Realme came in from nowhere to change the smartphone landscape with top specs at affordable pricing. Of course, it also continues to deliver jabs and hooks to the other popular brand which has a ‘mi’ feel. Behind the success has been the company’s head, who spent a few of his boyhood years with an Atari video game set around Calcutta’s Gariahat.
Madhav Sheth, vice-president, Realme, and chief executive officer, Realme India and Europe, is a man who likes to meet and greet people, trying to understand the vibe of the market. Sadly, the pandemic is making all his meetings virtual. Here’s what he has to say as his company is in the news for two new launches — Realme X7 5G and Realme X7 Pro 5G.
What are some of the things Realme had planned last year but couldn’t implement/achieve because of the pandemic and will be rolled out in 2021?
Yes, there are few things which we have not achieved due to the pandemic. However, we are always optimistic and agile, trying to make the best out of any unexpected situations and find opportunities in risks.
Take our sales growth for example. Despite the lockdown and the pandemic, we managed a year-on-year growth of nearly 30 per cent, which is still the fastest among the top five brands. However, in March and April we lost one and a half month’s volume due to total suspension of sales and manufacturing. Local lockdowns also restricted the movement of goods and the supply chain was disrupted. We have adjusted our targets accordingly but actually the market demand was huge and far from being met. This year, Realme aims to make the best effort to deliver at least 25-30 million devices to cater to market demand, and this has to be evaluated every quarter.
Second, offline meet with fans on products. Personally, this is the biggest regret for me as in 2020 I used to be able to interact with them and have freewheeling chats on Realme products. This has now transitioned into virtual meets but we still expect to meet fans face-to-face in the near future.
Third, mainline expansion and smart store plan. Realme has achieved the highest growth rate in the top five brands at 20 per cent-plus in offline but we were planning more in the beginning. To meet the high demand from offline market and enable more consumers to experience the Realme smartphone and AIoT products before purchasing, we aim to open more Realme smart stores pan India. We have managed to open nearly 30 stores but we are moving a little slow than what the original plan was. Offline expansion is always significant to Realme and we will launch 300-500 Realme smart stores nationwide and a few flagship stores, enabling more users to experience our smartphones and AIoT products.
Realme X7 5G and X7 Pro 5G. What went into the planning of the devices? What are some of the features you are proud of?
What is the biggest trend in 2021 all over the world? Definitely 5G! As India’s first brand to launch a 5G phone, Realme aims to be the 5G leader in India, bringing the latest 5G processor with much-enhanced performance and get consumers future-ready for 5G. Realme has always been well-known for its trendsetting futuristic design, and superfast Dart charge, hence these are also in for sure. We also observed that increasing demand for AMOLED display is another trend in 2021, hence that was also taken into consideration.
I will share a few features I am proud of. Realme X7 5G brings the best 5G performance in the mid-range segment with the powerful MediaTek Dimensity 800U chipset. It is encased in a super-slim, lightweight body with futuristic design and it packs in many winning offerings with Super AMOLED display, 50W fast charging, 64MP AI triple camera. X7 Pro 5G with Dimensity 1000+ processor benchmarks at 540,000+, promising a premium experience which users will love. The 120Hz Super AMOLED display, 64MP Sony IMX686 quad-camera set-up and 65W SuperDart charge add to its appeal. What’s more - both the chipsets are powerful 2CC Dual 5G Dimensity processors which means both cards can be 5G SIM and extend it across price segments to make everyone future-ready.
Personally, I also like the new boxes for our Realme X7 5G which is also futuristic. You can utilise it to keep some small items.
How big is the focus beyond smartphones?
We will also be focusing more on AIoT business to build a Techlife universe, to empower everyone to enjoy the desired life enhanced by technology. To achieve this, Realme envisions to be the #1 audio/wearable brand… #1 online SmartTV brand, targeting 15 million AIoT users in 2021. We are now encouraging budding brands with similar dreams to join the new AIoT Eco Platform — Realme TechLife.
We are still checking with Realme fans about their most expected products. We have received a high demand for speakers, so we have started planning our product pipeline accordingly. You will see more launches from Realme TechLife soon. As connected living becomes popular, some users also expect Realme TechLife to launch smart, tech-savvy, stylish home appliances — from scale to electric juicer, air purifier and so on. We are glad consumers have considered Realme to be a trustworthy partner in their daily life.
