iQOO 13 vs Realme GT 7 Pro: Which Snapdragon 8 Elite Flagship Should You Buy?

iQOO 13 vs Realme GT 7 Pro: Design

The Realme GT 7 Pro is heavier and thicker than the iQOO 13 and features a very plain-jane functional look. The device can be purchased in Galaxy Grey and Mars Orange. We suggest picking the latter if you want to make a style statement with this device. The smartphone flaunts dual IP68 and IP69 ingress protection ratings for dust and water resistance.

The iQOO 13, on the other hand, has no noticeable design difference over its predecessor except for the halo light in the camera module, which wraps around the camera island and glows for calls and notifications. It also flaunts a complete IP68 and IP69 ingress protection for durability.

Both smartphones offer an exciting paint job (Mars Orange for Realme GT 7 Pro and Legend Edition for iQOO 13) and a dual IP rating. However, if you want your smartphone to have extra pizzazz, the Halo Ring on the iQOO 13 will do it for you.

iQOO 13 vs Realme GT 7 Pro: Display

The iQOO 13 has a better display on paper with a bigger panel and higher 2K resolution. The smartphone also offers a 144Hz screen resolution for buttery smooth animations and gameplay. During our experience with the smartphone, the display was exemplary, with rich and well-balanced colours and perfect legibility in any lighting condition. However, iQOO has not specified whether the display has a protective layer.

On the other hand, the Realme GT 7 Pro’s display is only marginally smaller than the iQOO 13 and there’s not a huge difference in resolution and refresh rate either. These are small compromises to make for the device’s much higher 6500 nits brightness and the peace of mind that comes from the Corning Gorilla Glass 7i layer.

Both smartphones offer great displays, but the Realme GT 7 Pro is slightly ahead in brightness and durability.

iQOO 13 vs Realme GT 7 Pro: Performance

The iQOO 13 and Realme GT 7 Pro have the same chipset with identical RAM and storage configurations. If you thought these smartphones would be identical in performance, you are right. We ran numerous benchmarks on both smartphones and both showed identical results. However, these couldn’t hit the claimed 3 million mark on AnTuTu.

The similarity continued in the Geekbench scores, where both smartphones hit almost the same numbers in single-core and multi-core tests. However, during the benchmark, the Realme GT 7 Pro maintained 76% of its max performance, compared to 60% scored by the iQOO 13. Check out the results below.

We also played COD: Mobile and BGMI on these smartphones. While both smartphones could run these games at the highest graphics settings, they offer different refresh rates.

The iQOO 13 maintained a silky smooth 120fps refresh rate in both games, whereas the Realme GT 7 Pro could only achieve it in COD in Low + Ultra settings.

If you are looking for a powerful all-day flagship smartphone, both phones fit the bill but if you are a heavy gamer and indulge in an occasional e-sport tournament or two, the iQOO 13 is your best bet.

iQOO 13 vs Realme GT 7 Pro: Software

Both phones have the latest Android 15 out of the box, with custom interfaces from their respective makers.

The iQOO 13 offers one of the smoothest user interfaces and a truckload of AI and customisation features for the user to fiddle with. During our time with the device, we particularly loved the Circle to Search and AI-driven photo editing features. The phone is guaranteed to get OS updates until Android. However, we didn’t like the amount of bloatware on the handset.

Realme UI 6.0 has been fine-tuned in every department, from buttery smooth animations to new customisation options like Flux themes. It’s also loaded with AI features like AI Sketch and AI Eraser. However, it will get one less Android update than iQOO and is also loaded with bloatware and spammy notifications.

The iQOO 13 is the one to pick here since it offers longer software support, which means you will get more out of the smartphone in the long run.

iQOO 13 vs Realme GT 7 Pro: Cameras

As you can see from the table above, the iQOO 13 has the upper hand on paper because of the 50MP sensors used in all three cameras and the higher resolution selfie camera. During our testing of the smartphone, we found that the primary click pictures with vibrant, natural colours along with an impressive level of detail. The ultrawide shots leave a little to be desired with grainy edges but are not a deal breaker.

iQOO 13 Camera Samples

1 of 8

The 2x telephoto lens is a downgrade from iQOO 12’s 64-megapixel 3x telephoto lens and it does pinch. However, the camera still produces detailed photos, especially when it comes to human portraits with accurate skin tones and aesthetic background blur.

The camera system also performs well in low-light situations, with occasional noticeable grain and lens flare. Selfie enthusiasts will love the skin tones, backgrounds, and colours produced in good lighting. However, the device gets aggressive with post-processing in challenging lighting.

Coming to the Realme GT 7 Pro, the primary and wide-angle cameras click accurately vibrant and well-exposed pictures. However, the latter tends to lose details due to the lower resolution count. The telephoto camera is on par with the main lens and produces near-accurate images with respectable HDR. You can click portrait shots with both primary and telephoto sensors, but the quality produced by the latter is miles ahead.

Realme GT 7 Pro Primary Camera Samples

1 of 7

Realme GT 7 Pro Portrait Camera Samples

1 of 8

Realme GT 7 Pro Low-Light Camera Samples

1 of 13

Realme GT 7 Pro Front Camera Samples

1 of 4

The Realme GT 7 Pro performs amicably in low-light situations, but we occasionally experience creeping noise and blurred images due to slower shutter speeds in dimly lit situations. As for selfies, the smartphone produces gram-worthy self-portraits straight off the camera.

The iQOO 13 and Realme GT 7 Pro are good camera smartphones that serve most users well. However, the iQOO 13 gets the upper hand in the camera department due to the higher resolution ultra-wide and selfie cameras.

iQOO 13 vs Realme GT 7 Pro: Battery And Charging

The iQOO 13 has a massive 6,000mAh battery that lasted 14 hours and 14 minutes in our PC Mark battery test. The Realme GT 7 Pro review unit we received had a 6,500mAh battery, which lasted a whopping 15 hours and 32 minutes.

During our review, the iQOO 13 drained from 100% to 78% when running benchmarks, which is normal. We found that the smartphone can easily last a whole day with moderate usage involving social media browsing and light gaming. However, you may have to scramble for the charger before the day ends if you indulge in heavy gaming like Genshin Impact or BGMI.

The Realme GT 7 Pro we received was equipped with a 6,500mAh battery, higher than the 5,800mAh battery in the Indian variant, so your experience may vary. The Realme GT 7 Pro easily lasted a whole day of gaming, photoshoots, social media browsing, etc., with little less than half battery life left.

While our Realme GT 7 Pro unit wins here, the commercial unit will have a smaller battery, thus, making the iQOO 13 a winner.

iQOO 13 vs Realme GT 7 Pro: Verdict

The iQOO 13 checks all the right boxes, from a stunning 144Hz display and the latest-and-greatest Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC to longer software support and a bigger battery. The smartphone gets everything right and cuts no corners at a price that undercuts most flagships in the market.

The Realme GT 7 Pro is not a slouch, either. It does everything that the iQOO 13 can do. It has the same flagship processor, AMOLED display, 50MP triple camera system, and AI features, among other things. However, for the extra Rs 5,000, the smartphone offers one less Android update, and the lower resolution wide-angle and selfie camera hurt its value-for-money proposition.

The iQOO 13 is the better option between the two; not only is it cheaper, but it also does everything right!