Realme is also eyeing the possibility of offering a smartphone that can double as an actual professional camera.
The MWC is indeed the platform for mobile tech brands to show off their latest creations, whether they are set for a launch or just still in prototype stages. Realme is one of the companies that has put its booth at the event, where it revealed some of its latest offerings, such as the Realme 14 Pro series. Aside from that, the brand also unveiled the “Ultra” phone it teased a few days ago: the Realme Ultra. While there are still no clear plans for its mass production, the phone really impresses in one specific section.
The Realme Ultra is designed to work as a professional camera smartphone. It has two cameras (a main unit and an ultrawide), including a customized 1” Sony sensor. While the phone itself doesn’t have a telephoto unit, Realme revealed that it can be mounted (via Leica L-mount, proprietary adapter) with two huge lenses, making it appear like a DSLR camera. At the event, the brand let the attendees experience its 73mm (3x) portrait and 234mm (10x) telephoto lenses.
Putting the lenses on the phone makes it a full-size camera that works incredibly well. It is ideal for sports and wildlife scenes, but it is important to note that attaching the lenses gives you a hefty device on your hands, with the lenses heavier than the phone itself. Moreover, the lenses only offer a manual focus, so using them with your hands can be shaky and tricky. Yet, with a tripod, it can’t be denied that the lenses can work wonders for a device that is basically a smartphone.
Realme is not the only brand that has explored this idea. In 2022, Xiaomi also showed it to us using its Xiaomi 12S Ultra. However, the brand came back this year at MWC with a more compact lens. Even more interesting, the new lens revealed by Xiaomi is magnetic and detachable, and it seamlessly integrates with a Xiaomi device using its LaserLink technology.
