Glass-based industrial design on smartphones may have just peaked. We’ve seen experiments in substrates, opacity, and reflections from the likes of Honor and HTC for years, but if the Realme 9 Pro does what Oppo’s India-based brand (that’s not just for India) says it does, we’re in for a fun time with upcoming photo ops.
Realme is expanding its remit out west with a Europe-first sales approach to the 9 Pro. The company is most proud of the phone’s sunrise-inspired “chameleon” photochromic finish that turns the glass from blue to red with a 5-second exposure under sunlight or other ultraviolet rays. The design went through more than 200 revisions to make sure that the right combination of glass and filters achieved the desired effect. Hmm, we wonder how the phone’s display stands up to direct sunlight, by the way?
We still don’t have a go-to-market date, but do have some more numbers to chew on: the Realme 9 Pro is 7.99mm thick and weighs 182 grams. As a brand, Realme also made massive headway in Europe last year with annual sales growth of 570% in 2021.
In any case, at least we’re putting photochromism into good use on phones again.
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