Realme GT Neo 2 smartphone review

In this review we will get acquainted with the Realme GT Neo 2 smartphone on Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 5G platform. The device can not be called a novelty, but nevertheless GT Neo 2 does not lose relevance due to its universal equipment.

Specifications of Realme GT Neo 2

Complete set

Realme GT Neo comes in a cardboard box of considerable size. Included with the smartphone, the user will find: a silicone case, a protective film (already taped to the screen), a paper clip for removing the SIM card tray, documentation, a USB Type-C cable and a charger.

Design and ergonomics

The smartphone has two color options: blue and black.

Almost the entire front panel is taken by a flat screen. A speakerphone is at the top of the display. A small front camera is neatly placed in the left corner.

The back panel is rounded on the sides, so the smartphone does not look bulky. The back is resistant to scratches and fingerprints. It is pleasant to the touch and tactilely more like a matte surface. The camera unit does not protrude too much above the surface.

The manufacturer has not located the control keys on the opposite sides in the best way possible. When you adjust the volume or lock the screen, false operations often occur and this regularly replenishes the collection of screenshots in the gallery. Buttons are thin, but easy to recognize blindly.

The dual SIM card slot is located at the bottom, next to the USB Type-C connector and speaker grille. Unfortunately, there’s no space for microSD memory card.

The lack of a 3.5 mm jack can upset fans of wired headphones. Overall, the GT Neo 2 looks nice, but nothing special to remember. The quality of materials and assembly is at a high level. The smartphone feels good in the palm, but the weight and dimensions will not allow you to use one hand in comfort.

Realme GT Neo 2 display

The smartphone is equipped with a 6.62-inch AMOLED screen with a resolution of 2400 × 1080 pixels. The E4 matrix from Samsung Display is used, which has already proven itself quite well in other smartphones. The panel has good brightness, contrast, and color accuracy. The display supports a refresh rate of 120 Hz, has a peak brightness value of 1300 cd/m² and covers 100% of the DCI-P3 color space. The screen responds quickly to touch, which is relevant for the fans of active games.

The screen of the smartphone is pleasantly surprising from the first inclusion: the image is juicy, has high contrast and deep black color. There are many options for customizing the screen, the number of which will suit even an advanced user. Here you can choose a color mode, set cold or warm colors, turn on night mode. In addition, there are video options that allow you to increase the brightness when watching HDR video, sharpen, and improve color reproduction.

The display offers three image modes:
Bright

Bright (DCI-P3)

Soft (sRGB)

It’s possible to activate Always on Display mode. It can be personalized and customized. The mode that illuminates the edge of the screen of the device will allow you not to miss an important message. The refresh rate setting allows you to select 60, 120 Hz or rely on automatic selection.

Software

As a software platform, the smartphone uses Android 11 with its own Realme UI 2.0 shell, which has many settings for customization.

There are settings for gestures and movements: screenshot by holding three fingers on the display, activation by lifting, auto-answering a call by pressing the smartphone against the ear, etc.

 
The shell has many tools for easy access, which includes side panel to select frequently used functions. It is activated by a swipe with a hold on the side edge. You can place the panel on the right or left side. Settings also include split screen mode and quick launch of programs during sensor unlock.

 
The device has GT Mode 2.0, which helps optimize the performance of resource-intensive games. It is activated in the battery settings.

Safety

An optical fingerprint sensor is located under the screen. It adjusts and works quickly, the place for touch is illuminated. In the settings you can choose one of eight animation unlock effects.

Facial recognition does not work perfectly, as it sometimes fails in low light conditions.

Sound

Realme GT Neo 2 supports Dolby Atmos and Hi-Res Audio technologies. The sound quality is not impressive but the stereo speakers sound clear and loud. As it was already mentioned, the 3.5 mm headphone jack is missing. The settings for surround sound have separate settings with environment profiles and a specific script.

Performance

The smartphone is based on one of the most productive mobile platforms Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 5G. Adreno 650 performs a role of the graphics processor.

Our smartphone configuration has 8 GB of LPDDR4x RAM and 128 GB of UFS 3.1 internal memory. A 12/256 GB version is also available. The RealS GT Neo 2 does not have a microSD card slot, but even 128 GB in the base configuration will be enough for most users. It is possible to connect external devices to the USB Type-C port in USB OTG mode. The smartphone supports Wi-Fi 6, it is equipped with NFC and Bluetooth 5.2 module with support for SBC, AAC, APTX, APTX HD, IDAC, IHDC.

The smartphone easily copes with resource-intensive tasks, it will easily run any mobile game, if not at the maximum, then settings close to them. The chip itself is not prone to overheating, but engineers have updated the cooling system. The multi-layered structure of VC Cooling Plus consists of a solid stainless steel plate and diamond hot gel on the processor, which provides efficient heat dissipation. In synthetic tests, the smartphone shows high performance.

In the actual operation, lack of performance and shortcomings in the operation of the interface were not observed.

Battery life of Realme GT Neo 2

The smartphone received a built-in 5000 mAh high-capacity battery. In the “symbiosis” with an energy-efficient processor and display, the smartphone demonstrates good battery life. In the PCMark Work 3.0 test, at a brightness of 200 cd/m², the device slightly reached 15 hours.

Equipped with GT Neo 2 charger with an output power of 65 watts. In real conditions, from 10% to 100% managed to replenish the battery in 30 minutes.

Camera

The main module is equipped with three cameras:

• wide angle (64 MP, 6 lenses, aperture value ƒ1.8, viewing angle 78.6 °, focal length 2 mm);
• ultra wide angle (8 MP, 5 lenses, aperture value ƒ2.3, viewing angle 119 °, focal length 15.7 mm);
• macro (2 MP, 3 lenses, focal length 21.88, minimum focusing distance 4 cm).

The camera interface is user-friendly and has all the necessary settings. The application has many modes for creativity. Filters can be used not only in photo mode, but also during filming. Special thanks for the Movie mode settings, which will help you use the camera more professionally for video capture: set the white balance value, ISO, fix the focus, and more.

During the day, the main camera shots are detailed with good dynamic range, but automatic white balance detection sometimes fails. At night, the camera is expected to be much harder to take a good picture, but night mode will help, which will significantly improve the quality of photos. Processing algorithms cope well with lack of lighting.

The ultra-wide-angle camera is expected to be inferior in image quality, especially in detail.

It only makes sense to take macro photos in good light. In ideal conditions, you can count on an acceptable result.

The main module allows you to record video with a maximum resolution of 4K at 60 frames per second. It is possible to attract electronic stabilization, but unfortunately only in 1080P mode.

Example of a video from a wide angle camera:

Example of panoramic video from a wide-angle camera:

Example of a video from a wide-angle camera in active motion:

Example of a video from a wide-angle camera in active motion and with electronic stabilization:

The ultra-wide-angle camera captures video with a maximum resolution of 1080P at 30 frames per second, which has a negative effect on details.

Example of panoramic video from an ultra-wide angle camera:

The front camera is represented by a 16 MP sensor, has an aperture value of ƒ / 2.5 and a viewing angle of 78°. The camera interface has many settings and modes such as portrait, HDR, and face recognition. There are also many tools to correct the image of the face, for example, if you need to retouch or increase the size of the chin.

Automatically, when there is not enough light, the screen is filled with a backlight mask, which helps to get an acceptable result in difficult conditions.