Image: Realme Realme has announced the GT 8 Pro, a smartphone that the company says was made in collaboration with Ricoh GR, with the goal of bringing some of the compact camera's street photography prowess to mobile photography.
The phone also features an interchangeable camera housing, allowing more customization.
In a blog post announcing the brands' "strategic partnership," Realme says the goal is to bring "GR Heritage to Young People’s Pocket[s]," which largely seems centered around the idea of taking snapshots with the phone, rather than perfectly-composed images.
The phone's camera app also has a Ricoh GR mode made to resemble the physical cameras' control scheme.
Image: Realme
It's not just about "vibes," as Realme vice president Chase Xu calls them in a video made with Ricoh's Kazunobu Saiki. The GT 8 Pro will include five color mode presets meant to mimic the standard, positive film, negative film, black and white, and high-contrast black and white color modes from the GR-series cameras. It also adopts shooting modes that emulate the 28mm and 40mm equiv. lenses on the GR cameras and their "x" variants.
These are, however, 'faux-al' lengths; digital crops taken from the 22mm lens, which is paired with a Type 1/1. 56 (47. 6mmhe video side of things, the phone is capable of 4K120 with support for Dolby Vision or up to 8K30.
Main camera
Telephoto camera
Ultrawide camera
Resolution
50MP
200MP
50MP
Sensor
Type 1/1. 56 (47. 6mm
Type 1/1. 56 (47. 6mm
Type 1/2. 88 (18. 9mm
Aperture
F1. 8
F2. 6
F2. 0
Equiv. focal length
22mm
65mm
16mm
Ricoh is the latest company we've seen lending its branding to a smartphone manufacturer. Leica has famously worked with Xiaomi in recent years, while Oppo (Realme's parent company) has tied up with Hasselblad. It's easy to see why the tactic has become increasingly popular; the phone makers get to borrow some of the prestige (and, potentially, expertise) from heritage camera brands, and the camera makers get their names in front of budding photographers who may one day look to buy a dedicated camera.
Images: Realme
In addition to the Ricoh branding, the GT 8 Pro is Realme's first phone with an interchangeable camera bump frame. The camera module uses two screws on the side to securely hold the replaceable component in place. It doesn't change the specs or functionality of the cameras (this isn't the concept phone with an interchangeable lens mount the company unveiled in March), but it does allow users to customize the look of the phone.
Image: Realme
Realme says it will offer different designs, including square, round and "robot styles. " The phone ships with a round module, but reportedly, the first models shipped in China will also include the square option. The company also shared the 3D model file and invited users to create their own takes. It's even holding a competition for the most creative designs with MakerWorld.
Image: Realme
The GT 8 Pro uses the flagship Snapdragon Elite Gen 5 Extreme Edition chipset with up to 16GB RAM and 1TB UFS 4. 1 storage. It also features Realme's custom R1 graphics chip. The display also gets flagship features, using an AMOLED with QHD+ resolution and 144Hz refresh rate. It promises 2000 nits brightness in typical conditions, but it can boost up to 4000 nits in peak areas. It offers 120W wired charging and 50W wireless. The phone also offers IP66, IP68 and IP69 ratings.
The Realme GT 8 Pro is only available in China for now and comes in white, green and blue. Pre-orders start today for a base price of CNY 3999 ($562).
. dpreview.com2025-10-21 18:33
