In anticipation of the new Harry Potter HBO series arriving later this year, Realme has launched a custom-edition smartphone inspired by the franchise: the Realme 16 Pro Harry Potter Edition. Based on the company’s latest number-series smartphone, it features a custom design, themed accessories, and UI changes. We got our hands on the device and spent some time with it. Here are our initial thoughts on the themed smartphone, starting with the unboxing.
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Realme 16 Pro Harry Potter Edition in-box content
The Realme 16 Pro Harry Potter Edition smartphone arrives in a replica of a Harry Potter trunk, which the company claims will be produced in limited numbers (5,000, to be precise). The custom edition phone is packed inside, along with a matching case, charger, and cable. Even the SIM ejector pin has been customised to match the theme.
Realme has also introduced a customised Buds T500 Pro Harry Potter Edition to ensure you are fully immersed in the theme. The TWS arrive in a Hogwarts-inspired bag, along with a lanyard so you can easily carry it around your neck. Other thoughtful touches include an acceptance letter, train ticket, Hogwarts crest, bookmarks, character postcards, and Harry Potter’s owl, Hedwig, keychain.
Check out our unboxing video to find out everything that you get with the Realme 16 Pro Harry Potter Edition.
Realme 16 Pro Harry Potter Edition design
The Realme 16 Pro Harry Potter Edition is designed to celebrate the first season of the series, which welcomes students, including Harry Potter, to Hogwarts. Hence, you will find several Hogwarts-inspired elements, along with Harry Potter. The trunk has a leather finish, and so does the phone packed inside. The Realme 16 Pro Harry Potter Edition boasts a brown-shaded leather finish at the back, along with an argyle pattern inspired by the Wizard’s Chess scene.
Additionally, a large Hogwarts crest is etched into the centre of the back panel, featuring the symbols of all four houses. The crest is accompanied by a familiar ribbon bearing the text “Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus,” which Harry Potter fans will recognise as meaning “Never tickle a sleeping dragon.” The crest may appear bland at first, but take it out under the sun, and you will notice the colours changing to those of the official crest.
It’s a nice touch, but it comes across as a novelty if you are planning to use the phone with a case. Even the official TPU brown-coloured case doesn’t have an opening for the crest. While you do get the Hogwarts crest etched on the case, it doesn’t change the colour. Moving on, the back panel of the phone also features ‘Harry Potter’ text etched in the trademark font style, below the crest along with ‘realme’.
The brown shade on the back panel is nicely contrasted by the golden accent camera module and edges, which also have some thoughtful touches. If you focus on the camera module, you will find the camera rings shaped like Hedwig’s eyes (Harry Potter’s owl). The right spine has ‘Welcome to Hogwarts’ etched, exuding a sense of belonging.
The flat edges, 192 grams weight, and ports continue to be the same as the regular version of the Realme 16 Pro, which was launched earlier this year.
Realme 16 Pro Harry Potter Edition UI
The Realme 16 Pro Harry Potter Edition runs Android 16-based Realme UI 7.0 out of the box. The software features remain the same as the other Realme smartphones with the said version of the UI, but there are some visual changes. Realme has implemented a customisable theme, which has Hogwarts Castle as a wallpaper and app icons inspired by the objects in the Harry Potter’s world, like a red telephone booth for the phone app, Hogwarts crest for Phone Manager, quill for Notes, chess icons for Games, and more.
That said, the theme doesn’t seem to apply to all apps, including Google’s, which affects the overall experience. Realme has managed to tweak the experience where it can, like the Harry Potter clock style and ‘H’ for the fingerprint scanner on the lock screen. I wish it also had some magic animations to complete the Harry Potter experience.
Realme 16 Pro Harry Potter Edition specifications
The Realme 16 Pro Harry Potter Edition specifications are identical to the standard model. These include:
- 6.78-inch 144Hz AMOLED display
- MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Max SoC
- 12GB RAM + 256GB storage
- 200MP OIS + 8MP dual rear cameras
- 50MP front camera
- 7,000mAh battery + 80W fast charging
Thoughts…
The Realme 16 Pro Harry Potter Edition feels more like a collector’s piece for Harry Potter fans than a fundamentally different smartphone. From the Hogwarts-inspired trunk and accessories to the leather-finish back panel and customised UI, Realme has made a genuine effort to carry the theme across the unboxing and phone experience.
However, the Harry Potter touches are largely cosmetic, with the hardware and core software experience remaining identical to the standard Realme 16 Pro. You can read about how good the smartphone really is in real-world usage in our full Realme 16 Pro review.
The buying decision for this special-edition smartphone ultimately comes down to how big a fan you are of the Harry Potter franchise. The custom design and extensive accessories make this edition considerably more interesting than the regular model. The Realme 16 Pro Harry Potter Edition smartphone is priced in India starting at Rs 62,999.
