Realme GT 8 Pro vs. Asus Zenfone 8: A Clash of Performance and Portability
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🏆 Quick Verdict
For the average user prioritizing all-day battery life and future-proof performance, the Realme GT 8 Pro is the clear winner. Its Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset and 120W charging significantly outperform the Zenfone 8. However, those seeking a genuinely pocketable flagship will find the Zenfone 8 a compelling alternative.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Asus Zenfone 8 | Realme GT 8 Pro |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42 - International | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 66, 71 - International |
| 5G bands | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 28, 38, 77, 78 SA/NSA - International | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 71, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA - International |
| Speed | HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (5CA) Cat20 2000/150 Mbps, 5G | HSPA, LTE, 5G |
| Technology | GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G | GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G |
| 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 38, 40, 66, 71, 77, 78 SA/NSA - USA | - | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2021, May 12 | 2025, October 21 |
| Status | Available. Released 2021, May 13 | Available. Released 2025, October 21 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), glass back (Gorilla Glass 3), aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 7i), aluminum alloy frame, fiber-reinforced plastic back or silicone polymer (eco leather) back |
| Dimensions | 148 x 68.5 x 8.9 mm (5.83 x 2.70 x 0.35 in) | 161.8 x 76.9 x 8.2 mm (6.37 x 3.03 x 0.32 in) |
| SIM | Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM | · Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time) - International· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM - China |
| Weight | 169 g (5.96 oz) | 214 g or 218 g (7.69 oz) |
| IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) | - | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus | Corning Gorilla Glass 7i, Mohs level 4 |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~446 ppi density) | 1440 x 3136 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~508 ppi density) |
| Size | 5.9 inches, 84.0 cm2 (~82.9% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.79 inches, 112.8 cm2 (~90.7% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | Super AMOLED, 120Hz, HDR10+, 700 nits (HBM), 1100 nits (peak) | AMOLED, 1B colors, 144Hz, HDR10+, HDR Vivid, Dolby Vision, 1000 nits (typ), 2000 nits (HBM), 7000 nits (peak) |
| Always-on display | - | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.42 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A55) | Octa-core (2x4.6 GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix L + 6x3.62 GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix M) |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm) | Qualcomm SM8850-AC Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3 nm) |
| GPU | Adreno 660 | Adreno 840 |
| OS | Android 11, upgradable to Android 13 | Android 16, up to 4 major Android upgrades, Realme UI 7.0 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 256GB 16GB RAM | 256GB 12GB RAM, 256GB 16GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 16GB RAM, 1TB 16GB RAM |
| UFS 3.1 | - | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Dual | 64 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.73", 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS 12 MP, f/2.2, 112˚, 14mm (ultrawide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF | - |
| Features | LED flash, HDR, panorama | Ricoh lens, Color spectrum sensor, LED flash, HDR, panorama, switchable camera bump |
| Triple | - | 50 MP, f/1.8, 22mm (wide), 1/1.56", 1.0µm, multi-directional PDAF, OIS 200 MP, f/2.6, 65mm, (periscope telephoto), 1/1.56", 0.5µm, multi-directional PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom 50 MP, f/2.0, 16mm, 116˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.88", 0.64µm |
| Video | 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60/120fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@480fps; gyro-EIS, HDR | 8K@30fps, 4K@30/60/120fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, gyro-EIS, HDR, Dolby Vision, 10-bit LOG |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | - | Panorama |
| Single | 12 MP, f/2.5, 28mm (standard), 1/2.93", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF | 32 MP, f/2.4, 24mm (wide), 1/3.1", 0.7µm |
| Video | 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps; gyro-EIS, HDR, Dolby Vision |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | Yes | - |
| 35mm jack | Yes | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes, with stereo speakers | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| 32-bit/384kHz audio | - | |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.2, A2DP, LE, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive | 6.0, A2DP, LE, aptX HD, LHDC 5 |
| Infrared port | - | Yes |
| NFC | Yes | Yes, 360˚ |
| Positioning | GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS (L1), BDS (B1I+B1c+B2a), GALILEO (E1+E5a), QZSS (L1+L5), NavIC (L5) | GPS (L1+L5), BDS (B1I+B1c+B2a), GALILEO (E1+E5a), QZSS (L1+L5), GLONASS, NavIC (L5) |
| Radio | FM radio (market/region dependent) | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 2.0, OTG | USB Type-C 2.0, OTG |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6/7, dual-band |
| Features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sensors | Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass | Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | 30W wired, PD3.0, 60% in 25 min, 100% in 80 min Reverse wired | 120W wired, 120W UFCS, 14.4W PD, 55W PPS, 14.4W QC, 15 min to 50%, 43 min to 100% 50W wireless, 79 min to 100% 10W wireless reverse 5W reverse wired |
| Type | Li-Po 4000 mAh | Si/C Li-Ion 7000 mAh |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Obsidian Black, Horizon Silver | Diary White, Urban Blue, Green, Aston Martin Green |
| Models | ZS590KS, ZS590KS-2A007EU, I006D | RMX5210 |
| Price | About 290 EUR | € 899.99 |
| SAR | - | 0.99 W/kg (head) 1.27 W/kg (body) |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | Endurance rating 88h | - |
| Camera | Photo / Video | - |
| Display | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) | - |
| Loudspeaker | -27.9 LUFS (Good) | - |
| Performance | AnTuTu: 676001 (v8) | 799738 (v9) GeekBench: 3604 (v5.1) GFXBench: 61fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) | - |
| EU LABEL | ||
|---|---|---|
| Battery | - | 60:32h endurance, 1100 cycles |
| Energy | - | Class B |
| Free fall | - | Class D (60 falls) |
| Repairability | - | Class C |
Asus Zenfone 8
- Compact and pocketable design
- Proven Snapdragon 888 performance
- Solid battery endurance (88h)
- Significantly slower charging (30W)
- Lower peak display brightness
- Older chipset compared to the GT 8 Pro
Realme GT 8 Pro
- Blazing-fast 120W wired charging
- Superior display brightness (2262 nits)
- Next-generation Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset
- Larger and less pocketable design
- Potentially higher price point
- Battery endurance rating lower than Zenfone 8 (though active use is higher)
Display Comparison
The Realme GT 8 Pro’s display is a standout, boasting a measured peak brightness of 2262 nits, dwarfing the Asus Zenfone 8’s 800 nits. This makes the GT 8 Pro significantly more usable in direct sunlight. While both displays offer an infinite (nominal) contrast ratio, the GT 8 Pro’s brightness advantage is a game-changer for outdoor visibility. We lack PWM frequency data for both, but the brightness difference alone makes the GT 8 Pro the superior display for most users.
Camera Comparison
Both phones feature capable camera systems, but detailed sensor information is limited. The Realme GT 8 Pro likely benefits from newer image processing algorithms and potentially a larger main sensor, given its flagship positioning. The Zenfone 8’s camera is described as capable for both photo and video, but without specific details, it’s difficult to assess its strengths. We can assume the GT 8 Pro will offer more advanced computational photography features, leveraging the power of its newer chipset. The lack of detail on both sides makes a definitive camera comparison challenging.
Performance
The Realme GT 8 Pro’s Qualcomm SM8850-AC Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, built on a 3nm process, represents a substantial leap over the Zenfone 8’s 5nm Snapdragon 888. The GT 8 Pro’s octa-core CPU, with its 2x4.6 GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix L cores and 6x3.62 GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix M cores, promises significantly faster processing speeds than the Zenfone 8’s 1x2.84 GHz Cortex-X1, 3x2.42 GHz Cortex-A78, and 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A55 configuration. This translates to smoother multitasking, faster app loading, and improved gaming performance. The 3nm node also implies better thermal efficiency, potentially reducing throttling during sustained workloads.
Battery Life
The Realme GT 8 Pro’s battery endurance rating of 60:32h and active use score of 20:24h significantly surpasses the Asus Zenfone 8’s 88h endurance rating. However, endurance ratings are not directly comparable due to differing testing methodologies. The GT 8 Pro’s 120W wired charging is a massive advantage, achieving 50% charge in just 15 minutes and 100% in 43 minutes, compared to the Zenfone 8’s 30W charging (60% in 25 min, 100% in 80 min). The GT 8 Pro also offers 50W wireless charging and reverse charging options, features absent on the Zenfone 8. While the Zenfone 8’s endurance rating is respectable, the GT 8 Pro’s charging speed and wireless capabilities provide a more convenient user experience.
Buying Guide
Buy the Asus Zenfone 8 if you need a truly one-handed usable phone with a solid, reliable Snapdragon 888 experience and value a more understated design. Buy the Realme GT 8 Pro if you prioritize maximum performance for gaming and demanding tasks, require the fastest charging available, and don't mind a larger device. The GT 8 Pro is for power users; the Zenfone 8 is for practical enthusiasts.