Realme Might Spin Off From Oppo To Be An Independent Smartphone Brand

Karamchand Rameshwar - Dec 01, 2019

Realme has been one of the fastest-growing smartphone brands in not only India but also in the world.

According to the company’s CEO, Realme may soon be completely separated from OPPO, to become an independent smartphone manufacturer. Although Realme's operations are now independent, having its own R&D and marketing departments, it still shares many resources with its parent company OPPO.

Chung Hsiang-Wei, Realme Taiwan’s Chief Commercial Officer, said that Realme would build its own ecosystem and production line. Perhaps the company sees its potential, after ranking 7th in the list of the world's leading smartphone manufacturers ranking.

Mr. Chung said that Realme and OPPO will not become each other's competitors. Because OPPO is aiming to become a high-end smartphone company, while his company focuses on the budget and mid-range segment and making smartphones for young people.

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Not just stopping at making smartphones, the brand also has the ambition to penetrate the smart wearable devices and headsets, promising to launch these new products in December. Another interesting disclosure from Mr. Chung is that OPPO smartphone users are 60% female, while Realme smartphone users are 60% male.

India has been one of the biggest markets for the Oppo's sub-brand. Since its launch last year, the brand has quickly captured a significant market share in the budget segment. Recently, it announced to sell 5.2 million smartphones in the festive season in India, which started from 31 September to 30 October. As per Counterpoint Research, Realme was India's fourth-biggest brand in terms of smartphone shipments in the third quarter of 2019. It captured 16 percent of the market share in the country in the period.

Now, the company is also aiming for the mid-range and high-end segments with the launch of the Realme X2 Pro. The handset arrives with impressive hard configurations that have only been seen on flagship smartphones. It is packed with a Snapdragon 855 Plus SoC, 50W FlashCharge fast charging solution, up to 12GB of RAM, 64MP quad rear cameras, and 90Hz display.