I wrote about best phones It's been almost 20 years now, but 2025 has proven that phone makers can still surprise experts like me.
Take for example Realme, which decided – with the help Realme GT8 Pro – to offer a feature I didn’t even know existed: an interchangeable camera body.
Meet the replaceable camera design of the Realme GT8 Pro
Before I unboxed the Realme GT8 Pro a few weeks ago, I had no idea that it had an interchangeable camera body. At first I thought it was little more than a gimmick, but then I changed the case from the default round design to the included square version and fell in love with the idea of being able to swap it out at will.
This interchangeability is not only limited to the regular Realme GT8 Pro, but is also a feature of the stunning green Aston Martin Aramco F1 version (pictured above). I was able to combine black and green housings on both devices to get some really eye-catching results.
Realme is also offering additional color options for both versions of the GT8 Pro, giving users the opportunity to truly stand out from the crowd in both their choice of finishes and the camera body they choose to equip at any given time.
Realme isn't the only tech product with modular components
As mentioned, Realme joins a slowly growing but still nascent list of phone makers experimenting with modular and interchangeable components in smartphones. The GT8 Pro is the latest in a line of phones that have attempted to simplify setup, but it's also the best example to date.
Another most striking example is Fairphone 6A fully modular, eco-friendly phone that allows key components such as the battery or display to be easily replaced when needed. In theory, the Fairphone offers endless customization options, but the complexity of implementing them makes the smartphone largely a niche product that has yet to achieve true market fit.
Then there is Project Araill-fated Google a project in which the Pixel maker attempted to create a completely modular phone. It was eventually canceled due to complexity and cost issues, but it was also the wrong time for such a product when it was announced at Google I/O in 2014. Could a decade later be the right time to try a product like this again?
Semi-Replaceable Supplement Industry
We've also seen other companies take a semi-replaceable approach with device add-ons.
The most famous of these attempts came from Motorola with its infamous line of Moto Mods, which expanded the capabilities of the Moto Z with magnetic snap-on accessories that connected to the phone using Pogo pins. Some of these features included powerful JBL speakers, Insta-Share projectors, Mophie and Incipio batteries, and even 5G connectivity, long before they became as ubiquitous in smartphones as they are today.
LG followed suit with a much less successful set of add-ons for the LG G5, and more recently HMD tried to do the same with some Nokia-branded devices. Dubbed Smart Outfits, these additions include a selfie ring light, a rugged IP-rated body, a rechargeable battery, and a game controller with joysticks and buttons.
More recently, we saw Nothing take a similar approach to HMDs with CMF Phone 1which features screw-in accessories such as stands, card holders and magnetic mounts. CMF has also gone the route of Realme by allowing users to change the design, color and materials of the Phone 1 rather than just adding certain features. This made the CMF Phone 1 one of the most unique phones you could buy at its launch, and CMF has continued this approach by offering excellent CMF Phone 2 Pro.
And there are also some of best phones with camera – specifically Vivo X300 Pro, Oppo Find X9 ProAnd Xiaomi 15 Ultra – all of them are equipped with additional photo kits, including an additional telephoto lens, expanding the zoom capabilities of the corresponding cameras beyond what was initially possible.
I hope more technology makers follow suit
Making a smartphone is incredibly difficult, and with component costs rising (especially RAM in today's AI-dominated era), every phone requires companies to make compromises to get the price and product positioning right. Thus, each phone manufacturer is forced to release many variations of its flagships, each of which is intended for different types of consumers. But what if there is another way?
Imagine being able to buy one basic phone model—say, the upcoming Galaxy S26—and then swap out key components like camera lenses or the battery to create a phone designed just for you. This was part of the dream and charm of Project Ara and also one of the reasons why I really like the design of the Realme GT8 Pro's swappable camera. And although Google's project failed ten years ago, now is the time to try again.
Besides giving users more customization options, offering additional accessories and components will also help phone makers increase average revenue per user. The success of Vivo and Oppo photo kits proves that some customers will buy additional components to achieve the best performance, so I hope more phone makers follow the example of Realme and others in trying to bring additional accessories and components to the mass market.
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