- Realme announces strategic partnership with Ricoh Imaging
- A new GT 8 Pro smartphone will be launched on October 14
- ‘Co-created with Ricoh, the GT 8 Pro will be ‘powered’ by Ricoh GR technology
Xiaomi and Leica. Oppo and Hasselblad. Yes, “strategic partnerships” between Chinese smartphone makers and well-known camera brands are nothing new, but the latest tie-up, that of Realme and Ricoh Imaging, seems arguably the most logical of all.
The self-proclaimed fastest-growing smartphone brand in the world announced today that its long-term strategic partnership with Ricoh Imaging, four years in the making, will officially begin on October 14 with the launch of the GT 8 Pro smartphone, co-created with Ricoh.
In a launch video, Realme VP Chase Xu says: “People are getting tired of the same ‘perfect style’ photos. Increasingly, everyone wants to show off their own style, rather than copying the same look.”
In a bid to co-promote the authentic culture of street photography, the GT 8 Pro “delivers an unprecedented imaging experience, achieving revolutionary innovations in optical capabilities, color algorithms, image tones and a bespoke user interface design that mimics the feel of a Ricoh GR camera…bringing conventional camera tradition to mobile photography.”
This all sounds promising, especially for a Ricoh GR fan like me.
Capture life as it really is. Adjust without rules. pic.twitter.com/c6AzXl5ON8October 10, 2025
The association between smartphone and camera of all associations?
Known as the street photographer’s camera with a genuinely pocketable design, Ricoh’s GR series seems an obvious choice for an increasingly popular smartphone brand.
The recent Xiaomi 15 Ultra with photography kit reminded me a bit of my GR IIIx user experience, but the new GT 8 Pro could be next level; Heck, it even has “Camera Powered by Ricoh GR” written on the back.
We still don’t know the technical specifications of the GT 8 Pro, or anything beyond the few words in Realme’s press release. But I’ll be tuning in on October 14 to find out more and I’m excited to get my hands on the GT 8 Pro. It could offer the authentic camera phone experience that enthusiast photographers have been looking for.
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