Realme Neo8 launched with 6.78-inch 1.5K 165Hz OLED display, Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 SoC, IP69 ratings, 8000mAh battery

Realme has officially launched its first smartphone under the company’s standalone Neo series, the realme Neo8 in China, as previously teased. The realme Neo8 features a striking transparent RGB design and comes in three colour options: Cyber Purple, Origin White, and Mecha Gray.

It uses a new transparent 3D partitioning process that engraves 11 different textures at varying depths, creating a dynamic light-and-shadow effect on the rear panel. The back also carries a “Make it real.” nameplate design. The Awakening Halo lighting system makes a return, supporting e-sports lighting effects, notification alerts, and music-based lighting effects. A new “lucky color flipping” feature has also been added, aimed at lottery and random selection scenarios.

In terms of build quality, the phone adopts a flagship-level design with a metal frame, glass back panel, elegantly rounded corners, and ultra-narrow symmetrical bezels. It comes with IP66, IP68, and IP69 certifications for full-level dust and water resistance. Other hardware features include an ultrasonic 3D fingerprint sensor, X-axis linear motor, super-linear stereo speakers, multi-angle NFC, an infrared blaster, Sky Map support, and crystal armor glass protection.

Display -

realme has partnered with Samsung Display to develop a custom 165Hz “Samsung Sky Screen” using the flagship M14 luminescent material. The display offers 1000 nits manual peak brightness, 1800 nits global peak brightness, and up to 6500 nits local peak brightness, while supporting 3800 nits sunlight mode. Even at extreme brightness levels, the panel maintains 103% DCI-P3 colour gamut coverage.

The 165Hz refresh rate significantly boosts frame rates in supported titles, and the phone supports native 165fps gameplay in more than 30 popular games across multiple categories, including leading shooting and action titles.

The device also includes a custom touch chip supporting up to a 3800Hz instantaneous touch sampling rate. Additionally, it introduces a new Green Field Eye Protection feature with full-brightness DC dimming, hardware-level low blue light, AI-based active eye protection, and intelligent eye comfort adjustments.

Performance and Gaming Features -

At its core, the realme Neo8 is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 Mobile Platform, paired with LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.1 storage. It also features a high-airflow cooling system and the Sky Communication System for improved thermal and connectivity performance.

The phone is equipped with a next-generation GT Performance Engine, which supports advanced power efficiency scheduling, dedicated gaming performance cores, and a super frame rate algorithm. With this setup, the Neo8 is capable of maintaining a full 165Hz refresh rate in several major FPS games, including Call of Duty Mobile, while also delivering stable frame rates in popular MOBA and large-scale open-world games.

It also introduces a next-generation geek performance panel that allows users to push performance beyond standard limits without requiring root access. Users can adjust temperature control across five levels, fine-tune CPU and GPU frequencies, and customise performance profiles based on their gaming needs.

Notably, the realme Neo8 is the first smartphone in the industry to support a PC handheld mode, enabling local operation of PC games on the phone. It also supports cross-platform account compatibility for officially licensed titles, with realme claiming that over 50 popular PC games are playable even under poor network conditions.

The device further integrates AI-powered gaming assistance features, including automatic item pickup in open-world games, shooting assistance in FPS titles, and skill cooldown countdowns in MOBA games.

Cameras -

For photography, the realme Neo8 is equipped with a 50MP Sony IMX896 primary camera with OIS, offering 1x to 4x zoom coverage, Live Photo slow-motion capture, new tone presets, and direct output of 8K ultra-high-resolution photos.

It is joined by a 50MP periscope telephoto lens that supports 3.5x optical zoom, 7x lossless zoom, and up to 120x ultra-high-definition digital zoom, along with AI text enhancement, AI spatial recognition, and auto-correction features. The camera setup is rounded off by an 8MP ultra-wide camera, while the front houses a 16MP selfie camera.

Battery and Charging -

The realme Neo8 packs a massive 8000mAh battery with 16% silicon content, delivering a claimed 3% improvement in energy density over its predecessor. It supports 80W SuperVOOC fast charging, full-scenario bypass charging, and is compatible with multiple fast-charging standards, including UFCS, PPS, PD, and QC.

Realme Neo8 Specifications -

Pricing and Availability -

The Realme Neo8 will be available for sale only in China, and there is a 200 yuan discount for the first week of sale. Prices are -

• 12GB RAM/256GB storage version - 2599 yuan (USD 373 / Rs. 34,180 approx.)
• 16GB RAM/256GB storage version - 2899 yuan (USD 416 / Rs. 38,125 approx.)
• 12GB RAM/512GB storage version - 3099 yuan  (USD 445 / Rs. 40,760 approx.)
• 16GB RAM/512GB storage version - 3399 yuan (USD 488 / Rs. 44,710 approx.)
• 16GB RAM/1TB storage version - 3899 yuan (USD 559 / Rs. 51,290 approx.)