Officially launching in the UK today, the Realme 8 Pro is a budget device that’s one of the first to use the new Samsung ISOCELL HM2 108-megapixel sensor in its main camera. While similar high-res sensors have been more common in pricier phones like the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, this chip is designed for lower-cost devices like the 8 Pro.
This 108-megapixel chip isn’t the same one used in the S21 Ultra or even last year’s S20 Ultra. It’s a smaller sensor — 1/1.52-inch versus 1/1.33-inch — with slightly smaller 0.7μm pixels. However, it uses the same binning approach to improve light-gathering abilities by combining neighboring pixels into a less noisy 12-megapixel image.
The Realme 8 Pro offers a 6.4-inch OLED screen, a Snapdragon 720G processor with 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and a 4,500mAh battery that supports 50W fast charging. The back of the device, which comes in blue and black variants, features some intense Realme branding with the company’s “Dare to Leap” slogan in large fluorescent lettering that — the company claims — glows in the dark. Realme also says the design will appeal to “a new generation of younger users,” which we’ll have to take its word for.
The 8 Pro will go on sale on March 31st in the UK for £279 (about $380).
