly impressive for the price. You can run demanding games like Genshin Impact at high settings without many noticeable compromises. By default, it runs at High graphics settings with 30fps, which is a rarity for phones priced under Rs 40,000. Dropping to Medium setting with low shadow quality at 45fps made combat noticeably smoother, with no stutters during intense fights. While 60fps is achievable on low settings, the visual downgrade might not be worth it for most players. Additionally, the haptic feedback is not that strong, something which I noticed while playing BGMI but it doesn't ruin the overall experience and the shooting game was still enjoyable.advertisementIn my experience, thermal management is decent. During benchmarking, the phone hit 46 degrees Celsius. It got quite warm during 1–2 hours of gaming sessions, and while clicking a bunch of photos in harsh sunlight. But the silver lining is that it also cools down quickly.As for the software experience, the device runs on Android 15 OS out of the box. The Realme GT 7 comes with some bloatware, meaning there are a bunch of pre-installed third-party apps. While most of them can be uninstalled, the experience is better when we get a cleaner interface out of the box.Solid battery life, fast chargingThe Realme GT 7's 7,000mAh battery is designed for the long haul. It easily lasted close to two days with casual use involving Instagram scrolling, texting, a bit of binge-watching content, browsing and a few short photography sessions. Adding up to 2-3 hours of gaming drains the battery a little faster. But most users will be able to get 1.5 days' worth out of this phone. It supports 120W charging, taking just about 15 minutes to go from 2 to 50 percent with a compliant charger that Realme bundles in the box at no extra charge. This is quite impressive for times when you need quick charges just before heading out of home.Cameras are good, but they could be betterThe Realme GT 7 delivers a camera performance that holds up well against rivals in its price range, especially with the primary 50-megapixel sensor. In daylight, photos come out sharp and detailed. The dynamic range is decent and colours are usually natural and vibrant. However, the white balance is inconsistent. At times, the images lean towards a warmer tone. This might lead to a cinematic effect but conversely, some might think the colours are washed out.The 8-megapixel ultrawide camera is more limited. Given its low resolution, this was mostly expected. Details look mushy and sharpness drops, with slight distortion noticeable. Colours are okay, but the exposure sometimes feels off. On a positive note, there's no noticeable colour banding or purple fringing.The 50-megapixel 2x telephoto camera performs quite well for portrait photography. It captures good background blur, detailed textures, and handles skin tones naturally in most lighting conditions. Edge detection, especially around the hair, is also impressive. But the results aren't always consistent. While Realme does provide manual control to adjust blur, it doesn't always work as expected. Close-up photography is a bit of a mixed bag. Colours are usually good, but the camera struggles with very close focusing.Low-light photography is an area where the GT 7 feels just fine. Regular shots have noticeable noise and softness. The dynamic range is limited. Night mode does help brighten the image and bring out more detail, but noise remains visible. Overall, the Realme GT 7 offers a capable camera setup for its price, but with some room for improvement — especially in low light, ultra-wide shots, and close-up focusing.Realme GT 7 review: Is it worth buying?The Realme GT 7 is a well-rounded phone that delivers solid value under Rs 40,000. It nails the basics — with strong everyday performance, a large and bright display, long battery life, and surprisingly good charging speeds. Realme has also taken some bold steps with this phone, like the IP69 rating and a massive 7,000mAh battery, without making the device bulky or unattractive. While the camera setup is more than capable in daylight, it still has some inconsistencies especially in ultra-wide and low-light shots.If you are looking for a dependable daily driver with a flagship-like experience in most areas — especially battery, performance, and display — the GT 7 is a solid pick. It won't outdo true flagships in every aspect, but at this price, it gets a lot right.