Realme 14T 5G First Impressions

Realme has consistently pursued a quantitative approach in the Indian smartphone market, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. A diversified portfolio often translates to greater choice for consumers, potentially leading to an increased market share and incremental revenue growth. While aggressive, it is a strategy that appears to have worked mainly in its favour so far, with the company having a 10.6 percent share in Q1 2025 and 2.2 percent YoY growth in the Indian smartphone market, as per IDC.

The company has followed up on the launch of the Realme 14 Pro series from January by introducing the Realme 14T 5G in the mid-range segment. Notably, it also becomes the first T series phone to debut in India.

Priced at Rs. 17,999 for the 8GB + 128GB option, the Realme 14T 5G takes on rivals like the CMF Phone 2 Pro and its own sibling, the Realme P3 5G. But does it offer any meaningful differentiation, or does it simply fade into the crowd of competitors? I got to spend some time with the device, and here’s what I think about it.

Realme 14T 5G: The Package

Out of the box, the Realme 14T 5G resembles the Realme P3 until you notice the repositioned LED flash. With recent devices like the Realme 13 Pro lineup, Realme 14 series, and most recently, the Realme 14T 5G, the brand has been emphasising unique designs at accessible price points. I received the Surf Green colourway, and it is certainly an eye-catching offering without the feeling of overdone. It, along with the Lightning Purple and Obsidian Black colour options, stands out due to the unique appearance of the back panel — a silky, wave-like texture that mimics the strokes of a paintbrush and adds a premium touch.

Realme 14T 5G is available in Surf Green (pictured), Lightning Purple, and Obsidian Black colour options

Durability emerges as one of the standout highlights of the Realme 14T 5G, and it comes with a triple IP rating: IP66 + IP68 + IP69. It protects against dust, water submersion, and even high-pressure water jets — a rare feat at this price point. Late 2024 and early 2025 high-end smartphones have launched with an IP69 rating as the new addition, and it is good to see that the highlight feature is already trickling down to sub-Rs. 20,000 segment.

Despite packing a massive 6,000mAh battery, the phone is surprisingly slim at 7.97mm. Weighing 196 grams, it has decent weight distribution, too, but the ergonomics could benefit from refinement, with its chiselled edges remaining slightly too sharp and digging into our palms occasionally. Then there’s the usual hardware ensemble: a USB Type-C port, a hybrid SIM slot, and stereo speakers.

Realme 14T 5G: Packs Decent Prowess

With quad-curved screens being all the rage in the upper mid-range segment, Realme has opted to stick to its flatter, more pragmatic display with the Realme 14T 5G. It sports a 6.67-inch Full-HD+ AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate and up to 2,100nits peak brightness. It gets ample bright and produces vibrant colours, and the overall performance is almost fluid and lag-free. There’s plenty of screen real estate, too, with its 92.7 percent screen-to-body ratio, although the asymmetrical bezels could slightly detract you from the otherwise impressive experience.

The phone sports a 6.67-inch 120Hz Full-HD+ AMOLED screen

Realme has equipped the phone with a 6nm octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 6300 chipset with a claimed AnTuTu score of more than 4,60,000, which I will validate through synthetic benchmarks and real-world performance testing. It is complemented by 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM and up to 256GB onboard storage. Realme also enables virtual RAM expansion up to 18GB, which helps during memory-intensive tasks. Oh, and there’s expandable storage, too: up to 1TB via a microSD card. The phone ships with Android 15-based Realme UI 6 and is promised to receive a modest two years of software updates and three years of security updates.

With AI being the buzzword in recent years, the Realme 14T 5G packs several AI-backed features, although most appear to be camera-centric additions on the surface level. There’s AI Clear Face, which cleans up blurry photos and makes details sharper, while AI Eraser does what its name suggests — removes distracting objects from the image. It also utilises what the company calls AI HyperRAW Algorithm, which is said to deliver a precise balance between light and shadows.

Realme has equipped the 14T 5G with a 50-megapixel main camera and 2-megapixel depth sensor

For cameras, the Realme 14T 5G has a dual rear camera unit comprising a 50-megapixel primary camera and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. You also get a 16-megapixel front-facing camera for selfies and video calls. During our initial testing, the daylight shots appeared to have plenty of detail, although slight oversaturation was observed at times. Night-time photography leaves much to be desired, even with the Night Mode enabled.

However, there’s one standout feature in the camera system, which is Live Photo. Like Apple’s Live Photos, it records a few seconds before and after you click the shutter button, enabling you to capture the exact moment and a short memory as it unfolds. It is a nifty addition, and I often use it during my time with the device.

The phone has a sleek profile despite packing a 6,000mAh battery

Lastly, the Realme 14T 5G packs a massive 6,000mAh battery, consistent with other recent Realme phones in its numbered lineup. The handset supports 45W fast charging and has “Advanced AI Battery Health Management” to prolong battery life. It does not offer any sort of wireless charging; however, given its price point, it’s hardly a surprise.

Realme 14T 5G: Initial Thoughts

Overall, the Realme 14T 5G appears to be a solid option at its price tag of Rs. 17,999. Its striking design gives it an edge and helps it stand out in the seemingly saturated mid-range smartphone space. The upgrades in its display department and its durability are undeniably impressive for the segment, although there’s scope for improvement when it comes to the camera performance. That said, I will need to test the various claims made by the company to see if they hold any truth.