Realme GT 8 series debuts with Snapdragon power and Ricoh-tuned cameras

After much teasing, Realme has taken the wraps off its latest flagship players in the Chinese smartphone market. The GT 8 series consists of a base model and a Pro variant with an interchangeable camera housing, both bringing top-tier performance and Ricoh-engineered optics. Here’s everything you need to know about the new Realme GT 8 Pro and the vanilla Realme GT 8.

Realme GT 8 Pro: Modular design meets Ricoh GR optics

The Realme GT 8 Pro headlines the series with its 6.79-inch 2K AMOLED display with 144Hz refresh rate and up to 7,000 nits peak brightness. It also houses an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor, and IP66, IP68, and IP69 ratings for exceptional dust and water resistance. Notably, the GT 8 Pro is one of the few flagships to come with this level of dust and water protection.

Under the hood is Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset paired with Realme’s custom R1 graphics chip for display and gaming enhancements. Buyers can choose between 12GB or 16GB RAM, with storage options ranging from 256GB to 1TB UFS 4.0. Powering the setup is a 7,000mAh battery that supports 120W wired and 50W wireless charging. The device runs Android 16 with Realme UI 7.0 out of the box.

The star attraction, however, is its Ricoh-tuned triple-camera system. The 50MP main sensor uses a Ricoh GR anti-glare lens with a 7-element array, ultra-low-reflection coating, and 97 per cent light transmittance for crisp, realistic images. The system also emulates Ricoh’s classic 28mm and 40mm focal lengths and features five Ricoh-inspired film tones, to capture signature GR textures.

ALSO READ: Realme GT 8 Pro’s swappable camera module, colour variants revealed

Supporting the primary camera is a 200MP Samsung ISOCELL HP5 periscope telephoto lens with Super QPD autofocus, 3× optical zoom, and 8K recording at 30fps. A 50MP ultrawide lens completes the setup. Selfies are handled by a 32MP front camera.

True to its experimental nature, the GT 8 Pro introduces a swappable camera housing held by two Torx screws and magnets, enabling users to easily change the design. Realme provides three official styles, square, circular, and robot-inspired, and has released the 3MF model file for users to 3D-print their own modules. Pretty neat.

Realme GT 8: Flagship muscle, accessible price

The standard Realme GT 8 retains many of the Pro’s strengths, including the 2K AMOLED display, 7,000mAh battery, and Ricoh camera integration, while hitting a more accessible price point.

It runs on the older yet powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, paired with LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 storage. Like the Pro, it features a dedicated R1 graphics chip and a 7,000mm² VC cooling system for sustained gaming performance. The phone also supports Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, NFC, and dual stereo speakers. Charging speeds are slightly reduced to 100W wired, and wireless charging is omitted.

Camera hardware includes a 50MP Ricoh-tuned main sensor with the same anti-glare lens coating, an 8MP ultrawide lens, and a 50MP periscope telephoto camera with 3.5× optical zoom. The front features a 16MP selfie camera. As with the Pro, you get Ricoh film tones and customisable focal length options (28mm and 40mm).

Both devices are available in Classic White, Navy Blue, and Oxygen Green, each featuring distinct textures; matte glass, shimmer finish, and eco-friendly paper-leather respectively.

Realme GT 8 series: Pricing and availability

The Realme GT 8 Pro starts at CNY 3,999 (approximately Rs 46,000) for the 12GB + 256GB model, up to CNY 5,199 (approximately Rs 60,000) for 16GB + 1TB.

The Realme GT 8, on the other hand, starts at CNY 2,899 (around Rs 35,850) for 12GB + 256GB, going up to CNY 4,099 (around Rs 50,700) for the top 16GB + 1TB variant.

The GT 8 series is expected to launch in India next month, with the GT 8 likely priced between Rs 45,000 and Rs 50,000 and the GT 8 Pro hovering around Rs 60,000 and Rs 65,000.

The Realme GT 8 Pro’s modular camera design and Ricoh GR collaboration push boundaries in smartphone customisation, while the GT 8 delivers a remarkable blend of power, design, and imaging at a friendlier price. What do you think of Realme’s new flagship duo? Drop a comment with your thoughts.