Realme, a subsidiary of BBK — the same company that owns Oppo, Vivo, and OnePlus — is known for its mid-range offerings packing impressive specs and high-end features. The company's latest phone, the Realme 9 Pro and 9 Pro+, further continue that trend, but this time around, they offer something unique in the build department with their Light Shift "Chameleon design." The phones are not coming to the US, but there are other budget Android phones you can check out.

The Sunrise Blue version of the Realme 9 Pro and Pro+ features a photochromic layer at the rear that automatically changes color from light blue to red when exposed to sunlight. They are not the first phones to launch with such a unique design quirk — the Vivo V23 Pro that debuted earlier this year has a similar color-changing design. Nonetheless, they are certainly the first phones to offer such a design at such a low price point, and it helps them stand out from a sea of other mid-range devices.

The Realme 9 Pro+ promises a "flagship-level" experience with its 6.4-inch 90Hz Super AMOLED display that's protected by Gorilla Glass 5, the MediaTek Dimensity 920G chipset, 6/8GB RAM, 128/256GB storage, and a 4,500mAh battery with 60W fast charging support. And unlike the Galaxy S22 series, the company does bundle the power adapter with the phone.

Realme proudly highlights in the specs sheet that the phone uses the same 50MP f/1.8 Sony IMX766 "flagship camera" with OIS that's found inside the likes of the OnePlus 9 Pro and the Oppo Find X3 Pro. This is paired with an 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide and a 2MP macro camera. A punch-hole in the display houses a 16MP selfie shooter. There's a lot more to a phone camera than just the sensor, but the Realme 9 Pro+ should still do an impressive job on this front.

As for the Realme 9 Pro, it's quite different from the Plus model, and it depends on your priorities which one you would consider more high-end. It features a 6.6-inch 120Hz LCD panel, the Snapdragon 695 chipset, 6/8GB RAM, 128GB storage, and a 5000mAh battery with 33W fast charging. The triple-camera setup skips the IMX766 sensor and instead features a 64MP f/1.79 primary shooter. The ultra-wide and macro cameras remain the same as the 9 Pro+.

Both phones support dual-SIM 5G, stereo speakers, 3.5mm headphone jack, and dynamic RAM expansion, with the 9 Pro+ featuring Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2. The non-Plus variant makes do with Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.1. They run on Realme UI 3.0, which is based on Android 12.

The phones will be available in key European and Asian markets later this month. In India, the Realme 9 Pro introductory pricing starts from Rs 17,999 ($245), while the Realme 9 Pro+ will be available for Rs 24,999 ($340). In the UK, the Realme 9 Pro will be available from Feb 23 and start at £299 while the 9 Pro+ will go on sale starting March 4 for £349.

Updated with UK pricing and availability.