Features

Gaming Test: 7 games on the realme GT 7

Dimensity 9400e + Graphene cooling

Published

May 29, 2025

The realme GT Series has always been about delivering peak gaming experience. Naturally, that comes with peak overall performance. Can the realme GT 7 live up to the Series’ lofty expectations? That’s what we set out to find out in this gaming test.

But first here’s a quick rundown of the device’s specs:

Display: 6.78”, LTPO AMOLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, HDR10+, Dolby Vision
SoC: MediaTek Dimensity 9400e
Memory: 12GB RAM
Storage: 512GB
Battery & Charging: 7000mAh, 120W wired, 14 min to 50%, 40 min to 100%, 7.5W reverse wired, Bypass charging
Cameras:
- 50 MP, f/1.8, (wide), 1/1.56, 1.0µm, PDAF
- 50 MP, f/2.0, (telephoto), 1/2.76″, 0.64µm, PDAF, 2x optical zoom
- 8 MP, f/2.2, 16mm, 112˚ (ultrawide), 1/4.0″, 1.12µm
- 32 MP, f/2.4, 21mm (selfie wide), 1/2.74″, 0.8µm

The standout spec in relation to performance and overall functionality is the MediaTek Dimensity 9400e SoC equipped on the realme GT 7.

Unlike most other flagship-grade devices in 2025, this one doesn’t come with the Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC which is more or less a tried and tested chip.

So, how did the Dimensity 9400e fair for gaming? Not bad. Not bad at all. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Watch this quick unboxing first before we proceed.

Unboxing

@gadgetmatchUnboxing the realme GT 7!♬ original sound – GadgetMatch

The unit we have comes in Blue. It’s a great color which is why it’s such a head scratcher that the case it came with is black. It’s a nice feeling case but it completely negates the look of the phone.

This has long been my gripe with realme. Except for that one ‘cement-looking’ phone they launched a few years ago, the cases have mostly been after thoughts. Hopefully this is something they address in the future especially since other brands in a similar price segment offer more thoughtful cases for their products.

The case could have also been blue.

I also wouldn’t harp on this as much if the phone felt fine without the case. However, as it is, the graphene coating is pretty slippery. The case remedies this as it has a better grip to it complementing the shape of the smartphone.

The shape and how it felt holding it was a standout in the realme GT 6 and it remains mostly true for the GT 7. Best way I can describe it is “flat edge.” It sits nicely on your hand no matter how you hold it. It’s quite a joy to use especially when you’re doom scrolling. I digress.

7 Games

Why 7? We’re just trying to be cute and match the number of games tested to the generation of the smartphone. It’s not that serious.

The games we played are: Honkai Star Rail, Call of Duty Mobile, PUBG Mobile, Katana ZERO, DC Dark Legion, Zenless Zone Zero, Street Fighter IV CE.

One important title here is PUBG Mobile. It’s one of two games that supports the AI coach feature. Let’s just dive right in.

Some quick disclaimers:

Photos are for illustration purposes only. They weren’t taken during the actual testing period.
Zenless Zone Zero is the only game we played with a mobile controller.
We played for roughly around 30-40 minutes during the main testing period.
We mostly played without the included protective case except for Zenless Zone Zero and the two Netflix games.

PUBG Mobile

PUBG Mobile has been around for a while so the decision for this to be the game with AI Coaching was a little puzzling. That said, the AI Coach function played out like any early game tutorial. If you’re someone experienced in gaming, it feels like quick prompts as you play. I can imagine it being helpful for first time players. Otherwise, it’s just a nice-to-have. Hopefully the feature also makes its way to other games.

As for the gameplay experience itself, the game was running at high graphics settings. In our initial play, there was no noticeable lag or stuttering. In fact, it felt incredibly smooth– something you’d expect from a flagship-grade device focused on performance.

Honkai Star Rail

I’ve noted this several times, but this is the game we most enjoy playing on mobile owing to it being turn-based. That said, it can still get pretty demanding graphically. Lesser SoCs have buckled from delivering an enjoyable play experience but not the Dimensity 9400e.

Honkai Star Rail played incredibly well on the realme GT 7. You enjoy the visuals of the game with High Graphics settings turned on. Gameplay was smooth whether during exploration or combat situations. Touch inputs were on point. Overall, the realme GT 7 played this with zero issues. Which bodes well as this is already one of the more demanding games on our list.

Call of Duty Mobile

From a Space Opera game, we go back down to earth on this first-person shooter favorite. In the interest of time, we quickly hopped on a match without having downloaded all the HD resources yet. We’ve never done this previously and do not recommend it. Gameplay was a little janky in this setup. But this may be more a function of a huge download happening in the background rather than the capabilities of the phone itself.

We hopped into more matches after finally downloading all the HD resources and the game ran perfectly fine. Playing primarily as a sniper, hitting moviing targets felt a lot easier with the smooth controls provided by the realme GT 7’s screen.

DC Dark Legion

Admittedly, this is our first time playing this title. While the graphics seem like it’s asking a lot from your device, that’s actually not the case. The game is fully optimized for mobile. Despite the game having plenty of visual elements as you go deeper into a playthrough, the realme GT 7 didn’t struggle with this at all.

Zenless Zone Zero

This is another one of our favorites from HoyoVerse and one that’s certainly best played with a mobile controller in tow. We used it with the recently released GameSir X5 Lite.

Like most Hoyo games, there’s a section that’s just exploration outside of combat. But for this game, you also have plenty going on in the screen and the combat is high-octane action. Despite that, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, the game once again ran incredibly smoothly.

I’ve had my reservations about the Dimensity 9400e but it’s proving to be plenty capable.

One thing to note, though, is that we played this game with the included protective case on and it might have contributed to the heating a little bit. This was the only time that the phone accumulated heating during gameplay.

The only other time some heating happened is when we were shooting quick clips. After taking some 30-60 second clips, some heat also built up. Notably, we were also using the protective case while shooting.

Katana ZERO

Our first of two games from Netflix Games, Katana ZERO is a classic side-scrolling action game and isn’t too graphically demanding. But accurate, fast inputs are key in getting through the game.

We’re happy to report that this is again a game that the realme GT 7 played with no trouble whatsoever.

Street Fighter IV CE

This was not a very fun game to play, especially without a controller. Fighting games, I feel, just aren’t meant to be played without one. We downloaded this game thinking it would have controller support but there was none.

That said, running the game was no problem again for the realme GT 7. Any input issues we had can be chalked up more probably to how the game was ported instead of the device being used.

Overall thoughts on mobile gaming

We were honestly skeptical but were ultimately proven wrong by not only the Dimensity 9400e SoC but the whole realme GT 7 package. Like the GT series phones that came before it, the GT 7 proved to be a standout performer.

Each of the seven games we played ran as you would expect from a flagship-grade smartphone. Anyone looking to purchase this for that purpose alone would find that they are getting their money’s worth.

And we haven’t even touched on the astounding 7,000mAh battery. Let’s do that next.

Battery too much or just right?

One of the realme GT 7’s headline features is its 7,000mAh battery. This part is always tricky because usage will most certainly vary. For now, let’s stick to how it performed during our gaming test period.

The entire gaming test session lasted for roughly around five to six hours – that’s including the time to download the HD resources for each game. The reality is, no one should be playing that many and that much mobile games in that period. It was an unusual situation in which the realme GT 7 still powered through.

By the time we hit game number four to five, it had already been close to four hours. And at that point, the battery was down to 30% from a full charge.

Knowing the phone has bypass charging, we decided to plug it in all the way through until the end of the entire gaming test session.

We have a more realistic battery usage test in our realme GT 7 Gadgetsnaps article. But to give a brief overview – on day when we were out and about from 10am until about 5pm, the phone still had about 35% left. That’s with heavy use taking photos, videos, browsing, chatting, replying to emails, and more.

General usage

It has already been mentioned above but the realme GT 7 really does feel nice to hold, especially with the included case in the package. For day-to-day use, this is our recommended setup as the graphene back can be very slippery.

We’re also fans of some subtle design details on the phone. In particular, the different colored power button is a nice touch.

If you also take time to see how the light hits the phone, you’ll see more subtle hints of red-orange that perfectly contrasts with the Ice Blue color of the phone.

The display is fantastic for video consumption and browsing social media in general. The speakers were also great for just listening to music and podcasts.

We played TWICE’s comeback teaser several times.

Liked this teaser post by ARTMS featuring Heejin.

Checked out Daily Fantasy.

And pretty much did everything else you would normally do on your smartphone.

Decent cameras

The realme GT 7 isn’t geared towards photography enthusiasts. However, it doesn’t mean it can’t take really nice photos.

Below is a quick selection of snaps we took in Taiwan. More coming in a separate article.

The realme GT 7 is a true GT device

The realme GT 7 is every bit the performance beast it is marketed to be. It’s a mighty fine addition to the GT line that continues to offer some of the most noteworthy performance and battery life features in its price segment.

The company certainly has the tools to aim higher so we’re hoping for an even better offering in the future. For now, you can also check out this realme GT 7 Dream Edition Unboxing.

@gadgetmatchUnboxing the realme GT 7 Dream Edition 🏎️💨♬ original sound – officialmooli

Features

An afternoon of bowling with the HUAWEI nova 14 Pro

Motion, color, and clean shots

Published

November 21, 2025

GadgetMatch

Some moments slip away before we’re ready.
The blink. The blur. The half-smile lost to motion.

The HUAWEI nova 14 Pro wants to fix all that because it calls itself the King of AI Selfie. So we brought it along for an afternoon out to see if it could actually keep up.

Bowling isn’t the easiest place for a selfie. The lights shift. People move fast. And I never stay still. But the 50MP Front AI Portrait Dual Camera doesn’t flinch.

With Ultra Speed Snapshot on the front camera, it freezes movement better than most phones I’ve used. Mid-shot. Mid-laugh. Even mid-blink. It just catches the moment.

There’s also the 0.8 to 5x selfie zoom — still the only one of its kind. It lets me frame selfies the way I want: wider when friends jump in, tighter when it’s just me.

And if someone blinks, it’s fine. AI Best Expression lets you fix one person’s look without retaking everything. Pick their best eyes, best smile, best moment.

You also get three beauty styles: Natural, Delicate, and Stylish. I kept it light, but each one still looks closer to real skin instead of an overly filtered version of yourself.

My favorite AI tool might be AI Remove. Shoot first, fix later. The phone cleans up distractions — stray people, signs, objects — and leaves behind the photo you meant to take.

And when my hands were full at the café after, AI Gesture Control helped me browse without touching the screen. Simple gestures. Quick page flips.

On the rear, the nova 14 Pro steps up with its Ultra Chroma Camera. HUAWEI says it uses 1.5 million spectral channels to get color right. And honestly, the tones feel closer to what I saw in person.

Motion is where the rear camera surprised me. Dual Shutter technology blends long and short exposures in one shot. Action stays sharp without making the whole frame darker.

And because the aperture goes from F1.4 to F4.0, you can change depth of field depending on the moment. Creamy background for portraits. More detail when you need it.

The nova line has always been about reliability, and this one holds up. You get a 5500mAh battery and 100W SuperCharge Turbo. Fast top-ups. Easy all-day life.

Up front, there’s the 6.78-inch Flawless Quad-Curved Display. Smooth edges. Easy on the eyes. A polished look that still feels practical.

The nova 14 Pro sticks to the series’ youthful identity. Lightweight. Friendly curves. And the new Star Orbit Ring gives it that recognizable nova look — clean and symmetrical.

It also supports Wi-Fi 7, optional NearLink for device tracking, and has a five-star drop-resistance certification. Plus IP65 dust and water resistance.

The HUAWEI nova 14 Pro feels like what the nova line has always been: a feature-packed mid-ranger built for young adults who want a phone that simply keeps up. AI tools that fix your shots. Cameras that freeze moments. Battery that lasts.

If you want a selfie-focused phone that can keep up with days like this, this is the nova you’re looking for.

HUAWEI nova 14 Series — The King of AI Selfie

Enterprise

A closer look at Apex Guard and the world behind OPPO’s quality promise

I went inside Binhai Bay to see how OPPO is building its next chapter of smartphone quality.

Published

November 17, 2025

MJ Jucutan

OPPO introduced Apex Guard, a full technology suite designed to protect the user experience with stronger hardware and smarter software.

The new concept shows how OPPO is redefining smartphone quality by focusing on long-term reliability and dependability, and a user journey that stays smooth for years.

I saw this vision firsthand during an exclusive behind-the-scenes visit to the Binhai Bay Campus, OPPO’s global headquarters and R&D hub.

The moment I stepped inside, I understood how deeply this company values the idea of quality. Every corner of the campus felt intentional. Engineers tested materials behind glass panels and the machines ran stress simulations.

Rooms were dedicated to design exploration and long-term validation. Walking through its corridors felt like moving through the inner workings of a promise.

OPPO builds quality into a device long before it becomes a device.

OPPO’s next step toward elevated quality

Apex Guard reflects OPPO’s goal of addressing real user needs with an end-to-end system that strengthens every part of a smartphone.

It reaches across all product lines and raises quality across three dimensions. OPPO focused on durability that protects users in unpredictable moments.

Through breakthroughs in materials and design, OPPO developed Ultra High Strength Steel and AM04 aerospace-grade aluminum alloy to withstand daily wear and heavier stress.

Armour Shield structural reinforcement adds another layer of protection that stays reliable even in unexpected situations like sudden drops or water exposure.

“The goal is simple: a device should feel solid in every scenario.”

Beyond the product lifespan

Apex Guard supports long-term reliability. One of the key innovations is the OPPO Silicon Carbon Battery with its customized spherical silicon-carbon material.

It improves long-lasting safety while extending battery life by up to 400 additional cycles. With this technology, OPPO devices stay closer to their original performance for a longer period, even after years of use.

OPPO also works with international testing organizations like TÜV Rheinland, TÜV SÜD, and SGS, and follows standards that exceed typical industry requirements.

Devices pass through multiple rounds of strict testing, including more than 180 assessments that begin before R&D and continue until the end of the product lifecycle. Even after-sales services follow a higher standard to ensure users feel supported beyond the purchase.

Rethinking quality through next-level software smoothness

Since smoothness is one of the most noticeable indicators of smartphone quality, OPPO made software a major part of Apex Guard.

In ColorOS 16, the All-New Luminous Rendering Engine brings the first Unified Animation Architecture on Android, creating consistent movement across the entire system.

Chip-Level Dynamic Frame Sync Technology helps the device react faster when multitasking, while Sensor Offload shifts critical sensor tasks to the SoC to reduce power consumption, especially when recording 4K 60fps video.

ColorOS 16 also introduces Instant Refresh to help reduce data fragmentation on entry-level devices. OPPO performs 48-, 60-, and 72-month aging tests to ensure long-term responsiveness.

The company developed new systems to measure smoothness more accurately, including the OPPO Smoothness Baseline Test and the industry-first Parallel Animation Standard 6 Zero, which evaluates lag, latency, flicker, crashes, mislaunches, and freezes.

These standards apply across the entire lineup, from A Series to Find Series.

At the home of OPPO quality

OPPO continues to expand the Binhai Bay Campus to support its vision for the future.

The campus brings together more advanced equipment, centralized teams, and specialized laboratories designed to test quality from every angle.

The Materials Lab studies long-term durability while the Intelligent Terminal Testing Lab pushes devices through real-world challenges.

Meanwhile, the Power Consumption Intelligent Lab evaluates energy efficiency, and the Communication Lab ensures strong connectivity.

Standing inside these spaces and watching the process unfold made the idea of next-level quality feel more real.

It is not a statement but a system built into every decision and test. Apex Guard is simply the name OPPO has given to the work it has been doing all along.

Accessories

I was skeptical about smartphone gimbals, then I tried the DJI Osmo Mobile 8

This gear finally made sense to me and my workflow

Published

November 6, 2025

MJ Jucutan

I never liked smartphone gimbals. I tried several over the years, from different brands and different builds, and I never felt compelled to use them in real situations.

They were either too heavy or too fiddly to set up. I also found them too demanding to use when all I wanted was to take my phone out and record. My iPhone already has excellent stabilization built in, and I have relied on it for years. The extra gear rarely felt necessary.

My perspective shifted when I tried the DJI Osmo Mobile 8. I brought it with me on a work trip in China without thinking much of it. I realized that it made sense to be part of my arsenal.

A design that feels familiar in a good way

The Osmo Mobile 8 does not reinvent the idea of a mobile gimbal. It refines the experience.

It feels lighter and folds easily. The clamp snaps on with a magnetic mount, and the grip feels secure without straining the wrist.

It feels like something I can use for a few minutes or a few hours without thinking about it. Rather than slowing me down, it felt like it supports my workflow.

There is an extension rod built in, which is helpful for group shots and for pushing perspective in movement shots. The built-in tripod legs make it easy to set down for hands-free filming.

These details may seem small, although they contribute to gear that I actually reach for.

Stabilization for better footage

To be honest, I’m still not sold in getting a mobile gimbal for myself. But what shifted my perspective (for now) was not the convenience. It was the footage.

The movement became smoother. Walked shots, pans, and follow movements looked intentional instead of constantly adjusting themselves.

The three-axis stabilization makes smartphone footage feel more deliberate. I found myself able to move more slowly and follow subjects naturally.

It didn’t make my shots steadier, but the Osmo Mobile 8 changed the way I moved while filming. I suddenly found myself planning sweeps and tracking motions that I would never attempt handheld.

Tracking that feels more intelligent

The tracking on the Osmo Mobile 8 is noticeably improved. Faces, pets, objects, and even faster subjects stay in frame more reliably.

When I stepped away to record myself, the camera followed smoothly without overshooting. It felt responsive rather than reactive. This made solo shooting feel easier.

It also made dynamic movement filming more fun. I could run with a subject or move around a space and trust the framing.

A tool that fits everyday work

I always evaluate gear based on how it blends into my workflow. If it needs too much setup or thought, I will eventually avoid it.

The Osmo Mobile 8 feels fast. I can mount my phone, open the app, and start recording in a matter of seconds. And the battery life holds up well for a full day of casual shooting.

There is also support for counterweights if you use heavier external lenses or cases. The experience is smooth whether I am at an event, outdoors, or shooting casual everyday clips.

Frankly, I never expected to find a smartphone gimbal that felt necessary, yet the Osmo Mobile 8 is worth recognizing to be part of your creator kit.

Is the DJI Osmo Mobile 8 your GadgetMatch?

The DJI Osmo Mobile 8 delivers steady footage and a filming experience that feels composed. I appreciate what it adds to my work, and I recognize that it improves my content when I need it to.

Even so, it is not my personal everyday companion. I prefer filming with my phone alone and relying on built-in stabilization. I like moving lightly and freely.

But the Osmo Mobile 8 is a strong tool to have in the kit for specific situations.

Swipe right if you want steady and controlled movement in your videos, especially when you shoot travel, sports, or even events where an extra movement is part of the story. It might help you create more cinematic clips without a full camera setup.