A global economic slowdown is shrinking the market for mid-segment devices as affluent users opt for ultra-premium smartphones while budget-conscious consumers pick cheap handsets, theorised Francis Wong, Realme’s Head of Product Marketing, during a media roundtable, prior to the company’s Realme 13 Pro series AI camera launch in Thailand earlier this month.
Wong noted that consumer choices were sharply diverging like a “K-shaped” curve, which increases the possibility of many phone brands simply dying out as customers move towards opposite ends of the smartphone price spectrum. However, he expressed faith in the Indian market, calling it the “number one market” for the brand.
“If we can [reach] like, 20 million shipments [in a] year, that would be enough for us. We don’t want to end high. We don’t want to become like 25 [million], 30 [million],” Wong said. “What we want to make sure in the current stage is that our product portfolio is healthier.”
India makes up around 30% of Realme’s market share, the company’s largest market, he added.
Realme’s Head of Product Marketing, Francis Wong | Photo Credit: Sahana Venugopal
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To the question of which variant of Realme’s smartphones an Indian user would buy, Wong said they could opt for the phone that best spoke to their needs. For example, those who valued a high-quality camera would be more likely to choose a phone from the upcoming Realme 13 Pro series.
On July 4, Realme announced a collaboration with Sony to bring the electronics giant’s LYT-701 sensor and the LYT-600 Periscope lens to its upcoming Realme 13 Pro 5G Series. The device is yet to be launched in India.
The star of the upcoming series is undoubtedly the phone’s AI-powered Ultra Clear Camera; Realme believes megapixel discourse is outdated and that AI will be the “new battlefield of mobile imaging.”
“So, we’re trying to increase our average selling price. We want to make sure our brand is identified as a mid-range and high-end brand,” Wong said, noting that Realme had already brought most of the flagship sensors to the mid-range segment.
Coming to AI-powered software, Realme GT6 introduced the AI night vision camera, he pointed out. As the company collaborates with Snapdragon, Google, Microsoft, and smaller labs, there are plans to bring similar AI camera features to Realme’s phones in the sub-₹20,000 and ₹15,000 segments, he confirmed.
Another key factor that Realme tracks is the way Indians, and particularly the smartphone-maker’s many young customers, express their love for smartphones.
“Indian consumers understand [technical] specs, much better than many places in the world,” said Wong. “Because Indian consumers, they don’t follow marketing that much. They don’t buy the marketing tricks. They understand what is the product specs, and they ask deep questions. They engage with your brand.”
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