After experiencing relative success in overseas markets, Chinese smartphone manufacturer Realme is now hoping to achieve the same amount of success on its home market. The company revealed that it would be banking on the rapid adoption of 5G-network technology in China to hopefully boost its smartphone sales in the coming years.
Last year, Realme managed to ship a total of 25 million smartphones. The company mentioned during an event on Tuesday that it hopes to reach 50 million smartphones shipped in 2020. The majority of its shipped smartphones were sent to India, a market that has become very profitable for the handset maker.
The company stated that this year, it would be turning its focus towards its home market. Realme is apparently banking on consumers buying new smartphones this year, models that will be compatible with the country's expanding 5G-network infrastructure.
Realme's biggest advantage will be its ability to offer cheaply priced 5G-capable units, with prices significantly lower than other 5G-capable products on the market. The company's new X50 5G model, for example, is priced at just 2499 yuan or roughly around $359.
The new model is the company's latest entry into the mid-range 5G segments, a segment that is slowly becoming very crowded with offerings from other firms such as Huawei, Oppo, and Xiaomi. Xiaomi already has three 5G-capable models out on the market, while Oppo and Huawei each have one 5G-capable model. Xiaomi's CEO and founder, Lei Jun, stated last year that his company plans to release at least 10 new 5G models in 2020.
In order to become competitive in its home market, Realme will have to step up and offer more 5G-capable models that will cater to both budget and high-end consumers. Realme's also ensured that the company will be able to keep up with the increasing demand for 5G smartphones as China steams through its 5G-infrastructure development.
As of November last year, China has already established more than 113,000 5G base stations spread across the country. Smartphone manufacturers are understandably scrambling to get their 5G-capable products out to the public, as consumers will likely be forced to upgrade once 5G services become available in their respective areas.
Realme, which was originally a sub-brand of Oppo before it split to become an independent division, plans to focus more on China's mid to low-end market to establish its presence in its home market. The company's president of global marketing, Chase Qi Xu, clarified that they will still be continuing their expansion into other markets in conjunction with their push in China.
