China’s recent relationship with India has led to the #BoycottChina movement that is sweeping the country, and Indians are angry over China’s products including smartphones. Realme, which is in the top 5 smartphone brands in the country: India has a point to make in its largest market. Do you have the questions: Is Realme Chinese? Is Realme Indian? Let us take a look at how and when the company originated and what has its history been in the past years.
Realme: Origin, Beginning
It may seem too late to create a new phone brand in 2018, however, Sky Li was convinced that potential consumers between 18-25 were underserved – they needed something affordable and stylish. Sky Li, former Oppo vice president and head of overseas business, announced in 2018 that he would leave Oppo to launch Realme as an independent brand.
It was in India, the world’s second-largest smartphone market, that Realme launched its first product a few months after Li founded the company in May of that year. Local rappers graced the event with their performances, as they brought their own production crews and built makeshift stages. “Dare to Leap”, the company slogan, will serve as a reminder that Realme is dedicated to providing mobile phones with solid performance and stylish design, allowing young people to live a joyful life by making tech affordable and beauty accessible.
Who is BBK Electronics? How does it concern Realme?
Since the 1990s, BBK Electronics has operated in various sectors of China’s electronics industry. This company was founded by a reclusive billionaire named Duan Yongping. Duan left his position running a Chinese factory after generating more than 1 billion Yuan with a gaming console rivaling Nintendo’s entertainment system. Bubugao, which ultimately became BBK, was then established by him. Over 17,000 employees work at the company’s factories, which occupy ten hectares of land.
A common holding company owns Realme, OnePlus, and Oppo today. Together with Vivo, they make up BBK, which began selling electronic dictionaries in south China in 1998 and has been diversifying its portfolio ever since.
According to Wikipedia, realme is a Chinese smartphone manufacturer headquartered in Shenzhen. Even though OnePlus and Realme operate independently, they get access to Oppo’s supply chain, which has led to them having a smaller hardware setup and a lower hardware cost. “Realme has an advantage because we share a supply chain with Oppo. We are able to get very good resources from the supply end, stay ahead globally and obtain what we should have,” said the company’s representative.
Also Read: How to use Realme Share to send files across Vivo, Xiaomi, and OPPO devices
Madhav Sheth, Realme India CEO’s Reply:
“I can proudly say Realme is an Indian startup, which is now a global MNC (multinational corporation),” said Sheth while replying to the question of whether Realme is an Indian brand. “Realme is among the top seven smartphone brands in the world,” he added while recognizing the achievement of the smartphone brand in a short span of time.
Upon Realme’s success in India, it expanded into Southeast Asia, Middle Eastern, and European countries. Indian sales alone account for more than 50 percent of Realme’s global sales, which is why most of the company’s products are launched in India first.
As well as leading the Chinese market, BBB Electronics strives to establish a presence worldwide. In India, which continues to be a key growth market for the company, the company is battling it out with Xiaomi for the top position. OnePlus and Realme are expanding their reach outside of Asia.
