Realme GT Master review

Android 11 and Realme UI 2.0

The Realme GT Master boots Android 11 with Realme UI 2.0. We've seen that combo on several occasions already, most recently on the GT 5G and the X7 Max 5G / GT Neo, and we're familiar with the latest version of the launcher's rich customization options, abundance of AOD themes and Dark Mode styles, refined floating and mini windows, and enhanced security.

The phone supports fingerprint unlock, and the optical sensor works very well - it's fast and reliable. You can also add a face for an even speedier unlock - though this is not as secure.

Biometrics and security

For all of its personalization capability, on the surface, Realme UI 2.0 looks quite clean. The lockscreen and homescreen are straightforward, the notification/toggles area is simple and clutter-free. A basic App drawer is available, which you can opt-out of if you prefer to have all your apps on the homescrens. There is a Google Feed panel to the left of your homescreens.

Realme UI 2.0: Lockscreen • Homescreen • Folder view • App drawer • Notifications • Quick toggles

The task switcher is non-nonsense too, but it has extra functionality - you can minimize an app to a mini-window or a floating window from within it. If an app is compatible, you can do either of these or use the familiar Split Screen.

Task Manager • Options • Mini app • Floating window • Split screen

Always-on display is available, and it can show the usual content - clock, date, notifications icons, battery. The Realme UI 2.0 also brings many new AOD themes, and you can even draw your own graphics or use images from the gallery - if you're one to struggle with decision-making, good luck picking one. Edge Lighting is available, too.

AOD

Realme UI supports different icon packs, so if you are not happy with the default one, you can opt for material style, pebbles, or you can even fully customize them by your liking. You can also change the system colors, the fingerprint scanner animation, the notification drawer icons, even the system font. And there is a whole Theme Store if that's not enough for you.

Personalization options

Dark Mode is available, too, and it's been enhanced with Realme UI 2.0 with support for three different dark styles - black, dark gray or light gray. It can be manual or scheduled. You can also opt to force it on third-party apps that don't support dark mode natively, though your mileage may vary with those.

Dark Mode

In the Convenience tools section of the Settings menu, you'll find options for navigation and gestures. Similar to the Galaxies, the Realme UI offers a Smart Sidebar on the edge of the screen - you can customize the actions and app shortcuts that appear there.

Convenience tools

The multimedia apps such as Gallery, Music, and Videos are provided by Realme. There is also an in-house File Manager and a Phone Manager app. A Game Space app is available for better game management and notification behavior. You can also opt for a Smart resolution switch and Performance/balanced/energy saving modes.

Gallery • Music • Videos • Phone Manager • File Manager • Game Space

Synthetic benchmarks

The GT Master is powered by the Snapdragon 778G chipset, a version of the 5nm Samsung-made 780G only manufactured by TSMC on a 6nm process. The 778G features an octa-core Kryo 670 CPU in a 1+3+4 configuration, with a Cortex-A78-based prime core (up to 2.4GHz), three more of those limited to 2.2GHz, and a quad-set of A55 derivatives ticking at up to 1.9GHz. The GPU is Adreno 642L. A built-in Snapdragon X53 5G modem is also part of the package.

The GT Master comes in one of two storage configurations - either 128GB or 256GB, each with 8GB of RAM. We have the latter for review.

The GT Master also features 'RAM expansion' - a part of the storage (2GB, 3GB, or 5GB, 3 by default) is allocated to work in conjunction with the actual RAM and is used for dumping less important processes, thus theoretically allowing you to have more apps cached and ready for you when you need them. We have no objective means to test this feature, however.

In benchmarks, the GT Master shows a significant step up in single-core CPU performance over SD765 and SD750 devices, and it matches Dimensity 1200 handsets. There's no meaningful difference when comparing it to the Mi 11 Lite 5G and its SD780. In the multi-core test in GeekBench, the GT Master ranks even higher, pulling ahead of the Dimensity 1200 units as well.

Naturally, the SD888-powered Realme GT 5G remains out of reach, but the advantage of the SD870 in the GT Explorer Master is negligible.

GeekBench 5 (single-core)

Higher is better

• Realme GT 5G
  1139
• Realme GT Explorer Master
  1020
• Realme X7 Max 5G
  967
• Motorola Moto G100
  950
• OnePlus Nord 2
  814
• Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G
  813
• Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
  803
• Realme GT Master
  785
• Poco X3 GT
  693
• Motorola Moto G 5G
  659
• Samsung Galaxy A42 5G
  643
• OnePlus Nord CE 5G
  641
• Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
  636
• Oppo Reno5 5G
  608
• Google Pixel 5a 5G
  574
• vivo V21 5G
  574
• Realme 8 5G
  569
• Samsung Galaxy A72
  537
• Samsung Galaxy A52
  525

GeekBench 5 (multi-core)

Higher is better

• Realme GT 5G
  3555
• Realme GT Explorer Master
  3050
• Realme GT Master
  2917
• Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
  2909
• Motorola Moto G100
  2860
• OnePlus Nord 2
  2792
• Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G
  2621
• Realme X7 Max 5G
  2614
• Poco X3 GT
  2310
• Motorola Moto G 5G
  1980
• Samsung Galaxy A42 5G
  1910
• Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
  1820
• Oppo Reno5 5G
  1813
• OnePlus Nord CE 5G
  1812
• Realme 8 5G
  1784
• Samsung Galaxy A72
  1627
• vivo V21 5G
  1600
• Samsung Galaxy A52
  1577
• Google Pixel 5a 5G
  1337

In Antutu, the GT Master is bested by handsets using those Dimensities, as well as by the SD870 phones like the Moto G100 or the GT EM, but it again matches the numbers of the Mi 11 Lite 5G. Lesser Snapdragons remain far behind.

AnTuTu 9

Higher is better

• Realme GT 5G
  810433
• Realme GT Explorer Master
  717879
• Motorola Moto G100
  681559
• Realme X7 Max 5G
  680671
• OnePlus Nord 2
  598022
• Poco X3 GT
  578505
• Realme GT Master
  529263
• Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
  522490
• OnePlus Nord CE 5G
  391770
• Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
  386474
• Oppo Reno5 5G
  377615
• Google Pixel 5a 5G
  373168
• vivo V21 5G
  365055
• Realme 8 5G
  361505
• Samsung Galaxy A72
  333668

The SD780-equipped Mi 11 Lite 5G pulls ahead in graphics benchmarks, where 1000-series Dimensity phones have an advantage over the GT Master too. Again, alternatives with sub-778 Snapdragons score significantly lower.

GFX Manhattan ES 3.1 (offscreen 1080p)

Higher is better

• Realme GT 5G
  112
• Realme GT Explorer Master
  99
• Motorola Moto G100
  91
• Realme X7 Max 5G
  86
• Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G
  81
• OnePlus Nord 2
  75
• Poco X3 GT
  74
• Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
  65
• Realme GT Master
  56
• Google Pixel 5a 5G
  37
• Oppo Reno5 5G
  36
• Motorola Moto G 5G
  34
• OnePlus Nord CE 5G
  34
• vivo V21 5G
  34
• Samsung Galaxy A42 5G
  33
• Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
  32
• Samsung Galaxy A72
  29
• Samsung Galaxy A52
  29
• Realme 8 5G
  25

GFX Manhattan ES 3.1 (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Realme X7 Max 5G
  79
• Motorola Moto G100
  79
• Poco X3 GT
  68
• Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G
  61
• Realme GT Explorer Master
  60
• Realme GT 5G
  60
• Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
  57
• OnePlus Nord 2
  57
• Samsung Galaxy A42 5G
  56
• Realme GT Master
  46
• Google Pixel 5a 5G
  33
• Oppo Reno5 5G
  31
• vivo V21 5G
  31
• Motorola Moto G 5G
  30
• OnePlus Nord CE 5G
  30
• Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
  28
• Samsung Galaxy A72
  26
• Samsung Galaxy A52
  26
• Realme 8 5G
  22

GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (offscreen 1080p)

Higher is better

• Realme GT 5G
  65
• Realme GT Explorer Master
  59
• Motorola Moto G100
  56
• Realme X7 Max 5G
  50
• Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G
  48
• OnePlus Nord 2
  46
• Poco X3 GT
  44
• Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
  40
• Realme GT Master
  33
• Google Pixel 5a 5G
  21
• Oppo Reno5 5G
  20
• vivo V21 5G
  20
• Motorola Moto G 5G
  19
• OnePlus Nord CE 5G
  19
• Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
  19
• Samsung Galaxy A42 5G
  19
• Samsung Galaxy A72
  17
• Samsung Galaxy A52
  17
• Realme 8 5G
  15

GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Realme GT 5G
  55
• Realme GT Explorer Master
  50
• Motorola Moto G100
  47
• Realme X7 Max 5G
  44
• Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G
  42
• OnePlus Nord 2
  38
• Poco X3 GT
  38
• Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
  35
• Samsung Galaxy A42 5G
  33
• Realme GT Master
  27
• Google Pixel 5a 5G
  19
• Motorola Moto G 5G
  17
• Oppo Reno5 5G
  17
• OnePlus Nord CE 5G
  17
• vivo V21 5G
  17
• Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
  16
• Samsung Galaxy A72
  15
• Samsung Galaxy A52
  15
• Realme 8 5G
  13

GFX Aztek Vulkan High (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Realme GT 5G
  38
• Realme GT Explorer Master
  33
• Motorola Moto G100
  33
• Realme X7 Max 5G
  31
• Poco X3 GT
  28
• OnePlus Nord 2
  26
• Samsung Galaxy A42 5G
  23
• Realme GT Master
  19
• OnePlus Nord CE 5G
  13
• Motorola Moto G 5G
  12
• Oppo Reno5 5G
  12
• Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
  11
• Google Pixel 5a 5G
  11
• vivo V21 5G
  11
• Samsung Galaxy A72
  10
• Samsung Galaxy A52
  10

GFX Aztek ES 3.1 High (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Realme GT 5G
  39
• Realme X7 Max 5G
  33
• Realme GT Explorer Master
  32
• Motorola Moto G100
  31
• OnePlus Nord 2
  30
• Poco X3 GT
  29
• Samsung Galaxy A42 5G
  21
• Realme GT Master
  18
• Google Pixel 5a 5G
  13
• Oppo Reno5 5G
  12
• vivo V21 5G
  12
• Motorola Moto G 5G
  11
• OnePlus Nord CE 5G
  11
• Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
  11
• Samsung Galaxy A72
  10
• Samsung Galaxy A52
  10

GFX Aztek Vulkan High (offscreen 1440p)

Higher is better

• Realme GT 5G
  29
• Realme GT Explorer Master
  24
• Motorola Moto G100
  23
• Realme X7 Max 5G
  20
• OnePlus Nord 2
  20
• Poco X3 GT
  19
• Realme GT Master
  14
• Oppo Reno5 5G
  8.4
• Google Pixel 5a 5G
  8.4
• Motorola Moto G 5G
  7.7
• OnePlus Nord CE 5G
  7.6
• Samsung Galaxy A42 5G
  7.6
• Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
  7.5
• vivo V21 5G
  7.5
• Samsung Galaxy A72
  7
• Samsung Galaxy A52
  7

GFX Aztek ES 3.1 High (offscreen 1440p)

Higher is better

• Realme GT 5G
  28
• Realme X7 Max 5G
  22
• Realme GT Explorer Master
  22
• OnePlus Nord 2
  21
• Motorola Moto G100
  21
• Poco X3 GT
  20
• Realme GT Master
  13
• Google Pixel 5a 5G
  8.4
• Oppo Reno5 5G
  8.3
• vivo V21 5G
  8
• OnePlus Nord CE 5G
  7.5
• Motorola Moto G 5G
  7.4
• Samsung Galaxy A42 5G
  7.3
• Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
  7.2
• Samsung Galaxy A72
  7
• Samsung Galaxy A52
  7

3DMark SSE ES 3.1 (offscreen 1440p)

Higher is better

• Realme GT Master
  4988
• Google Pixel 5a 5G
  3424
• vivo V21 5G
  3331
• Oppo Reno5 5G
  3208
• Samsung Galaxy A42 5G
  2819
• Motorola Moto G 5G
  2810
• OnePlus Nord CE 5G
  2801
• Samsung Galaxy A52
  2529
• Samsung Galaxy A72
  2517

3DMark SSE Vulkan 1.0 (offscreen 1440p)

Higher is better

• Realme GT Master
  4020
• Google Pixel 5a 5G
  3082
• vivo V21 5G
  3050
• Oppo Reno5 5G
  3008
• OnePlus Nord CE 5G
  2617
• Samsung Galaxy A42 5G
  2609
• Motorola Moto G 5G
  2608
• Samsung Galaxy A52
  2406
• Samsung Galaxy A72
  2395

3DMark Wild Life Vulkan 1.1 (offscreen 1440p)

Higher is better

• Realme GT 5G
  5872
• Realme GT Explorer Master
  4255
• Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G
  4236
• OnePlus Nord 2
  4224
• Realme X7 Max 5G
  4216
• Motorola Moto G100
  4114
• Poco X3 GT
  3991
• Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
  3136
• Realme GT Master
  2481
• Google Pixel 5a 5G
  1674
• Oppo Reno5 5G
  1658
• vivo V21 5G
  1605
• Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
  1107
• Samsung Galaxy A42 5G
  1105
• Realme 8 5G
  1104
• Motorola Moto G 5G
  1099
• Samsung Galaxy A52
  1040
• Samsung Galaxy A72
  1031
• OnePlus Nord CE 5G
  113

The Realme GT Master proved a strong performer, posting results similar to a last year's flagship chipset in CPU benchmarks (or its SD870 reincarnation), and competitive numbers for its class in graphics tests. It also maintained remarkable stability under sustained load with very little thermal throttling observed in either CPU- or GPU-centric loads.

CPU throttling test • 3DMark Wild Life stress test