Realme 9 Pro launch confirmed, and big changes are in store for the cheap phones
Realme changes its tune
Realme's numbered series of cheap phones were always interesting budget blowers, but the company rarely made a song and dance around them like it did its GT series of mid-rangers - that seems to be changing though.
The brand has been gradually building hype about the Realme 9 Pro series of phones, with a series of teases and feature announcements, and it's now confirmed that the line will debut on February 16.
As part of the announcement, the company also confirmed that the mobile will use a 50MP main camera using the Sony IMX766 sensor, which we've also seen in the GT 2 from Realme as well as the Xiaomi 12, OnePlus Nord 2 and Oppo Find X3 Pro.
108MP is for realme 8 Pro of 2021. We've put the same camera sensor of major flagships of many brands including GT 2 Pro on the upcoming 9 Pro series for 2022. #realme9ProSeries #CaptureTheLight Around the globe including India & Europe, launch on 16th Feb. pic.twitter.com/9u6Rx5VzKrFebruary 3, 2022
The company is calling this the 'Realme 9 Pro series global launch event', and that wording suggests this is just an unveiling for the Realme 9 Pro devices - we've heard there's a Pro Plus too, and there could be more besides.
The implication, then, is that there's a standard Realme 9 series (note: non-Pro) coming at some point too, and if that's true, it seems Realme is shaking up its family of budget phones, and offering many more of them.
Typically, we've seen a standard, Pro and 5G version of Realme's numbered devices, so the existence of a Pro Plus is already new, and if the vanilla version has its own family too, there could be even more devices on the way.
We don't know quite what to expect from the wider Realme 9 series, but we'll cover the Pro launch in mid-February and bring you everything that's important, so check back then for all the news.
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Tom Bedford was deputy phones editor on TechRadar until late 2022, having worked his way up from staff writer. Though he specialized in phones and tablets, he also took on other tech like electric scooters, smartwatches, fitness, mobile gaming and more. He is based in London, UK and now works for the entertainment site What To Watch.
He graduated in American Literature and Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia. Prior to working on TechRadar, he freelanced in tech, gaming and entertainment, and also spent many years working as a mixologist.