Realme GT Neo 5 is the world’s first phone with 240W charging

Realme, which claims to be the “fastest growing smartphone brand in the world”, has unveiled the GT Neo 5 with super-fast 240W charging which is the fastest ever seen on any phone.

Previous efforts from other companies include 210W Redmi Note 12 Discovery Edition and last year’s 150W OnePlus 10T.

If you think you’ve heard 240W before, you’re right. Oppo first showcased 240W SuperVooc charging at MWC 2022 nearly a year ago, claiming it could charge a 4,500mAh battery in just nine minutes. However, no phone with the technology has yet gone on sale.

Realme has beaten sister brand Oppo – both owned by BBK Electronics – and claims it will be the first company to mass-produce a 240W device, but with the caveat it will only be sold in China continental.

The company claims that the GT Neo 5 can give you two hours of continuous phone calls from just 30 seconds of charging.

Industry firsts don’t stop at the blistering 240W speed either. The phone also comes with the first 12A custom cable and the first 240W GaN (Gallium Nitride) dual mini charger at world.

According to GSMArea, the GT Neo 5 can charge to 20% in 80 seconds, 50% in 4 minutes, and 100% in less than 10 minutes. The battery has a capacity of 4600 mAh, but there is also a version with a larger 5000 mAh battery and slower 150 W charging.

It also claims to retain 80% battery capacity after 1600 charge cycles, which Realme says is double the industry standard. “The certification also provides more than 60 layers of security protection to ensure a safe and healthy charging system,” the company said.

Charging specs aside, the GT Neo 5 has a flashy design, literally. A rectangular RGB pulse light sits on the back as part of the camera module. It can act as a notification light and is customizable for different apps and turns red once the battery level reaches 20%.

The phone is available in three colors – white, black and purple – with a fourth transparent casing which means you can see “a metal plate for the chipset with a custom logo, part of the motherboard, an NFC sensor and a Ring. C-shape RGB lighting.

It sports a 6.74-inch 144Hz OLED display, last year’s flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset, and a 50MP main camera.

The phone is available to buy immediately in mainland China starting at 3,199 yuan (around $470/£390) for a 16/256GB model.

If you’re outside of China, don’t worry as Realme has confirmed that its 240W charging will reach global markets through the flagship GT3. This phone will be unveiled later this month, likely at MWC which starts on February 27 in Barcelona.

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