I'm still smarting over how last season ended; Max had all the momentum going into Abu Dhabi, and I thought he'd be able to once again clinch the title with the barest of margins. Nevertheless, Lando deserved the win; McLaren was consistent throughout the season, and if anything, the racing was enjoyable in the latter half of the year.
And just like that, we are in the 2026 cycle, and testing of the new cars suggests this season should be just as interesting. Before that though, it's time to take a look at an interesting collaboration: the Realme GT 8 Pro Dream Edition. The phone retails in India for ₹79,999 ($870), which is just ₹1,000 ($11) more than the regular 16GB/512GB model of the GT 8 Pro. Now, Realme isn't technically partnered with the Aston Martin F1 team, but that doesn't make the phone any less intriguing.
A design Adrian Newey would be proud of
If anything, Realme went above and beyond in designing the phone, and the GT 8 Pro Dream Edition looks quite different to the regular GT 8 Pro. The brand did a great job translating Aston Martin's livery, and the metallic paint conveys a sense of elegance that you just don't get with the standard model. You even get flow lines etched on the rear, and that just looks cool.
Dominating the rear is the Aston Martin emblem in silver, and it contrasts very well with the green hue of the phone. A differentiating design feature on the GT 8 Pro is the interchangeable camera covers, and that's available on this device as well — you get a rounded and square cover, and both are designed to mimic a Kevlar finish that looks pretty great.
The green design has yellow accents, and this again adds a little bit of flair to the phone (not that it needs it). Honestly, the GT 8 Pro Dream Edition is one of the most striking phones around, and even though Aston Martin isn't rivaling Red Bull or McLaren yet, that may change soon thanks to the new regulations and Adrian Newey's wizardry.
As is usually the case with every limited edition phone, the GT 8 Pro Dream Edition comes with a custom packaging that has plenty of cool accessories. You get two cases (to accommodate the two camera cover designs), and unboxing the phone is an occasion — as it should be on a device like this. It's a small thing, but I like that the SIM card ejector is styled after the AMR25, and it may just be the best-looking one I used yet, even though I like the arc reactor that POCO bundled with the X7 Pro Iron Man Edition.
The design makes the GT 8 Pro Dream Edition rather interesting, and it has a good in-hand feel, even though it feels heavier than the likes of the Find X9 Pro, which is in fact 6g heavier. The phone comes with a 6.79-inch AMOLED panel, and it is just as bright and has similar color accuracy to the best phones around — I didn't see any issues in the month I used the phone.
Standout internals — and cameras that will delight you
If anything, Realme is doing a good job with the panel in general, and that is noticeable while gaming. The only quibble in this area is that the device misses out on LTPO tech, so it doesn't go down to 1Hz while idling. Otherwise, you get the standard 120Hz, with the option to go up to 144Hz while playing select games.
Like its Chinese rivals, the GT 8 Pro Dream Edition uses the latest Qualcomm silicon, and I didn't see any issues in regular use. The only downside is that it tends to overheat, and that's the case on the phone as well, with the device exceeding 53 degrees while running synthetic tests. In regular gaming, I saw it get uncomfortably hot, but no so much that I couldn't actually hold it (which was the case during 3DMark testing).
Outside of that, there are no problems with the hardware. The Dream Edition comes with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, and with a 7,000mAh battery, the phone manages to last a day and a half comfortably — even with heavy use. Honestly, all phones I used in the last 12 months have managed to do so, and other than outliers like the iPhone Air, it's a given that you'll get over a day with any phone in 2026.
While it doesn't have the best camera sensors, Realme's collaboration with Ricoh means there are tangible gains in this area with the GT 8 Pro Dream Edition, and that's encouraging to see. The phone gets a 50MP custom Sony LYT-700 main camera, 200MP Samsung HP5 that acts as the tele lens with 3x and 6x modes, and a 50MP OmniVision wide-angle lens.
The phone also gets a dedicated Ricoh GR mode with manual controls, and other than that, you get the same camera interface as the Find X9 Pro. Overall camera tuning is pretty great with this generation, and the Dream Edition takes fabulous photos in any scenario, and you get enough shooting modes and filters to make your shots stand out a little bit.
Switching over to the software, you get plenty of custom tweaks to highlight the Aston Martin collaboration, including icons, backgrounds, and effects. It doesn't look gaudy in the least, and the icons are decent enough that I didn't see the need to switch to the default ColorOS option.
Other than that, the phone runs Android 16 out of the box, and the interface is fluid, with excellent customizability. Realme has all the standard ColorOS 16 features, but it calls the interface Realme UI 7.0, which is similar to what OnePlus does with the OnePlus 15. The only issue is that the phone won't get as many software updates, with Realme guaranteeing just four platform updates.
This phone is a dream
There have been other F1 phones, with OnePlus rolling out the 6T McLaren and 7T Pro McLaren Edition half a decade ago. But with the GT 8 Pro Dream Edition, Realme did a fabulous job with the design, and while I still like my 6T McLaren quite a bit, it wasn't anywhere as good at the camera side of things as the GT 8 Pro.
The best part is that the phone doesn't cost much more than the regular model, so if you're an F1 fan looking to buy a new phone, the GT 8 Pro Dream Edition is a great choice as we head into the 2026 season.
