While the global smartphone market showed negative growth for the seventh consecutive quarter, one brand that particularly stood out is Realme. This rising brand was established in May 2018, and within just one year, it has become the fastest-growing smartphone brand, registering over 800 per cent annual growth in the third quarter of 2019.
According to Counterpoint Research, India is the most important market for Realme, contributing to more than 80 per cent of its shipments. With 16 per cent market share in India, Realme ranked fourth in the smartphone market – its highest market share ever – in the third quarter of 2019. The aggressive online channel strategy helped it achieve this milestone. Realme was also the top online brand on Flipkart in the Q3 2019 and second in the overall online market.
Realme has expanded rapidly across more than 20 countries, including the South East Asian (SEA) markets as well.
‘The core strength of the brand lies in its fast execution. Realme has been quick to bring premium features to the budget segment and mass market. For instance, it was among the first few brands to bring features like quad-cam, 64MP rear camera, water-drop design, and pop-up selfie in the $100 – $250 price band. This has resonated well especially among young consumers seeking value for money,’ said Karn Chauhan, Research Analyst at Counterpoint.
In December, Realme is also expected to launch a new X2 Pro smartphone, which apart from dual stereo speakers and 50W SuperVOOC flash charge technology, will come with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.0 storage. UFS is a type of flash storage specification designed to offer high data transfer speed and improved reliability over flash memory storage, while at the same time it removes the need for different adapters for different types of card.
In early October, the Chinese smartphone maker confirmed in a tweet that the X2 Pro will have Dolby Atmos powered dual stereo speakers.
