Realme Ultra concept: The smartphone that wants to replace your DSLR

Smartphones have been pretending to rival DSLRs for years, but the Realme Ultra concept is actually giving it a shot. Is this the future of mobile photography, or just another tech fantasy?

The Realme Ultra concept at MWC 2025 / Image Credits: Digital Trends

For years, smartphone brands have hyped up their cameras as being on par with pro-level digital ones. But, deep down, we all know that they’re not quite there—at least, not yet. It’s a challenge accepted by Realme. This week at MWC 2025, the Chinese tech giant unveiled the Realme Ultra phone concept—an ambitious device with a proprietary mount system that supports interchangeable camera lenses.

As someone who used to lug around a DSLR and a bag full of lenses, I can’t help but wonder: what if I’d had a smartphone that could do it all? A pocket-sized device that let me swap lenses on the go? The idea is pretty enticing for content creators, photographers, and anyone who wants more from their phone camera.

No surprise, the Realme Ultra turned heads at MWC 2025, sparking plenty of debate among tech reviewers. But is it just a flashy prototype, or could it actually change mobile photography as we know it?

Let’s take a deep dive into this intriguing concept and see if it’s the real deal—or just another gimmick.

Design: A revamped Xiaomi 15 Ultra?

At first glance, the Realme Ultra concept bears a striking resemblance to the Xiaomi 15—so much so that you might mistake one for the other. Both feature main and wide-angle cameras, and both boast 1-inch sensors, meaning they pack some serious imaging power. But Realme takes things a step further. At the center of the camera module sits a CMOS sensor, giving the phone a true camera-like appearance—especially when you remove the lens.

That said, the design isn’t really ready for prime time. With its oversized lenses, the phone looks a bit clunky, almost as if someone strapped a high-end camera to the back of a regular smartphone. And according to early hands-on impressions, using it isn’t as effortless as you’d hope. But, we have to remember: it’s a concept. So it’s not trying for perfection, but for potential. Realme is testing the waters, pushing the boundaries of what a smartphone camera can be. The question is—will this experiment become something practical, or stay a cool-but-clunky prototype?

How does the Realme Ultra concept work?

Swapping lenses on the Realme Ultra concept isn’t exactly plug-and-play, but it’s not rocket science either. First, you have to install an adapter onto the phone—something I wish were a little more seamless. Once that’s in place, you can attach a lens. The phone currently works with a 3x portrait lens and a 10x telephoto lens—useful options for anyone who captures content on the go! But let’s be honest the real showstopper here is the telephoto.

And wow, is it massive. The 10x telephoto lens looks comically oversized on the Ultra concept, and resulting setup is seriously back-heavy. Unless you have a tripod, you’ll be supporting the lens with your hands the entire time—something that gets old fast. Plus, the second you extend it to its full 60x zoom, shaky hands become your worst enemy. The result? Blurry shots that defeat the whole purpose of having a powerful telephoto lens. If Realme wants this concept to go beyond the prototype stage, they’ll need to rethink the size, the weight, or maybe even include a custom tripod in the package.

The focus & aperture rings? They’re manual.

Here’s where things get interesting. Instead of relying on software tricks, the Realme Ultra concept gives you manual control over the focus and aperture rings—just like a traditional camera. For photography lovers, this is a dream. You actually get to tinker with your settings for crisp, pro-level shots.

And when you get it just right? The results are stunning—easily outclassing what you’d expect from a typical smartphone camera. Imagine capturing studio-quality portraits or breathtaking travel shots without lugging around a separate camera bag. That’s the kind of mobile photography future Realme is testing here. The question is—will they actually make it work?

Lens compatibility: What does it work with?

Realme went with a standard M lens mount for the Ultra concept. This means it could work with any compatible lens. And honestly, that’s a pretty exciting prospect. Imagine being able to swap the same lenses between your DSLR and your smartphone—no extra gear needed. That’s the dream for mobile photography lovers like me!

But before we get too excited, there’s a catch. Realme has made some tweaks to its camera app to optimize it for the 2 lenses designed for it. So while other M-mount lenses might work, they won’t necessarily play nice with the software. In other words, compatibility could be more of a headache than Realme is letting on. If this concept ever hits the market, they’ll need to make sure third-party lenses are actually usable—or risk limiting the phone’s biggest selling point.

The competition? Xiaomi’s Modular Optical System.

At MWC 2025, Xiaomi also revealed a concept device for bridging the gap between a phone and a DSLR: the Modular Optical System. Built on a custom version of the Xiaomi 15, the back case boasts a ring of magnets. Users can attach sensor-equipped lenses to those magnets. And since the lenses have their own sensors, you don’t have to rely on the phone’s hardware. It’s an updated take on Sony’s QX cameras.

The sensor-equipped lenses act like independent cameras, and they’re what make this setup interesting and, possibly, smoother to operate. But then, they remove a key selling point for this product—the ability for photographers to use other lenses, especially ones they already own. And, most probably, a magnetic attachment wouldn’t be able to hold a telephoto lens.

These are significant downsides and contrary to what mobile photographers want—a DSLR setup on a smartphone. As a reviewer who values helping people make the best use of their money, I’d personally like to see a camera/ phone that can support a variety of analog lenses.

Will the Realme Ultra become a real product?

The Reame Ultra concept isn’t perfect—far from it. But even with its quirks, it’s still a cool idea. I can easily see content creators loving the portability aspects and photography enthusiasts geeking out over the manual controls.

That said, if Realme wants to turn this into an actual product, they have some work to do. Right now, the setup process isn’t exactly smooth, and no one wants to spend minutes fiddling with their smartphone when they could just grab a DSLR and start shooting. The design also needs some refinement. That oversized camera ring sticking out past the phone’s edges? Not a tidy look.

The future of smartphone photography?

Meanwhile, Xiaomi’s magnetic attachment system offers that ease-of-use, but works only with proprietary, sensor-equipped lenses—not the flexible, professional quality users hope for. The answer, probably, lies in the middle—hybrid approach, with a magnetic system that works with analog lenses. Now that would be something.

But even in its current state, the Realme Ultra concept is fun. It’s an enjoyable way to capture photos on a smartphone, and the results are superior to what’s currently possible. Will Realme take this concept to market? Hard to say. But I really hope this isn’t the last time we see a smartphone experiment like this—because there’s potential here.