Nobody asked for it, but we now have a smartphone that shoots like a Ricoh GR
The Realme GT 8 Pro is priced from Rs. 72,999 in India
Many swear by their simple and practical nature, while others will conveniently consider them as impractical expensive toys. Ricoh's GR family of compact cameras have been around for generations. At a time when the dust of the standalone camera versus the smartphone camera war settled in favour of the latter, the Ricoh label finds itself on a product that feels a bit out of place— a smartphone.
After using the Realme GT 8 Pro for a couple of weeks, it's clear to me that Ricoh on a smartphone has its upsides. But there's plenty more to know about this year's Realme GT Pro as it is the first device from the brand to offer everything one would expect from such a flagship smartphone at this price point. Has Realme checked all the boxes? Does the hardware perform as expected? And where does it fit into the premium segment? Let's dive right in!
In the box
Realme's GT series has always delivered something exciting when it comes to design. So far, we have had GT devices with a paper-like back, one that feels like a travel suitcase, and the list goes on. Last year, Realme toned things down a bit by launching its GT 7 Pro with a regular glass back, but this year, we are back to something different. With the Realme GT 8 Pro, we have a new material that Realme calls “organosilicon”. According to the brand, it is made from recycled plastics and textiles, and so is environmentally friendly. Apart from feeling like paper and offering a firm grip, Realme also claims that it is quite durable and “effortless” to maintain.
While the phone is big, it does not feel unwieldy
The rounded edges of the metal frame make it comfortable to hold, and the device does not feel heavy either. The frame is made from aluminium alloy, and from my usage, I can confirm that it is machined to perfection with no sharp edges or misaligned bits.
Perhaps the most interesting bit about the Realme GT 8 Pro is also the most gimmicky.
Realme has come up with replaceable camera decos with matching silicon cases for the GT 8 Pro.
Realme has come up with replaceable camera decos, meaning you can unscrew (driver provided in the box) the default circular camera bump and switch to a rectangular one if you get bored with it. Realme told us that it will bundle the optional rectangular camera bump, two extra screws and a matching silicon case with the GT 8 Pro.
Given that most high-end Chinese ‘Ultra' phones this year are going with modular camera kits with functional add-on teleconverter lenses, Realme's idea kind of makes little sense unless you are the type that gets bored of looking at your camera bump all day. In my opinion, it would have been better if the camera deco had included an ND filter with a magnetic snap-on mechanism for mounting it to the camera module when needed.
And just in case you were wondering, you cannot use the phone without a camera deco cover, as it exposes some sharp edges required for the mounting mechanism.
At this premium price point, I would have expected the Realme GT 8 Pro to have an LTPO panel. However, the large LTPS panel does a fine job, getting plenty bright outdoors under direct sunlight and quite dim when binge-watching shows in a dark room at night. The display's 144Hz refresh rate cannot be experienced when using the software interface, but only when playing games.
The Realme GT 8 Pro's display has a skinny border.
I like how skinny the borders are, and the slightly rounded edges of the glass screen make swiping gestures comfortable. Since the display is properly flat, there are no unwanted reflections, both when playing games or viewing content outdoors.
Colour accuracy is quite impressive in the ‘Pro' screen colour mode; the default ‘Natural' mode delivers slightly punchy colours despite what it claims to do. The glass screen also has an oleophobic coating, making it hard to smudge and easy to wipe clean.
The display has a built-in ultrasonic fingerprint reader, which lets you swipe your finger while registering an impression. During the review period, it proved reliable and always unlocked the phone successfully.
Given the display's claimed peak brightness of 7,000 nits and high brightness of 2,000 nits, the phone supports HDR10, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision when streaming supported video content. And given its high PPI, sharpness was not a problem.
With Android 16 starting to roll out across Oppo and OnePlus devices, the Realme GT 8 Pro is indeed the first device in Realme's lineup to release with the software pre-installed. As of writing this article, even last year's GT 7 Pro flagship has yet to see an official rollout, so GT 8 Pro owners will indeed be the first to sample this glassy UI.
There is no doubt about why all Chinese smartphone brands suddenly seem inspired to deliver glass-like user interfaces. Apple's iOS 26 seems to have spawned a whole lineup of inspired designs, even though none are close to the real thing.
Realme's “Light Glass” design philosophy does seem heavily inspired by iOS 26.
That said, Realme's “Light Glass” design philosophy does seem heavily inspired by iOS 26. There's a lock screen clock and widgets which aim to replicate the same translucent characters and depth effect of the iOS 26 lock screen. It also has a full-screen, always-on display that does not stay on all the time like its iOS counterpart. Also available are some glassy-looking system icons.
However, unlike iOS 26, all of this is barely skin-deep. The only instance where I noticed this new design philosophy is on the lockscreen (clock, icons, widgets) and mainly the calculator app, which has buttons that light up (in a delayed fashion) as you punch the keys. There will be the occasional glassy or dreamy icon in a native app, which is only visible to those paying attention to it.
To make things worse, the Light Glass design (as Realme calls it) feels half-baked even from an Android standpoint, as some apps get the new capsule-shaped bottom menus (Photos, Calendar) while others, like the system dialer, Weather, Clock, Files, Contacts and so on, don't. Indeed, we could see more system apps adopt the new design philosophy with time, but as it currently stands, it seems like a last-minute idea.
Thankfully, in the midst of all these “inspired ideas”, you will find some original ones. I do like the new expanded icons, which basically treat every app icon like a widget.
You can stretch app icons out and add the available app shortcuts, which is handy when you need to get to a section or menu directly instead of first opening the app. Indeed, this is a fancier way to use the existing app shortcuts (available by long-pressing an app icon), but I like how neatly it's presented and how practical it is. Video backgrounds are another interesting and fun addition that, instead of just plain or live wallpapers, let you add video backgrounds that continue playing (for a few seconds) on your homescreen, once you have unlocked your device. Also new is the theming engine. For once, it colours all the possible icons with the selected colour scheme.
There are tons of AI features sprinkled all over as well. I was keen to try out the AI Framing Master, which is supposed to work like the Google Pixel's Camera Coach feature, but the Tencent-powered AI model failed to recognise anything and just didn't work.
Adding to the disappointment are tons of spammy notifications from the Game Centre, Theme Store and App Market.
It isn't the first, but Realme's latest GT Pro model is powered by Qualcomm's latest processor, also known as the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. It offers immense raw power even compared to the latest iPhones. But harnessing all that power on the Android side of things is down to a delicate balance of hardware and software optimisation. With the GT 8 Pro, my experience has been pretty good. The benchmark scores shown in the table below make it evidently clear that it's on par with any phone that offers the same chipset and ahead of those that don't.
| Benchmarks | Realme GT 8 Pro | OnePlus 15 | Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra |
|---|---|---|---|
| Display resolution | 2K | 1.5K | QHD+ |
| Chipset | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3nm) | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3nm) | Snapdragon 8 Elite (3nm) |
| AnTuTu v10 | 39,27,656 | 36,35,346 | 21,23,303 |
| PCMark Work 3.0 | 26,207 | 15,527 | 19,266 |
| Geekbench 6 Single | 3,553 | 3,622 | 3,054 |
| Geekbench 6 Multi | 10,701 | 10,712 | 9,832 |
| GFXB T-rex | 61 | 60 | 120 |
| GFXB Manhattan 3.1 | 61 | 60 | 115 |
| GFXB Car Chase | 60 | 60 | 94 |
| 3DM Slingshot Extreme OpenGL | Maxed Out | Maxed Out | Failed to Run |
| 3DM Slingshot | Maxed Out | Maxed Out | Failed to Run |
| 3DM Wild Life | Maxed Out | Maxed Out | Maxed Out |
| 3DM Wild Life Unlimited | 29,951 | 27,327 | 23,683 |
As for gaming performance, it's all top-notch. The phone does not get hot while playing fast-paced FPS games like Call of Duty: Mobile (CODM) at the highest settings. There's also support for gaming at high refresh rates, which, for once, lets mobile gamers fully utilise the phone's 144Hz screen refresh rate. This is mainly down to the use of a new Hyper Vision+ AI chip, which handles the additional frames to visually speed up the gaming experience even though the game runs at its normal pace.
Unlike past game frame interpolation (or MEMC) implementations by other brands with similar dual-chip setups, the Realme GT 8 Pro shines, providing a lag and stutter-free gaming experience that feels like it's hitting 144 fps (which it isn't). Most other smartphones (with older or other flagship chipsets) I've tried this with either start lagging or stutter after a few minutes of gameplay. However, the GT 8 Pro is also able to sustain this performance and keep the heat levels manageable. The phone barely warmed up while playing CODM at the default Very High framerate and Max graphics, and the touch sampling rate also kept up (after some adjustments in the slide-out Game Assistant console).
There's finally a periscope telephoto camera with a 200-megapixel sensor backing it
By default, the Realme GT 8 Pro's camera shoots at the Hi-Res image format (instead of Standard). This, as many would expect, would prioritise image quality, resulting in slightly bigger file sizes. However, when using this shooting format, I noticed that both the primary and periscope telephoto cameras would randomly capture 26 or 50-megapixel images (resulting in file sizes between 11MB to 48MB) that take an extra few seconds to process after capture, if you preview them instantly. These images have reduced sharpness and clarity available in the binned 12-megapixel images (Standard format). Switching to ‘Standard' image format results in smaller binned images with better resolved detail, and so, I would advise using this mode instead of the default.
Primary camera samples from the Realme GT 8 Pro (tap images to expand)
The primary camera captures slightly punchy and saturated images in daylight. Dynamic range falls a bit short, as you can spot clipped highlights in photographs captured in broad daylight or in contrasting scenes. Resolved: detail and textures appear fine in daylight but are a bit soft and watered down in low light. The noise removal algorithms tend to be a bit aggressive in low light or dimly lit settings, resulting in flat textures visible when you zoom in a bit.
3X telephoto camera samples from the Realme GT 8 Pro. (tap pictures to expand)
The new 200-megapixel periscope telephoto camera sure looks like a handful on paper with its 120X zoom claim. I found that it shoots perfectly clear photos, with good dynamic range, near-accurate colour and good detail. However, all of the above only applies to the 3X zoom level, as there's a slight image quality deterioration at 6X itself. 10X zoom photos are decent, but that's where basic imaging algorithms take over, and you will notice the textures in images appearing soft like oil paintings. This effect gets worse as you zoom in with AI reimagining things after 60X.
The periscope telephoto camera managed good detail (top) even at 6X zoom in daylight, but delivers softer images, with less detail (bottom) in low light (tap images to expand)
The Hi-Res camera mode is useful when you need a ton of detail or you need to crop an image in post. Shown above are crops of the Hi Res and auto modes (tap image to expand)
I found this mode useful, particularly when using the 200-megapixel periscope telephoto camera, as the large sensor does pack plenty of detail. However, capturing 200-megapixel imagery does take a few seconds even with the latest dual-chipset arrangement. So, you will have to hold still when capturing these images. And there's also the resulting file size, which can reach up to 46 MB.
Selfies come out well both in daylight and in low light. Shown above is a low-light camera sample with screen flash ON (tap image to expand)
Portrait photo from the rear camera. (tap image to expand)
The camera's dedicated Portrait mode photos come out well in daylight, but have trouble bringing out detail in low-light settings. Edge-detection is also quite poor for a premium device, and so I preferred shooting using the Auto mode in low light for clearer and detailed portrait shots.
Lastly, the ultrawide camera captures decent images with good dynamic range, sharpness, and detail in daylight, but performs quite the opposite after dark (as shown above). (tap image to expand)
Video quality is suitable for a premium Android smartphone. It's a long way from rivalling an iPhone in terms of quality, but it gets the job done when shooting at 4K resolution. Video footage is smooth, details are fine, and so is the dynamic range, but there is plenty of visible noise when capturing low-light video. 4K 120 fps footage does look quite impressive with a steady framerate. Stabilisation could be better and definitely needs some work with future software updates.
Ricoh on a smartphone
Realme isn't new to the concept of “street photography”. Many may not know about it, but Realme already has a street photography mode or ‘Street mode', on several of its GT and numbered (Pro) models. This mode was introduced by the Realme GT Master Edition smartphone back in 2021, in an attempt to cater to the needs of a younger audience.
Ricoh's film-like colour modes are definitely more tasteful than your average colour filters
The Ricoh partnership brings the Ricoh GR's colour modes to the Realme GT 8 Pro. These film-like colour modes are definitely more tasteful than your average colour filters. Since these are scaled-up images made to fit the special Ricoh 28mm focal lengths, there is a slight drop in quality, but the output seems quite justified as long as you post it on social media. The Ricoh mode and its colour profiles are limited to the primary camera and are not available on the ultrawide or the 200-megapixel telephoto cameras.
Here's an example of how Ricoh mode perceives the same scene differently (top: Standard Auto mode, bottom: Ricoh Positive Film) (tap images to expand)
The Ricoh GR's Snap shooting mode sample (tap image to expand)
The Ricoh GR's Snap shooting mode also makes it to the Realme GT 8 Pro, which is a brilliant addition. It locks the primary camera's focus to a preset and predetermined setting (1m, 2.5m, 5m or infinity), not requiring one to wait or fidget with the autofocus system, but just snap away without worrying.
Some Ricoh mode camera samples (tap images to expand)
Given its high-capacity silicon carbon-based battery, the Realme GT 8 Pro easily lasted me about 1.5 days of heavy usage, which included calls, social apps, messaging apps, office apps, gaming and plenty of camera usage. With casual (non-camera and non-gaming) usage, this device can easily last two days on a charge.
You will have to switch on Smart Rapid Charging to get the fastest charging speeds
Smart rapid charging mode is switched off by default. When using this mode, the phone charges from a dead battery to fully charged in just 49 minutes. Turning it off increases the charging time to 60 minutes; it's just that the phone stays cool during that time.
Ricoh and Realme appear to have a successful collaboration.
The GT 8 Pro is the brand's first solid attempt at creating a proper premium flagship, and I am looking forward to seeing what Realme and Ricoh bring to the GT series in the future.
Given its current capabilities, the general consumer who does not have a clue about Ricoh will definitely enjoy playing around with the various colour modes by the camera brand, as they give the photos a very unique touch. But Ricoh isn't shooting itself in the foot by tying up with Realme as the quality of the quality of the captures isn't on par with larger sensors on the GR cameras.
Ricoh aside, the Realme GT 8 Pro has to be the most well-equipped GT-branded smartphone to date. The GT 8 Pro checks a lot of previously unchecked boxes this year, like wireless charging, a quality periscopic telephoto camera and even an extended warranty care program. Like the GT 7 Pro, things aren't picture perfect in terms of overall camera performance. So, if you want something better or more consistent, you could look at the Apple iPhone 17 (Rs. 82,900 onwards) and maybe Oppo's Find X9 (Rs. 74,999 onwards).
Its slightly shaky camera performance makes the Realme GT 8 Pro a bit difficult to recommend, keeping its launch price in mind. But it does pack a punch when it comes to raw gaming performance and pretty much everything else… provided you are willing to spend upwards of Rs. 70,000 on a Realme smartphone. Otherwise, I'd recommend waiting for a price cut instead!
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