Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1: a rough timeline of phones based on the new top-end SoC leaks with Realme and OnePlus in near-pole position

Realme is now expected to lose out in the race to launch the first Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1-based flagship smartphone. In fact, this "GT2 Explorer Master Edition" is now tipped to be about second in line, followed by OnePlus, then by brands like iQOO and RedMagic thereafter - should the famous leaker Digital Chat Station be accurate, at least.

A new TENAA listing indicates that it will launch with GT Neo3-esque rear cameras, flat edges and an FHD+ screen now thought to be 120Hz and AMOLED. That leak hinted at RAM SKUs with 6, 8 or 12GB of RAM, which might be reflected in its newer Geekbench tip.

The "Explorer Master Edition", or Realme RMX3551, has allegedly registered on that benchmark with 12GB of RAM and Android 12. The latter might be a little disappointing as Realme might intend to announce it in July 2022, first-to-market or not.

Its CEO, Xu Qi Chase, has reportedly responded to a Weibo fan's wishlist of smartphone attributes with a comment that reportedly translates to "Isn't that our July model?" Therefore, the GT2 Explorer Master Edition just might start at the 3,000 yuan (~US$449) price-point, yet be designed to stay cool while gaming and have decent cameras.