Realme

Realme (stylized in all lowercase) is a multinational Chinese consumer electronics manufacturer based in Shenzhen, Guangdong. It was founded by Li Bingzhong (known as Sky Li) and Madhav Sheth on May 4, 2018, who was a former vice president of Oppo. Realme became the fastest-growing 5G smartphone brand in Q3 2021.

In June 2020, the number of Realme's global smartphone users reached 35 million, and AIoT product sales broke a record of 1 million. According to Counterpoint Statistics, Realme ranked 7th in the ranking of the number of smartphones produced globally in the first quarter of 2020, with an annual growth rate of 157%, ranking first in the world.

As of 2024, Realme claimed to be in 27 markets worldwide, including Asia, Europe, Russia, Australia, and Egypt.

Realme announced on 7 January 2026 that it was being integrated into Oppo as a sub-brand, in efforts to pool resources and cut costs.

History

Realme company was founded on May 4, 2018. Before that it was a sub-brand of Oppo, which is itself a subsidiary of BBK Electronics, until its formation as a spinoff on May 4, 2018.
In May 2018, they released their first phone, Realme 1.
On July 30, 2018, Sky Li announced his resignation from Oppo, and his intention to establish Realme as an independent brand, on Sina Weibo.
On November 15, 2018, Realme adopted a new logo.
On November 22, 2018, Realme became an emerging brand in the Indian market. The sales of Realme devices in India have since surpassed the sales of Oppo. Realme has been the fourth largest smartphone brand in India since 2019, behind Xiaomi, Samsung, and Vivo. Realme holds records in India for fastest-charging smartphone and India's first 5G smartphone.
On May 15, 2019, Realme held its first conference in Beijing to enter the Chinese domestic market, launching the Realme X, Realme X Lite and Realme X Master Edition.
By July 2019, Realme had entered markets including China, South Asia, Southeast Asia and Europe.
By August 2019, Realme surpassed 10 million users.
On May 16, 2022, Francis Wong takes over as CEO of Realme Europe.
By April 7, 2023, the parent company, BBK Electronics, went defunct leaving Oppo and Vivo to take over as the parent company of their previous sub-brands. As a result, Realme became an Oppo subsidiary alongside OnePlus.

Products

The company has a large number of products such as phones and TV particularly in the Indian market.

Marketing

Realme's popularity online can be attributed to its successful utilization of community-driven resources such as Facebook. In November 2018, Realme Philippines created the Squad Leader Program.

In 2024, Realme's Squad Leader Program consists of 14 members, two of whom were part of the original trio of Squad Leaders. As part of this program, Realme has been consistently providing the Squad Leaders with Number Series devices since 2018 in exchange for their services.

Thailand

In 2025, Oppo and Realme phones came with a preinstalled illegal loan app that cannot be uninstalled but can be disabled. Following public outcry, the companies announced that they would stop this practice.

References

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