Atomos announces the Ninja Phone, a whisper-quiet, 10-bit video co-processor for smartphones and tablets that lets you record from professional HDMI cameras. The first release of Ninja Phone is designed for iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max and their OLED display. It’s a powerful combination that uses Atomos’ world-beating knowledge of Apple ProRes encoding and Apple’s cutting-edge silicon and screen technology to create the “World’s most beautiful, portable, and connected professional monitor recorder”.
The Ninja Phone encodes the camera’s HDMI signal to ProRes or H.265, both formats at the superb 10-bit quality for HDR. The encoded video is sent via Ninja Phone’s USB-C output to the iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max’s USB-C port. Then the iPhone’s advanced A17 system-on-a-chip decodes the pristine camera sensor image to display on the high-resolution iPhone screen. The display is a massive improvement over typical built-in screens that come with most cameras, boasting a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio and supporting Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG. It can display 11 stops of dynamic range with a peak brightness of 1600 nits, perfect for HDR and outdoor viewing.
The Ninja Phone iPhone app, downloadable from the App Store, controls and coordinates the operation of both the Ninja Phone and the iPhone, making them feel like a single, responsive device. The Ninja Phone app adjusts to horizontal or vertical video modes for social media creators who need to shoot in 9:16 portrait mode. The Ninja Phone app will run on iOS and iPadOS and will be downloadable at the time of shipping.
We’ve added professional video and cinematic smarts to the world’s most advanced phone. Ninja Phone is for the thousands of content creators who capture, store, and share video from their iPhone 15 Pro but aspire to work with professional cameras, lenses, and microphones. At the same time, the Ninja Phone is a perfect tool for longer-form professionals who want to adopt a cloud workflow without a complex and expensive technology footprint.
Atomos CEO and Co-Founder Jeromy Young
The camera’s output appears on the iPhone screen with zero latency thanks to Atomos’ efficient ProRes pipeline – encoding on the Ninja Phone and decoding via Apple’s state-of-the-art iPhone. “We’ve added professional video and cinematic smarts to the world’s most advanced phone,” says Atomos CEO and Co-Founder Jeromy Young. “Ninja Phone is for the thousands of content creators who capture, store, and share video from their iPhone 15 Pro but aspire to work with professional cameras, lenses, and microphones. At the same time, the Ninja Phone is a perfect tool for longer-form professionals who want to adopt a cloud workflow without a complex and expensive technology footprint.”
The ProRes-encoded video can be stored on the phone as a .mov file and/or simultaneously transcoded by the iPhone to 10-bit H.265 for workflows like the camera to cloud, or live streaming via the iPhone’s built-in 5G and Wi-Fi 6E connectivity. Furthermore, the Ninja Phone accommodates external iPhone accessories by integrating a separate USB-C hub to allow necessary professional add-ons like wireless USB-C microphones, for perfectly synchronizing video and audio. Third-party accessories are supported via the Ninja Phone with more added over time.
Powered by standard NP series batteries, a battery eliminator, or a USB-C 5V/3A input, the Ninja Phone charges the iPhone while in use with any of these power sources, ensuring long phone operation can match professional shoots. Additionally, Atomos has developed a unique and rugged locking ecosystem to maintain a secure grip on connected HDMI and USB-C cables. With the Atomos locking cables, it is the most robust capture cable system available today, although it is fully compatible with standard, non-locking cables.
I’m so proud that Atomos is once again teaming up with Apple to unlock video creativity through ProRes, and this time it’s on Apple’s most advanced device ever, the iPhone 15 Pro. I’m especially pleased that this product has no fans and is whisper-quiet.
Atomos CEO and Co-Founder Jeromy Young
The iPhone 15 Pro’s enhanced connectivity opens a door for Ninja Phone users to make full use of Atomos’ Cloud Services (ACS). These include super-efficient Camera to Cloud workflows, remote live production, and cloud editing. With ACS, content creators can publish videos to social media within minutes, and filmmakers can send their footage to their postproduction team via the cloud for the fastest possible production workflow. “I’m so proud that Atomos is once again teaming up with Apple to unlock video creativity through ProRes, and this time it’s on Apple’s most advanced device ever, the iPhone 15 Pro. I’m especially pleased that this product has no fans and is whisper-quiet. Atomos has always had an amazing relationship with Japanese camera manufacturers too, and now the Ninja Phone connects these incredible cameras directly to an iPhone’s storage, monitor, and its extraordinary wireless and cell networking,” added Young.
“Thanks to the iPhone 15 Pro, this is the first time Ninja users will have access to an OLED monitor screen, which, at 446 PPI, is by far the highest resolution, most capable HDR monitor that’s ever been available to them,” added Young. “It’s the perfect partner for many of the new, smaller format mirrorless cameras coming out of Japan, for example, Fujifilm’s X100 and G series, Canon’s R5 Series, Sony Alpha Series, Nikon Z series cameras and Panasonic GH and S series”.
The Ninja Phone weighs in at just 95gms and a sprightly 335gms when coupled to an iPhone 15 Pro. The Ninja Phone will cost USD/EUR 399, excluding local sales taxes, and is expected to begin shipping in June 2024. Customers will also need to choose the case for the iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max, not just to protect the phone in normal use, but to ensure that the locking cable system can be deployed. The cases will be available separately at USD/EUR 59 each, also excluding local sales taxes.
Product List
Here are the products mentioned in the article, and the links to purchase them from authorized dealers.
- Atomos Ninja Phone for Apple iPhone 15 Pro/iPhone 15 Pro Max
Alex Mitchell is your go-to expert for all things mobile. With a passion for the latest smartphones, apps, and mobile innovations, Alex provides in-depth reviews, insightful analyses, and breaking news about the ever-evolving world of mobile technology. Stay connected with Alex to navigate the fast-paced realm of mobile devices.
