Two years ago, Oppo kicked a sub-brand with the hard task of conquering a decent market share in India. The first step was through a smartphone dubbed Realme 1 that reached the market in May 2018. The handset was successful enough to win a sequel dubbed Realme 2 in August. The company quickly increased its popularity figuring among India’s top companies. Two years have passed and Realme is celebrating its second birthday as India’s fourth-largest smartphone brand.
The company’s place in the Top 4 is based on overall results during the first quarter of 2020. Back in February, the company make it to the Top 3 but lost some space in the subsequent months. However, this is pretty understandable since smartphone sales have been decreasing since the end of March in the face of a massive lockdown imposed by the government to prevent COVID-19 expansion in the country.
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Realme India’s CEO Madhav Sheth brought the big news through a Twitter post. According to him, in Q1 2020 the company grabbed a 14% slice of the market positioning itself behind the leader Xiaomi, Vivo at second, and Samsung in third place. The company’s positive results represent a 119% yearly growth putting it 2% points ahead of its parent company Oppo. According to the report, 14% of all smartphones shipped in February were Realme devices.
Realme also is one of the most important companies in the hearables segment
Moreover, the company is also showing positive results in the hearables segment. According to Sheth, the Realme Buds Air carried the brand int the Top 5 of this category. Other companies in this segment include Samsung, Apple, JBL, and Noise. Worth noting that the Buds Air became the second-best-selling TWS earphones in the mid-range category.
Now, what remains to be seen is how much these numbers will change in Q2 2020. After all, the lockdown which also prohibited companies from selling non-essential goodies will surely affect the results of all smartphone brands. However, companies are preparing a quick recovery plan that includes new smartphone launches. Realme itself is yet to launch a new smartphone series in the country – the Realme Narzo 10 series.
