We tested the Realme GT Neo 2. Unlike a good majority of smartphones from the same brand, this model will look for more solid characteristics to tickle the high end without quite setting foot there. We tested it.

Realme GT Neo 2 // Source: Robin Wycke – Frandroid

Flirting between the top of the mid-range and the entry of the high-end, the Realme GT Neo 2 relies heavily on its punching power to bring comfortable power to users. Its OLED screen and very fast charging are also highlighted to seduce.

But precisely, does he really succeed in seducing? Answer in our full test.

Realme GT Neo 2Data sheet

Realme GT Neo 2 Design

Realme hasn't really sought to make itself known for the sobriety of its smartphones. The brand has already offered devices with a look that stands out from the crowd, whether with vegetable leather or a huge logo stamped on the back. The Realme GT Neo 2 that we are testing in its black version has none of that. It is very classic and well controlled. His goal seems to be to appeal to more people.

Realme GT Neo 2 // Source: Robin Wycke – Frandroid

The feeling in the hand is rather pleasant thanks to the matt glass back which offers a satin touch. This impression is slightly offset by the cheaper effect of the frame at the junction between the front and back sides of the Realme GT Neo 2. This is just a very small detail that does not interfere with the user experience.

Still regarding the comfort of handling, know that the phone flirts with 200 grams (to two decigrams). It may therefore be considered heavy by some people. On a day-to-day basis, this shouldn't be very inconvenient (except perhaps if you are used to holding your device by letting it rest on your little finger). In addition, if you are used to a fairly narrow smartphone, this Realme GT Neo 2 may seem a bit wide (75.8 mm).

Moreover, we are entitled to a screen pierced in the upper left corner and surrounded by fairly wide borders, but which do not disturb. On the back, the photo module and its three cameras protrude in relief without creating a too marked wobbly effect when the smartphone is laid flat.

The unlock button is on the right, the volume ones are on the left. The USB-C port sits at the bottom, next to the speaker grille. No trace of the jack while the fingerprint reader is hidden in the screen.

Unfortunately, the brand does not mention any IP certification guaranteeing water resistance. We will have to do without.

Realme GT Neo 2 Screen

The Realme GT Neo 2 relies on a 6.62-inch AMOLED display. Like the design, this is a fairly classic formula with a Full HD + definition of 2400 x 1080 pixels and a refresh rate of 120 Hz for more fluidity. You can force this mode in all circumstances or let the system automatically choose when to raise or lower the number of frames displayed per second.

Thanks to the OLED, the contrast is perfect on this panel. In addition, our probe and CalMan software from Portrait Displays show that the maximum brightness can reach 680 cd/m². No problem therefore to clearly distinguish what is displayed, even under a blazing sun.

Realme GT Neo 2 // Source: Robin Wycke – Frandroid

The Realme GT Neo 2 also does honorably on the average color temperature. Whatever the selected display mode (bright, soft, bright), we go up to a little over 7600 K while the ideal is rather at 6500 K.

However, by switching to the bright mode and adjusting the slider to warmer tones, we arrive at a result of around 6600 K for a good balance between red and blue. However, there is no real need to do this kind of manipulation if you prefer a screen that pulses a little more to flatter the retina.

Good news: the phone can display a beautiful diversity of colors. The DCI-P3 space is indeed 115% covered despite the fact that it is quite large and relatively difficult to manage. sRGB, which is easier to understand, has an coverage rate of 172%. However, it should be noted that these measurements are true when we remain in the "Vive" mode. The "Soft" option does not allow you to enjoy such varied colors.

Realme GT Neo 2 // Source: Robin Wycke – Frandroid

On the other hand, the colors are not quite faithful to reality with the "Vive" mode. To measure this, we use the average Delta E on the DCI-P3. With this configuration, the index rises to 5.26 on the Realme GT Neo 2 while we are aiming for 3 instead.

Keep in mind, however, that the screen of this smartphone is quite satisfactory.

Realme GT Neo 2Software

Realme UI 2 runs here natively. This interface based on Android 11 is inspired a lot by ColorOS, the software experience of Oppo, the cousin brand also belonging to the Oplus group. We think in particular of the aptly named Customizations menu which gives access to many functions.

You can modify the accent color of the system, the style of the icons with great freedom, the look of the shortcuts panel or even change some animations. You really have a plethora of cards in your hands.

Besides, the interface is very classic, but intuitive and easy to use. The Comfort Tools section also gives access to navigation by gestures, but also to some shortcuts. If you want, you can take a screenshot with a three-finger swipe up and down. The reverse movement can be used to switch to split screen mode. The fingerprint reader can be used for a quick launch of apps after unlocking and you can also activate a sidebar.

To go a little further, a Realme Labs section offers some experimental functions. However, if it was via this method that we once discovered the dark mode of Realme UI, today the options offered are less exciting, but may interest some and some. There are three: flicker reduction, even smoother scrolling, and a "sleep capsule" that promises to improve your nights.

As of this writing, the security update is out in early October, which is a little over two months ago, which is very reasonable. Without transition, the Realme GT Neo 2 is also Widevine L1 certified. That is to say, it is deemed safe enough to stream series and movies from your SVoD services in HD quality.

Realme GT Neo 2Audio

It must be recognized in the Realme GT Neo 2 that its speaker knows how to be powerful and that it is, moreover, well helped by the top speaker normally dedicated to calls. The latter also knows how to push the volume consistently, even if it remains, unsurprisingly, less powerful. In short, the phone can be used as an extra speaker if you are organizing a small party.

The music launched on the smartphone therefore has the potential to fill the room as it should, but make no mistake: the overall quality remains rather banal. The mediums are well managed, but there is a lack of bass and treble.

For listening through headphones, don't hesitate to take a look at the menu dedicated to Dolby Atmos so that your favorite tracks surround you pleasantly. You can select different profiles to customize the experience.

As for the main audio codecs, this shouldn't be a problem. The Realme GT Neo 2 is compatible with SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD, LDAC, LHDC.

Realme GT Neo 2 Photo

We are entitled to three cameras on the back:

Realme GT Neo 2 // Source: Robin Wycke – Frandroid

The classic shots, with the main sensor, are generally satisfactory on the scenes immortalized by day. Without being perfect, the dynamics and the level of detail are well refined. Attention that said to the colorimetric treatment which regularly gives a place a tad invasive to yellow hues. This gives a lot of pep to the images and a brighter air, but we realize that the final rendering is not the most faithful to reality.

On night photos, the sharpness could be more careful, more advanced, but the overall rendering remains honorable. On the smartphone screen, you shouldn't notice the lack of sharpness too much.

To see more clearly, you can use the night mode. Unsurprisingly, it does not provide a miracle solution against the lack of sharpness, but it undoubtedly makes it possible to better illuminate the darkest scenes.

The Realme GT Neo 2 also offers a 64 megapixel mode for better defined photos, but which are better captured when the light conditions are excellent. As the comparison below shows, this option results in sharper images – the individual lines are less hazy – but the color processing is clearly less sophisticated.

In other words, 64-megapixel photos will have better detail, but may appear duller.

There is little to say about the ultra wide-angle. It avoids the trap of too much distortion and more or less manages to maintain color consistency (not always) with the main sensor, but doesn't zoom in on the image too much. The level of detail is indeed very average, which is not surprising for this kind of smartphone shots.

Note that at night, and it was predictable, the quality drops significantly with the appearance of digital noise and a large loss of brightness.

Portrait mode isn't the best. If the subject of the photo remains well highlighted, the bokeh effect is not very precise and we lose a lot of detail in the line that separates the sharp face from the blurred background.

No surprise for the macro mode: it is not very useful. The photos obtained are rather ordinary and do not really invite you to abuse this option.

The front photo sensor produces good quality 16-megapixel selfies. The smartphone indeed succeeds in properly preserving the details of the face.

On the video side, the Realme GT Neo 2 can film up to 4K at 60 fps.

Realme GT Neo 2Performance

Power is an important argument of the Realme GT Neo 2. Equipped with a high-end Snapdragon 870, the smartphone also relies on a cooling system of which the brand is very proud. The manufacturer indeed describes a stainless steel structure associated with a thermal paste composed in part of diamond powder.

Is it effective? Well, on the greedy game parts, I did not have to complain about the slightest heating. However, the phone cools down when plugged into fast charging. On the power side, not too much to worry about. On Fortnite, the Realme GT Neo 2 offers Epic mode graphics by default, the highest level.

Realme GT Neo 2 // Source: Robin Wycke – Frandroid

For the number of images per second, we are on the classic 30 FPS. Overall, it's pretty stable, but a few punchy actions still cause slowdowns here and there with very brief drops to 16 or 17 fps. Nothing too embarrassing, but it is worth noting.

The benchmarks show that the Realme GT Neo 2 is capable of deploying significantly more power than models equipped with the same chip as it, such as the Poco F3 or the Vivo X60 Pro. It really is a fine benchmark in terms of raw power.

Realme GT Neo 2 Battery

The Realme GT Neo 2 has a well-used 5000 mAh battery since the smartphone easily lasts a day and a half with fairly standard use. Even by showing you particularly active on the smartphone, the latter should not fail you. No need to watch every 10 minutes the percentage that remains.

Without being the great champion of autonomy, the Realme GT Neo 2 can aim for two full days with a little concession. As an indication, the phone lasted for 14 hours and 30 minutes during our ViSer test protocol. That puts it comfortably in the top third of models tested in 2021. Solid.

Realme GT Neo 2 // Source: Robin Wycke – Frandroid

On Fortnite, you will lose around 5-6% energy in 20 minutes at Epic quality. It's quite comfortable. Finally, on charging, the Realme GT Neo 2 is very convincing. It goes from 7 to 63% in 15 minutes and takes just over an extra quarter of an hour to go up to 100%. It goes very fast.

Realme GT Neo 2Network and communication

The Realme GT Neo 2 is compatible with all French 4G frequency bands. No worries on that side or on the side of 5G also supported by the smartphone. Personally, on the Orange network in Île-de-France, I had no problems to report in terms of network capture.

Regarding calls, your interlocutor will easily guess when you make the call outside. Indeed, the compression of the voice is noticeable and some microcuts (especially at the end of sentences) can be disturbing. However, surrounding noise is well attenuated and the intelligibility of your speech is not affected.

The smartphone is also very satisfactory in terms of geolocation, which can be precise. Also count on NFC and Bluetooth 5.2.

Realme GT Neo 2Price and release date

The Realme GT Neo 2 is available in France in two configurations. The official price for the 8/128 GB model is 469 euros. You have to go up to 549 euros for the 12/256 GB version.

The smartphone is available in three colors: black and blue for the most sober and green for a look inspired by the automotive industry and where the brand's slogan is screen printed.