Realme GT Explorer Master review

Android 11 and Realme UI 2.0

The Realme GT Explorer Master boots Android 11 with Realme UI 2.0. In principle, that's the same version as the one we had on the GT Master, but this being a Chinese variant of the phone, there are certain differences mostly in terms of pre-loaded apps, keyboard specifics, and other more obscure bits. Essentially, the basics are the same, though.

The phone supports fingerprint unlock, and the optical sensor works very well - it's fast and reliable. You can also add a face for an even speedier unlock - though this is not as secure.

Biometrics and security

As we've previously mentioned, even though it does offer a ton of customization options, Realme UI 2.0 looks quite clean on the surface. The lockscreen and homescreen are straightforward, the notification/toggles area is simple and clutter-free. A basic App drawer is available, which you can opt out of if you prefer to have all your apps on the homescreens. There is a Google Feed panel to the left of your homescreens.

Realme UI 2.0: Lockscreen • Homescreen • Folder view • App drawer • Notifications • Quick toggles

The task switcher is non-nonsense too, but it has extra functionality - you can minimize an app to a mini-window or a floating window from within it. If an app is compatible, you can do either of these or use the familiar Split Screen.

Task Manager • Options • Mini app • Floating window • Split screen

Always-on display is available, and it can show the usual content - clock, date, notifications icons, battery. The Realme UI 2.0 also brings many new AOD themes, and you can even draw your own graphics or use images from the gallery - if you're one to struggle with decision-making, good luck picking one. Edge Lighting is available, too.

AOD

Realme UI supports different icon packs, so if you are not happy with the default one, you can opt for material style, pebbles, or you can even fully customize them by your liking. You can also change the system colors, the fingerprint scanner animation, the notification drawer icons, even the system font. And there is a whole Theme Store if that's not enough for you.

Personalization options

Dark Mode is available, too, and it's been enhanced with Realme UI 2.0 with support for three different dark styles - black, dark gray or light gray. It can be manual or scheduled. You can also opt to force it on third-party apps that don't support dark mode natively, though your mileage may vary with those.

Dark Mode

In the Convenience tools section of the Settings menu, you'll find options for navigation and gestures. Similar to the Galaxies, the Realme UI offers a Smart Sidebar on the edge of the screen - you can customize the actions and app shortcuts that appear there.

Convenience tools

The multimedia apps such as Photos, Music, and Videos are provided by Realme. There is also an in-house File Manager and a Phone Manager app. A Game Space app is available for better game management and notification behavior. You can also opt for a Smart resolution switch and Performance/balanced/energy saving modes.

Photos • Music • Videos • Phone Manager • File Manager • Game Space

Synthetic benchmarks

The Realme GT Explorer Master is powered by the Snapdragon 870 chipset, Qualcomm's re-re-release of the proven SD865. As such, it's the second most powerful SoC in the chipmaker's lineup, with the SD888 leading the way (unless you count the SD888+, then adjust positions accordingly).

The SD870 features an octa-core CPU in a 1+3+4 configuration with the prime core maxing out at 3.2GHz. The Adreno 650 handles the graphics. There's either 8GB or 12GB of RAM on the GT Explorer Master, with 128GB or 256GB of storage, respectively, and we have the higher-specced version.

The GT Explorer Master put out a great result in the single-core CPU test in GeekBench - aside from the SD888-packing Realme GT 5G, rivals are generally behind the GT EM. It scored slightly less impressive numbers in the multi-core, though not quite alarmingly low.

GeekBench 5 (single-core)

Higher is better

• Realme GT 5G
  1139
• vivo X60 Pro
  1034
• Realme GT Explorer Master
  1020
• Asus Zenfone 7 Pro
  996
• Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
  988
• OnePlus 9R
  969
• Motorola Moto G100
  950
• vivo X50 Pro+
  930
• Samsung Galaxy S20 FE
  906
• Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro
  901
• OnePlus 8T
  893
• OnePlus Nord 2
  814
• Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
  803
• Realme GT Master
  785
• Motorola Edge 20
  762

GeekBench 5 (multi-core)

Higher is better

• Realme GT 5G
  3555
• vivo X60 Pro
  3490
• vivo X50 Pro+
  3411
• Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro
  3311
• Asus Zenfone 7 Pro
  3302
• Samsung Galaxy S20 FE
  3296
• Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
  3294
• OnePlus 8T
  3126
• OnePlus 9R
  3117
• Realme GT Explorer Master
  3050
• Realme GT Master
  2917
• Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
  2909
• Motorola Moto G100
  2860
• OnePlus Nord 2
  2792
• Motorola Edge 20
  2550

The GT EM returned to the top of the chart in Antutu, easily outscoring rivals like the Moto G100 and OnePlus Nord 2 5G.

AnTuTu 9

Higher is better

• Realme GT 5G
  810433
• vivo X60 Pro
  720352
• Realme GT Explorer Master
  717879
• Motorola Moto G100
  681559
• OnePlus 9R
  676913
• OnePlus Nord 2
  598022
• Realme GT Master
  529263
• Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
  522490
• Motorola Edge 20
  488574

Graphics benchmarks show the GT Explorer Master's huge potential for gaming, hindered by its inability to go above 60fps in onscreen tests (or, you know, in practice in games).

GFX Manhattan ES 3.1 (offscreen 1080p)

Higher is better

• Realme GT 5G
  112
• Realme GT Explorer Master
  99
• vivo X60 Pro
  96
• Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
  94
• OnePlus 9R
  93
• Motorola Moto G100
  91
• Asus Zenfone 7 Pro
  90
• Samsung Galaxy S20 FE
  89
• OnePlus 8T
  88
• Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro
  87
• vivo X50 Pro+
  85
• OnePlus Nord 2
  75
• Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
  65
• Motorola Edge 20
  57
• Realme GT Master
  56

GFX Manhattan ES 3.1 (onscreen)

Higher is better

• vivo X60 Pro
  86
• Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
  86
• Motorola Moto G100
  79
• Asus Zenfone 7 Pro
  78
• Samsung Galaxy S20 FE
  77
• Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro
  77
• vivo X50 Pro+
  74
• OnePlus 9R
  60
• Realme GT Explorer Master
  60
• OnePlus 8T
  60
• Realme GT 5G
  60
• Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
  57
• OnePlus Nord 2
  57
• Motorola Edge 20
  51
• Realme GT Master
  46

GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (offscreen 1080p)

Higher is better

• Realme GT 5G
  65
• vivo X60 Pro
  59
• Realme GT Explorer Master
  59
• OnePlus 9R
  57
• Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
  57
• Motorola Moto G100
  56
• Asus Zenfone 7 Pro
  54
• OnePlus 8T
  53
• Samsung Galaxy S20 FE
  52
• vivo X50 Pro+
  51
• Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro
  51
• OnePlus Nord 2
  46
• Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
  40
• Realme GT Master
  33
• Motorola Edge 20
  33

GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Realme GT 5G
  55
• vivo X60 Pro
  51
• Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
  51
• Realme GT Explorer Master
  50
• OnePlus 9R
  49
• Motorola Moto G100
  47
• Asus Zenfone 7 Pro
  46
• Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro
  46
• OnePlus 8T
  46
• Samsung Galaxy S20 FE
  45
• vivo X50 Pro+
  43
• OnePlus Nord 2
  38
• Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
  35
• Motorola Edge 20
  29
• Realme GT Master
  27

GFX Aztek Vulkan High (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Realme GT 5G
  38
• vivo X60 Pro
  35
• OnePlus 9R
  34
• Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
  34
• Motorola Moto G100
  33
• Realme GT Explorer Master
  33
• Asus Zenfone 7 Pro
  31
• OnePlus 8T
  31
• Samsung Galaxy S20 FE
  30
• Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro
  29
• OnePlus Nord 2
  26
• Realme GT Master
  19

GFX Aztek ES 3.1 High (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Realme GT 5G
  39
• vivo X60 Pro
  34
• Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
  34
• Realme GT Explorer Master
  32
• Motorola Moto G100
  31
• OnePlus 9R
  31
• Asus Zenfone 7 Pro
  31
• Samsung Galaxy S20 FE
  30
• Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro
  30
• OnePlus Nord 2
  30
• OnePlus 8T
  29
• Realme GT Master
  18

GFX Aztek Vulkan High (offscreen 1440p)

Higher is better

• Realme GT 5G
  29
• vivo X60 Pro
  24
• Realme GT Explorer Master
  24
• Motorola Moto G100
  23
• OnePlus 9R
  23
• Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
  23
• OnePlus Nord 2
  20
• Realme GT Master
  14

GFX Aztek ES 3.1 High (offscreen 1440p)

Higher is better

• Realme GT 5G
  28
• vivo X60 Pro
  22
• OnePlus 9R
  22
• Realme GT Explorer Master
  22
• Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
  22
• Motorola Moto G100
  21
• OnePlus Nord 2
  21
• Realme GT Master
  13

3DMark Wild Life Vulkan 1.1 (offscreen 1440p)

Higher is better

• Realme GT 5G
  5872
• Realme GT Explorer Master
  4255
• OnePlus Nord 2
  4224
• vivo X60 Pro
  4203
• Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
  4194
• OnePlus 9R
  4154
• Motorola Moto G100
  4114
• Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
  3136
• Motorola Edge 20
  2494
• Realme GT Master
  2481

One area where the GT Explorer Master deserves nothing short of praise is sustained performance. It got a 99% stability rating in the 3DMark Wild Life stress, while the CPU throttling test had only the occasional dip to 84% but maintained an average of 90% of its initial output. Solid stuff right there.

CPU throttling test • 3DMark Wild Life stress test