TL;DR
- Realme has revealed its Interchangeable Lens Concept phone at MWC 2025.
- This phone has a one-inch camera sensor that can be paired with your existing Leica camera lenses.
- Realme’s phone also includes two conventional smartphone cameras if you want to ditch the full-sized camera lens.
Many top camera phones today sport one-inch primary camera sensors, but you were previously out of luck if you wanted a one-inch zoom camera. Now, realme has shown off a rather intriguing concept device at MWC 2025, and we were able to go hands-on.
The realme Interchangeable Lens Concept smartphone has a one-inch Sony CMOS camera sensor that allows you to (surprise) attach DSLR camera lenses. More specifically, the manufacturer says it uses Leica’s M mount, so most Leica camera lenses support the device. However, realme specifically touts two camera lenses for its concept device, namely a 73mm (~3x) portrait lens and a 234mm (~10x) telephoto lens.
In addition to the one-inch sensor, the phone also ships with a pair of conventional rear cameras (main and ultrawide). The main camera is still necessary as you can’t use the one-inch sensor without a camera lens. The entire camera hump, including the one-inch sensor, is covered by glass, so you don’t need a lens cap when you’ve removed a lens module.
Interestingly, realme told us that the device is actually running the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, which powered many flagship Android phones back in 2023. That certainly hints at a concept that’s been in development for a while.
What’s it like to actually use this realme concept phone?
C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
Our first impression is that this is a cool idea but with questionable practicality. The biggest issue is simply the weight of the lens, making for awkward weight distribution as well. You definitely won’t be taking casual, one-handed shots. It’s also worth noting that the phone’s rear cover looks very similar to the recently launched Xiaomi 15 Ultra, although that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Would you buy a phone that supported your DSLR camera lenses?
0 votes
The realme Interchangeable Lens Concept also lacks a conventional telephoto camera owing to the space requirements for the exposed one-inch sensor. So, if you want to ditch the bulky camera lens module, you’ll have to rely on digital zoom. We’re also curious to see whether the phone offers lossless zoom based on the lens in use. For example, we wonder whether the 10x lens would offer 20x zoom at lossless resolution.
Unfortunately, our indoor meeting room wasn’t a great venue for photography, although we can confirm that the device works as expected. However, realme posted some sample photos online, as seen below. You should take some of these snaps with a pinch of salt until we can get our own samples, but it certainly paints an encouraging picture.
It’s also worth noting that this isn’t the first time we’ve seen a concept phone with interchangeable lenses and a one-inch camera sensor. Xiaomi revealed its 12s Ultra concept phone back in 2022. This device was made in partnership with Leica and also allowed you to attach a Leica lens module to a one-inch sensor via the company’s M-mount.
Realme’s device isn’t the only intriguing camera-focused concept we’ve seen in Barcelona, either. Xiaomi announced the Xiaomi 15 Concept as well, which is effectively a standalone camera and lens system that magnetically clips onto the back of a Xiaomi 15.
You probably shouldn’t hold your breath for a realme phone with interchangeable DSLR camera lenses any time soon. Nevertheless, we’re glad to see companies testing different approaches to smartphone photography.
