This collectible phone marks the smartphone manufacturer’s second collaboration with Warner Bros.
Harry Potter fanatics and novelty collectors rejoice; there is now a phone that matches your passion for all things wizardry — and you can get your hands on it before HBO Max’s anticipated television reboot hits streaming. Created by Chinese phone manufacturer realme, the realme 16 Pro Harry Potter Edition is a collectible smartphone that brings adequate computing power to back up its unique look. Add an assortment of collectible Harry Potter accoutrements and you have a novelty item that might be worth a purchase.
For Western audiences, realme has begun to make a name for itself as the purveyor of unique collectible phones. Last year, the firm released a limited edition Game of Thrones version of its Realm 15 Pro. The release gained rave reviews for its thematic visual elements, creative packaging and Targaryen-inspired UI designs. In its second collaboration with Warner Bros, realme has delivered an Android phone worthy of The Boy Who Lived.
With the original run sold out within minutes of its release, ordering the unique memorabilia has been difficult. However, realme responded to the collective interest by making a second batch available to purchase on its website. If you want some of the magic but don’t have the gold Galleons to splurge on a themed Android phone, you can opt for the company’s Harry Potter-inspired earbuds, the realme Buds T500 Pro.
A spellbinding collab
Everything about realme’s latest collectible Android phone is designed to evoke the popular franchise. Coming in “Magic Brown,” the phone’s classic argyle design and leathery finish is sure to make some buyers want to board the Hogwarts Express. A golden Hogwarts crest stands proudly in its center, touting what the company claims is “the world’s first quadra light sensing color-changing technology.” When exposed to UV light, the crest transforms into a spellbinding spectrum of colors, with each house crest lighting up in its respective colors. Featuring golden accents around its cameras and siding, the ultra-thin 8.47mm wide phone sports a laser-engraved “Welcome To Hogwarts” banner across its frame.
The phone’s packaging is just as charming. Buyers of the Harry Potter realme 16 pro will receive a small leather suitcase emblazoned with a golden Hogwarts crest. Inside, you can find your acceptance letter, book list, train ticket, character postcards, four house crest bookmarks, and a crest pin to unlock your “Hogwarts Hidden Surprise,” the aforementioned wizard-themed realme Buds T500 Pro earbuds. The unlocked phone also comes with a Harry Potter-inspired protective case, charger, USB data cable, SIM ejector tool, and a helpful guide.
Much like its Game of Thrones predecessor, realme has customized its user interface to mimic Warner Bros’ films. When you boot up your new collectible phone, you will find a wallpaper of Hogwarts’ iconic castle, a boot animation mimicking the film’s title card, and a custom Harry Potter fingerprint effect. The Chinese manufacturer also added Harry Potter redesigns for 30 of its native applications, complete with custom logos and fonts to create a more immersive fan experience.
Inside the Hogwarts phone
Realme’s phone is an adequate Android smartphone that justifies its midrange price tag. With 12GB of RAM and 254 GM of ROM, the novelty item is adequate for most daily users.
Despite its razor-thin size, the realme 16 Pro’s 700mAH titan battery is surprisingly strong. Able to maintain battery life for 22 hours of streaming, you can watch all eight Harry Potter films without reaching for a charger. Charged with an 80W USB-C cable, the battery includes Bypass Charging to reduce overheating.
Fans will appreciate the phone’s FullFocal Portrait Lens Kit, which includes a 200MP full-pixel LumaColor Camera, a 112 degree wide camera and a 50MP selfie camera. The camera suite also includes a Samsung HP5 1/1.56 inch sensor for higher resolution and brightness and Super Optical Image Stabilization tech to reduce blurriness and shakiness. Its video recordings, meanwhile, support 4K video at a decent 30 frames per second.
The phone’s 144Hz AMOLED display is capable of a peak brightness of 6500nit. With a 94% screen-to-body ratio, you can watch HDR10+ content on a 6.78 inch display. With a pixel ratio of 1272×2772, the phone’s screen has more raw pixels than an iPhone 18.
Unfortunately, realme’s processor isn’t as magical as its exterior. Using a processor from Taiwanese manufacturer MediaTek, the Dimensity 7300 Max 5G chipset, the phone isn’t likely to wow you with class leading compute. Add a midrange graphics unit like the ARM Mali-G615 GPU, and you have a decent processor capable of meeting most daily needs, including gaming at 120 FPS.
Overall, the Harry Potter edition of realme’s 16 Pro is a capable midrange phone with good battery life, a strong trio of cameras, and a decent processor. As it stands, the novelty phone is retailing for around $657 on realme’s website.
