iPhone 12 Pro vs Realme GT: Apples sportscar takes on Realmes muscle car

Date:
Mon, 30 Aug 2021 12:00:31 +0000

Description:
Just how hardcore do you want to get with your next flagship phone?

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The Realme GT is the latest in a line of largely unrelated phones that punch well above their weight, giving much larger brands a bloody nose in the process.

With top notch performance at a low price tag and a shamelessly gaudy design, its practically giving the iPhone 12 Pro the finger. The cheeky thing.

But how does the Realme GT actually compare to Apples current flagship model? Do we really think that the iPhone 12 Pro is more than twice the phone, or should we all start reconsidering what we pay for our pocket computers? Lets take a closer look at this fascinating face-off. Our ranking of the very best smartphones iPhone 12 Pro vs Realme GT price and availability

The iPhone 12 Pro landed in shops on October 23, 2020. Prices start from $999 / 999 / AU$1,699 for the 128GB model, before moving up to $1,099 / 1,099 / AU$1,899 for 256GB and $1,299 / 1,299 / AU$2,219 512GB.

In the opposite corner, the Realme GT was officially released in March 2021
at a price of 449. That works out to roughly $550 / 390 / AU$710.

These facts and figures highlight two things. One is that the Realme GT is about half the price of the iPhone 12 Pro. The other is that the Realme GT isnt universally available, and that you may have to go through an importer
if youre in the UK, US, or Australia.

Early points scored by both sides, then. Design

These two phones come from very different places when it comes to design. Apples take is suave, classy, understated, and to borrow a popular
advertising slogan, reassuringly expensive. Realmes is big, bold, and in your face.

The iPhone 12 Pro measures 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.4mm, which makes it considerably smaller than the Realme GT on 158.5 x 73.3 x 8.4mm. Despite this, the iPhone is also fractionally heavier at 189g versus the GTs 186g.

Its not hard to see why the iPhone 12 Pro is so comparatively dense. Its body consists of a stainless steel frame, which is a notoriously heavy material. The Realme GT, by comparison, has a plastic frame and a glass or eco leather back.

Both devices have glass rear panels, but the iPhone 12 Pro is heavier to the core. Image 1 of 2 iPhone 12 Pro (Image credit: Apple) Image 2 of 2 Realme GT (Image credit: Future)

In terms of looks, the iPhone 12 Pro is flat and angular, with sober color options that include Silver, Graphite, Gold, and Pacific Blue. The Realme GT is rounded, and comes in a garish gold finish, as well as silver and black alternatives.

Around front, Realme goes with the tried and tested hole punch selfie camera approach, while Apple sticks with its display notch. The latter is more intrusive, but it also enables Face ID authentication. The Realme GT has to rely on an in-display fingerprint sensor, which is less advanced.

The design differences continue, with the iPhone 12 Pro packing IP68 water
and dust resistance. The Realme has nothing to compare.

What the cheaper phone does have on its side is a 3.5mm headphone jack. With the iPhone, its Bluetooth, a Lightning port adaptor, or nothing. Both phones pack stereo speakers, though, which is good to see. Display Realme GT (Image credit: Future)

Neither of these phones packs the best screen in the business, and both have their strengths and weaknesses.

The iPhone 12 Pros 6.1-inch OLED is smaller than the Realme GTs 6.43-inch Super AMOLED, and it only stretches to a 60Hz refresh rate to its rivals 120Hz.

However, the iPhones screen gets brighter (1,200 nits to 1,000 nits) and sharper (1170 x 2532 versus 1080 x 2400). Its also simply one of the best-calibrated and just plain pleasant to behold displays on the market.

Besides refreshing faster, the Realme GT also boasts a faster 360Hz touch sampling rate. By comparison, the iPhone 12 Pro only has a 120Hz touch sampling rate.

Pick your display poison: size and responsiveness for the Realme GT, or brightness, sharpness, and color accuracy for the iPhone 12 Pro. Camera
iPhone 12 Pro (Image credit: TechRadar)

If you were to name just one area where the iPhone 12 Pros extra cost really shows, its in the camera department. It absolutely blows the Realme GTs photographic offering out of the water.

Both are triple-camera systems, but thats just about where the comparisons end.

The iPhone 12 Pro goes with three 12MP sensors for wide, ultra-wide, and 2X telephoto. The Realme GT goes with a 64MP wide, an 8MP ultra-wide, and a 2MP macro. There is no telephoto lens.

Apples image processing wizardry is legendary these days, and the iPhone 12 Pro turns out sharp, balanced shots in all lighting conditions. AI tricks
like Smart HDR 3 and Deep Fusion provide outstanding contrast in demanding lighting, while ProRAW combines the information-rich benefits of the RAW format with JPEGs auto-correction potential.

Meanwhile, Apples Night Mode is pretty much the best around at capturing bright, crisp, and balanced low light shots. This mode works across each of its cameras too.

Dont get us wrong, the Realme GT takes decent shots, but it simply doesnt get anywhere near the quality of the iPhone. While these shots are bright and crisp enough, they also betray signs of over-sharpening and over-exposure.
Our reviewer also found that the GT can struggle to focus on close-up subjects.

Night shots with the Realme GT are instantly hampered by the lack of OIS, which is vital to keeping cameras steady during extended shutter times.

And the less said about the Realme GTs 2MP macro camera the better. Its high time manufacturers ditched this pointless inclusion.

Both phones shoot 4K video at 60fps, but the quality is worlds apart. The iPhone 12 Pro is pretty much the best in the business at capturing footage, alongside its fellow Apple flagships. Specs and performance

Both of these phones are just about as fast as they could be within their own ecosystems. But the iPhone 12 Pro has the undoubted edge.

Apples custom A-series chips have been dominating their Android equivalents for a number of years now. The iPhone 12 Pros A14 Bionic is measurably more powerful than the Realme GTs Snapdragon 888.

In the cross-format Geekbench 5 multi-core test, the iPhone 12 Pro scored 4100, while the Realme GT scored 3508. Apples chip does better when it comes to GPU benchmarks, too.

Of course, in practical terms that doesnt really make a difference. Both phones run all the latest games well on top settings, and of course the
Realme GT makes certain games feel faster thanks to its more fluid 120Hz display.

Apple strikes back with the simple fact that the iPhone 12 Pro will feel faster for longer. Apples level of ongoing support is unparalleled, whereas Android manufacturers typically only continue to update their phones for a couple of years at best.

In terms of storage, the iPhone 12 Pro gives you a choice of 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB. The Realme GT comes in 128GB and 256GB variations.

Going back to those inherent platform differences, and we have to hand Apple the win when it comes to software. While you might justifiably prefer Android to iOS, Realme UI 2.0 isnt Googles mobile OS at its finest. Theres loads of bloatware, and the style of it all feels rather overbearing - especially compared to the clean, crisp iOS 14. Battery

The iPhone 12 Pro packs a 2815mAh, which seems tiny next to the Realme GTs 4500mAh equivalent. However, iOS is proven to be more energy efficient than Android, so size alone is not a sufficient comparison. Especially when you factor in a less fluid display.

Both of these phones are good for a full day of usage. We found that we could easily get to midnight with the iPhone 12 Pro with more than half the battery remaining, though only with light use and a stable Wi-Fi connection.

With more intensive and mobile usage, that figure will drop. We found that we lost between 1015% per hour whilst out and about on unfamiliar networks, even without constant use.

Wed describe the Realme GTs battery life as similarly average. It would generally last a full day between charges, though with heavier use it could drop to single-digit percentages by night time.

Where the Realme GT wins out clearly is with its wired charging solution. You get a rapid 65W brick in the box, whereas the iPhone 12 Pro doesnt give you one at all. And even then, it doesnt support more than 20W charging.

Back in the iPhones favor is the fact that it supports 15 wireless charging. The Realme GT doesnt support anything of the sort. Takeaway Image 1 of 2 iPhone 12 Pro (Image credit: TechRadar) Image 2 of 2 Realme GT (Image credit: Future)

The Realme GT makes a strong case that were all crazy for spending so much money on flagship phones. Its got a great display that refreshes twice as
fast as the iPhone 12 Pros. Its fast enough to run anything at top what, and it recharges at a much faster rate than the iPhone.

If youre looking for a fast performer for half the price of a top iPhone, the Realme GT is a great pick.

Conversely, the iPhone 12 Pro does a pretty good job at demonstrating why we do like to spend that extra cash on our phones. Its in the little things,
such as a premium design, classy software, wireless charging, and the fastest and most future-proof performance around.

Its occasionally in the not-so-little things too, such as an awesome
all-round camera system that the Realme GT simply cant hope to compete with.

Ultimately it really does all come down to budget. Within their separate
price categories, both of these phones make a case to be the best you can
buy. Not sold on either? Check out all the best smartphones



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Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/news/iphone-12-pro-vs-realme-gt/


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