Nothing seems to be stopping the progress of the Realme brand in the smartphone market. Although still relatively young, it is already one of the main players in this industry.
In 2021, a publication by the company Strategy Analytics indicated that Realme is the brand that has exceeded 100 million smartphones sold the fastest. “It only took realme 37 months to go from zero to 100 million smartphone shipments. It’s faster than Apple, Samsung, Nokia, Huawei, Xiaomi or any other major smartphone brand of the last quarter century”explained Neil Mawston, executive director at Strategy Analytics.
Realme’s 5G smartphones are selling very well
And besides, in terms of 5G, Realme is also showing exceptional growth. In a recent publication, Counterpoint announces that this Chinese brand is the one that has shown the strongest growth, in terms of shipments of 5G smartphones, during the last quarter of 2021.
Indeed, compared to the same period in 2020, Realme saw its 5G smartphone shipments increase by 165%. According to Harmeet Singh Walia, senior analyst at Counterpoint, “realme has offered a broader 5G portfolio since 2020, growing from just two 5G smartphones at the start
of 2020 to 15 at the start of 2021 and more than doubling in the fourth quarter of 2021. Simultaneously, the average selling price (ASP) of these devices also declined – from nearly $270 in Q1 2020 to $250 in Q4 2021.”
Number one in Europe, in terms of growth
Moreover, this growth of Realme in the 5G smartphone market would be mainly attributed to its expansion in Europe. According to another study by Counterpoint, the highest growth in the European market was that of Realme. Compared to 2020, its smartphone shipments in Europe were up 280%.
“The success of the realme GT and Number series has helped propel realme to new heights in Europe, growing 280% annually in 2021 as the fastest growing smartphone brand in Europe, overtaking OPPO (annual growth 70% in 2021), Xiaomi (43%), Apple (10%) and Samsung (2%)”says Counterpoint.
Like other Chinese brands in their infancy, Realme stands out thanks to affordable models, but offering good features. Nevertheless, this year, Realme will go upmarket. Recently, the brand launched its first real flagship: the Realme GT 2 Pro, a device whose technical data sheet has little to envy to smartphones like the Galaxy S22.
But as Counterpoint explains, the challenge for the brand will be to convince people accustomed to trusting stable brands like Samsung or Apple. “And in this regard, Europe is a badass”comments the analysis company.
