New 1-inch camera flagship smartphone with dockable 10x zoom lens practically confirmed
Realme appears to have achieved the impossible in preparing to launch a flagship smartphone of which we know virtually nothing. Such a feat is almost unheard of nowadays, as flagship devices often do not make it to the launch event without tons of leaks in advance. Everything we currently know about the Realme camera flagship, which is set to be officially launched or at least unveild at the Mobile World Congress 2025 in Barcelona next week, has been revealed by the Oppo subsidiary itself, and that's not exactly a lot.
Following an initial teaser and hints about a 10x zoom feature, the latest teasers and sample photos have confirmed not only a sensor in 1-inch format but also an optical 10x telephoto. A recent teaser video video appears to show someone holding a smartphone with a larger lens on the back, which seems to be confirmed by a new teaser video from Realme:
Realme camera with dockable lens
The video contains two indications of a smartphone with a detachable lens. One is the image of the packaging on which a symbol for both the smartphone and for the lens can be clearly seen. The second indication is glimpse of the camera module itself, which shows an exposed sensor in the middle. Two more camera sensors (including optics) appear to be installed above it, meaning that the potentially Realme Ultra-named smartphone can probably be also used without a dockable lens.
Looks like the Xiaomi 12s Ultra
Such a concept is not entirely new. In addition to the Xiaomi 12S Ultra, Xiaomi also presented a similar concept with the same name in 2022, which had space for two 1-inch sensors, one of which was exposed so that a Leica lens could be screwed onto it (see below). This concept smartphone never made it to market as a widely available product, but it remains to be seen whether the Realme Ultra will be any different. In any case, it is a surprising and still very mysterious new addition to the camera smartphone universe.
Source(s)
Image: MrWhosetheboss
