| 👁 Image | |
| realme | |
Native name | 真我 |
Romanized name | Zhēn wǒ |
| Type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Consumer electronics |
| Founded | 4 May 2018; 8 years ago (2018-05-04) |
| Founder | Sky Li |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | |
| Products | Smart phones Tablet computers Earphones Powerbanks Phone cases Bags Smart TVs Smart Watch Laptop |
Number of employees | 4,100 (consolidated, as of 2025) |
| Parent | Oppo |
| Divisions | Realme Techlife Realme Dizo |
| Website | realme.com |
Realme (stylized in all lowercase) is a multinational Chinese consumer electronics manufacturer backed by Oppo based in Shenzhen, Guangdong. It was founded by Li Bingzhong (known as Sky Li) on May 4, 2018, who was a former vice president of Oppo. Realme became the fastest-growing 5G smartphone brand in Q3 2021.
In 2021, realme had risen to become the sixth‑largest smartphone vendor worldwide in terms of shipments in the overall global smartphone market.[1][2]
As of 2024, Realme claimed to be in 27 markets worldwide, including Asia, Europe, Russia, Australia, and Egypt.[3]
In 2025, realme reported having over 300 million global users.[4]
Realme announced on 7 January 2026 that it was being integrated into Oppo as a sub-brand.[5][6]
History
[edit]2018-2020
[edit]Realme company was founded on May 4, 2018.[7] Before that it was a sub-brand of Oppo, which is itself a subsidiary of BBK Electronics,[8] until its formation as a spinoff on May 4, 2018.[9][10]
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.[11]
On August 28, 2018, realme was officially established as an independent entity, and the realme 2 was released in India.[12][13]
On November 15, 2018, Realme adopted a new logo.
On November 22, 2018, Realme became an emerging brand in the Indian market.[14] 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.[15]
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.[16][17]
By July 2019, Realme had entered markets including China, South Asia, Southeast Asia and Europe.[18]
In August 2019, realme had surpassed 10 million users globally. [19][20]
In November 2019, realme was reported as one of the top five smartphone brands in India and the fastest-growing smartphone brand in Spain. [21]
In October 2020, realme was reported as the world's fastest smartphone brand to reach 50 million cumulative sales. [22]
since 2021
[edit]In February 2021, the company ranked among the top five smartphone brands in 14 global markets, according to Canalys. [23]
In August 2021, realme became the fastest smartphone brand to reach 100 million cumulative shipments globally. [24]
In December 2021, it ranked among the top five in 21 markets worldwide and was reported to be the fastest-growing 5G smartphone brand. [25]
In February 2022, realme made its debut at Mobile World Congress (MWC), where it introduced the GT 2 series, marking its entry into the high-end smartphone segment. [26] [27]
In July 2022, the company was included in the Kantar BrandZ Chinese Global Brand Builders Top 50 list for the first time. [28] [29]
In February 2023, at Mobile World Congress, realme announced the GT3 smartphone, featuring 240W fast charging technology. [30] [31]
In May 2023, realme released the realme 11 series, highlighting improvements in imaging technology, including higher-resolution sensors, larger lenses, and multiple focal lengths. [32][33]
In November 2023, realme reported that its cumulative global smartphone shipments had exceeded 200 million units, [34] maintaining a position among the top ten global smartphone brands for five consecutive years, according to Counterpoint Research. [35]
In June 2024, realme released the GT 6 smartphone globally. [36][37]
In August 2024, the company held a global fan event in Shenzhen, where it showcased a 320W fast-charging technology prototype. [38]
In November 2024, realme released the GT 7 Pro, powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset. [39]
In 2025, realme unveiled concept smartphones featuring battery capacities of up to 10,000mAh[40] and 15,000mAh, as part of its exploration of extended battery technologies.[41]
At the Mobile World Congress the same year, it showcased an interchangeable lens concept phone. [42]
The company introduced in August 2025 that it had reached over 300 million global users. [43]
On 7 January 2026, realme announced that it would be integrated into Oppo as a sub-brand. [44]
Products
[edit]The company has a large number of products such as phones and TV particularly in the Indian market.[45] . Realme is plans to launch Realme P4R with long-lasting battery to launch in India soon.
Marketing
[edit]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.[46]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ David, Kirton (2022-01-26). "China's Realme eyes Europe's high-end smartphone market with new launch". Reuters. Retrieved 2026-06-12.
- ^ "realme ranks among the Top 6 smartphone brands globally with 15 million shipments and 135.1% growth in Q2".
- ^ "Brand market". Realme.com. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
- ^ "realme Surpasses 300 Million Global Users in Seven Years, Reinforcing Its Youth-Centric Strategy".
- ^ "Chinese smartphone maker Realme set to become an Oppo subbrand". Reuters. 7 January 2026.
- ^ "Chinese smartphone maker Realme set to become an Oppo subbrand". 2026-07-01. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
- ^ "Vivo ships 5.8 million smartphones to India in Q2 2019; breaks its own record". www.canaly.coms. 2019-07-29. Archived from the original on 2019-12-12. Retrieved 2019-07-29.
- ^ Prado, Phillip (2018-10-31). "BBK Group could soon surpass Samsung as top dog". Android Authority. Archived from the original on 2019-12-18. Retrieved 2019-11-21.
- ^ Artashyan, Argam (2018-07-30). "Realme Separates From OPPO: Another OnePlus?". GizChina. Gizchina Media. Archived from the original on 2019-04-30. Retrieved 2018-07-30.
- ^ Hazarika, Skanda (29 July 2020). "Realme 2 Pro and Realme 5/5s/5i Android 10 kernel source code now available". xda-developers. Archived from the original on 14 August 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
- ^ Yordan (2018-07-31). "Oppo VP moves to become Realme CEO, targets global brand expansion". GSMArena.com. Archived from the original on 2019-06-16. Retrieved 2018-08-30.
- ^ "Realme 2 India launch set for August 28: Everything you need to know about the Realme 1 successor".
- ^ "Realme 2 to launch on 28 August on Flipkart: Here's everything we know".
- ^ "Realme, the No.1 Emerging Brand now: CMR". CyberMedia CMR. Archived from the original on 2019-12-15. Retrieved 2020-03-14.
- ^ "India's first 5G phone! Realme X50 Pro 5G with 12GB RAM, 256GB storage all set for launch; check details - The Financial Express". financialexpress.com. 20 February 2020.
- ^ Jeet (2019-04-24). "Realme officially announces its entry in China". Gizmochina. Archived from the original on 2019-07-13. Retrieved 2020-03-14.
- ^ Media, Kompas Cyber (16 May 2019). "Harga Berikut Spesifikasi Lengkap Realme X dan Realme X Lite". KOMPAS.com (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on 2019-12-22. Retrieved 2020-03-14.
- ^ Hamza, Muhammad (2019-08-07). "Worldwide user of realme has passed 10 million". Technology Times. Archived from the original on 2019-08-23. Retrieved 2020-03-14.
- ^ "Realme shipped over 10 million smartphones in Q3 2019".
- ^ "realme just hit 10 million users, confirms 64MP quad camera phone this week".
- ^ "realme Enters Top 5 Smartphone Brand in Spain".
- ^ "realme becomes fastest smartphone brand to reach 50 million product sales, according to Counterpoint Research".
- ^ "realme claims to be one of the Top 5 smartphone brands in 15 regions according to Q4 2020 Canalys global shipment report".
- ^ "realme is the fastest smartphone brand to sell 100 million units worldwide, Global GT Master Edition Series to launch on August 18".
- ^ "realme Was the Fastest Growing 5G Android Smartphone Brand in Q3 2021".
- ^ "Chinese upstart Realme looks to take on Apple, Samsung as it launches its first high-end smartphone overseas".
- ^ "realme to debut GT 2 Series at MWC Barcelona 2022".
- ^ "Chinese brands continue to gain global recognition, building strong brands that deliver sustainable profitability".
- ^ "KANTAR BRANDZ Chinese Global Brand Builders TOP50".
- ^ "Realme announces GT3 featuring 240W fast charger".
- ^ "Realme GT3 240W set to launch worldwide at MWC 2023".
- ^ "Realme 11 series launched in China with gorgeous new design & up to 200MP camera".
- ^ "Realme 11 series with 200MP camera flagship set for May 2023 launch".
- ^ Josh, Ye (2023-11-27). "China's Realme hits 200 million shipment milestone, to launch premium phones". Reuters. Retrieved 2026-06-12.
- ^ "realme surpasses 200 million smartphone shipments, eyes premium market".
- ^ "realme's new flagship killer GT 6 to launch globally and in PH on June 20".
- ^ "Realme GT 6 smartphone to launch in India on June 2o:Here's what the smartphone may offer".
- ^ "realme to unveil 320W SuperSonic charge on August 14".
- ^ "realme GT 7 Pro with next generation Snapdragon 8 Elite coming to Malaysia 18 November 2024".
- ^ Prakhar, Khanna (2025-05-06). "This Concept Phone Packs A 10,000mAh Battery And Weighs Less Than An iPhone". Forbes. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
- ^ Rohit, KVN (2025-08-27). "Realme's new concept phone houses a massive 15,000mAh battery". deccanherald.com. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
- ^ "Realme's Ultra Phone Concept Uses Leica M-Mount Lenses". deccanherald.com. 2025-03-04. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
- ^ Rajeev, Ranjan (2025-08-05). "Realme Hits 300 Million Users Worldwide, Adds 100 Million Since 2023". Retrieved 2026-06-15.
- ^ "After 8 years, Realme is going back to where it started".
- ^ "Realme GT Review: Glaringly typical from Realme in all the right ways". xda-developers. 13 September 2021. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
- ^ Ancheta, Jam (2018-11-20). "Realme is searching for the next squad leaders! | Jam Online". Jam Online | Technology News & Reviews. Retrieved 2024-08-05.
