Smartphone Maker Realme is Taking India and Other Emerging Markets by Storm (techcrunch.com) 10
An anonymous reader shares a report: As Xiaomi widens its smartphone lead over Samsung in India, a new competitor is increasingly posing a challenge. Realme, a one-and-half-year-old smartphone vendor that spun out of Oppo, commanded 14.3% of the world's second largest smartphone market in the quarter that ended in September, research firm IDC said on Monday. While Xiaomi, with 27.1% of the local smartphone market share, still dominates the market, the volume of handsets that Realme has shipped in India rose at a staggering 401.3% since the same period last year, according to IDC. What's fascinating about Realme's expansion in India is just how closely it is replicating Xiaomi's playbook in the country. Like Xiaomi, Realme for a year sold phones only through an online channel to cut overhead costs. Last quarter, the company began selling phones in India through offline stores, which still account for more than two-thirds of all smartphone sales.
[...] Realme has launched more than a dozen aggressively priced smartphone models so far, all priced between $80 to $240 -- the sweet spot in the local market. In fact, IDC says Realme's C2, 3i and 3 models -- priced between $80 and $110 -- were the top-selling phones for the company in Q3 this year. Realme today operates in 18 countries, including its home market China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Vietnam and Egypt. In May this year, the company entered the European region. In a report Counterpoint shared with its clients recently, the research firm said that based on the number of smartphones that Realme has shipped, the company's rank went from 47th in Q3 2018 to 7th as of September this year. By shipping more than 10 million smartphones, the Chinese firm's shipment grew by a whopping 808% during this period, the research firm said.
[...] Realme has launched more than a dozen aggressively priced smartphone models so far, all priced between $80 to $240 -- the sweet spot in the local market. In fact, IDC says Realme's C2, 3i and 3 models -- priced between $80 and $110 -- were the top-selling phones for the company in Q3 this year. Realme today operates in 18 countries, including its home market China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Vietnam and Egypt. In May this year, the company entered the European region. In a report Counterpoint shared with its clients recently, the research firm said that based on the number of smartphones that Realme has shipped, the company's rank went from 47th in Q3 2018 to 7th as of September this year. By shipping more than 10 million smartphones, the Chinese firm's shipment grew by a whopping 808% during this period, the research firm said.
400% ... aka quadrupled from what, 1 to 4? (Score:2)
Why not go all the way and say 5000 permille? (4000 more than 1000)
It quadrupled. From a small number. Stop lying with numbers!
Why can't we get that in the US? (Score:3)
Why can't we get those in the US? The Realme X doesn't look half bad, and the way they dealt with the front camera is pretty innovative. It is nice that Realme offers kernel sources and a way to flash the bootloader as well, so something like an unofficial LineageOS version can be used.
It seems that phone companies assume everyone wants a $1500 flagship, when a midrange phone will easily handle most stuff.
Re: (Score:2)
Why can't we get those in the US?
They didn't hire a lab to run FCC approval tests?
It is nice that Realme offers kernel sources and a way to flash the bootloader as well, so something like an unofficial LineageOS version can be used.
Which might make it easier to tweak the radio driver so the radio no longer conforms to the FCC requirements for which it had been tested. The FCC has been known to take things like that into account, and try to prevent them.
Given software defined radio it's a lost cause. But t
Re: (Score:2)
"Why can't we get those in the US?"
Who the fck would want to do business in USA and get sued?
India will hopefully put up tariffs on these. (Score:2)
Only bad when other people do it. (Score:2)
all priced between $80 to $240 -- the sweet spot in the local market
So all the other phone manufacturers can do it for those prices.
Realme for a year sold phones only through an online channel to cut overhead costs.
Oh they had less overheads.
Do you read the summaries and use even a tiny bit of common sense?
Or is your hatred and compulsion to lie just too strong?
Only American tech startups are allowed to dump/subsidise aren't they WindBourne?
Even if it were true.
I's only bad when other people/countries do it. Right WindBourne