This Android smartphone has a removable GoPro-like digicam, and we tried it!

Most smartphone makers are busy making their built-in cameras higher yearly, however at IFA 2026, I got here throughout a cellphone taking a really completely different method. Ulefone sub-brand, RugOne, has packed a GoPro-like motion digicam into the Xsnap 7 Professional, and the very best half is, you may actually pop it proper out of the cellphone.

The removable digicam makes use of a magnetic connection to connect to the again of the Xsnap 7 Professional, with an extra bodily security lock to make sure it doesn’t by chance fall out. That’s helpful for a cellphone designed for out of doors fans, but it surely additionally makes eradicating the digicam a little bit fiddly.

I’ve lengthy fingernails, and getting sufficient leverage to launch the digicam was virtually unattainable for me. As soon as it’s out, although, the concept will get far more attention-grabbing.

The digicam can file at as much as 2.8K at 30fps, whereas dropping to 1440p helps you to file at as much as 50fps. It may well seize each vertical and horizontal video, and it has 64GB of built-in storage. The digicam itself can file for as much as 40 minutes on a single full cost and is waterproof to a depth of 5 meters.

It connects to the cellphone through Wi-Fi 6 and may function as much as 50 meters away from the handset. The digicam additionally expenses whereas it’s docked contained in the cellphone, and RugOne says it might totally recharge in round 35 minutes.

The true trick isn’t simply with the ability to pull the digicam off the cellphone. RugOne has constructed a devoted XSnap Professional app that permits you to see what the digicam is recording and entry the footage on the cellphone.

That opens up some genuinely cool prospects. For instance, should you’re out with one other individual, one individual can carry the removable digicam whereas the opposite holds the cellphone and watches the dwell view from virtually 50 meters away. You may also begin recording utilizing a button on the digicam itself or set off it from the cellphone.

When you’re achieved, the footage is accessible from the cellphone, so that you don’t must deal with the removable digicam like a very separate system.

It’s a neat trick, notably for out of doors actions the place you may wish to place the digicam someplace that isn’t very handy for a cellphone, or just have another person function it whilst you monitor what’s being captured.

The Xsnap 7 Professional is a rugged Android cellphone aimed squarely at out of doors fans. It’s powered by MediaTek’s Dimensity 8400 chipset and comes with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, with expandable storage accessible. There’s additionally eSIM help.

Elsewhere, the system incorporates a 6.67-inch show with a 120Hz refresh price, whereas the rear digicam setup features a 50MP main digicam with OIS and a 64MP infrared night-vision digicam paired with devoted IR LEDs. And since it is a rugged cellphone, it will get an IP69K score for mud and water resistance.

I’m undecided the cellphone is a alternative for a devoted motion digicam based mostly on my transient hands-on time, however I can see the attraction. The power to bodily separate the digicam from the cellphone, watch its dwell feed remotely, set off it from both system, and have the footage land again on the cellphone makes this far more attention-grabbing than merely sticking one other digicam on the again of a smartphone.

The RugOne XSnap 7 Professional will debut at IFA this weekend earlier than heading to Kickstarter on September 7, the place will probably be discounted for early-bird backers. It’s anticipated to launch globally subsequent month for €1,099 (~$1,276).