• realme entered the top 5 brands in all key SEA markets (Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar,
  Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam) for the first time.
• In other Asia Pacific markets like Australia, Taiwan, and Pakistan, realme was successful in becoming
  one of the top 5 brands. In Bangladesh, it grew 1000% QoQ (albeit from a low base) to take 6% of the
  market.

New Delhi, Mumbai, Hong Kong, Taipei, Seoul, San Diego, London, Buenos Aires - Aug 28th, 2020

According to the latest research from the Counterpoint Research Market Monitor service, realme continued to be the fastest-growing brand in the South East Asia (SEA) region, growing 141% YoY and 64% QoQ to capture 13% market share. Despite the SEA smartphone market declining 19% YoY amidst the COVID-19 outbreak, realme continued its growing streak and became one of the top 5 smartphone brands in all key markets in the region.

Exhibit 1: realme performance in key SEA markets Q2 2020

In the Philippines, realme grew 97% QoQ and surpassed Oppo, Xiaomi, and Samsung to take the second position; rising from the fifth spot in the previous quarter. Similarly, in Malaysia, realme surpassed Apple, Xiaomi, and Oppo to reach the third place in the market. realme is the popularizer of “5G” in Thailand, it ranked first in 5G shipments with a 43% share of the nascent 5G market.  In Singapore, realme grew 100% QoQ to enter the top 5 brands for the first time.

With these growth figures, realme was successful in entering the top 5 brands in all key SEA markets (Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam).

Apart from key SEA markets, realme performed well in other Asia Pacific markets like Bangladesh, Australia, Taiwan, and Pakistan. In Pakistan and Australia, realme ranked fourth, while in Taiwan it managed to grab the fifth spot. realme officially entered Bangladesh in February 2020, and within one quarter it managed to gain a 6% market share with 1000% YoY growth (albeit from a small base).

Commenting on realme’s growth, Research Analyst, Abhilash Kumar said, “The right channel strategies, effective marketing and good value-for-money products across all price bands helped realme defy the market decline. The COVID-19 pandemic led consumers towards online sales platforms where realme has a strong presence. Innovative initiatives like “Zero-touch shipping” during the outbreak helped realme keep the offline momentum as well. In addition, realme has been proactive in launching new models online without any postponements. Coupled with social media campaigns and strong word-of-mouth marketing, the brand has positioned itself strongly, especially among younger age profile segments.”

realme is committed to bringing the most advanced technology within corresponding price bands to its consumers. In addition to creating and implementing a future-orientated 5G expansion strategy; it is one of the first brands to bring 5G devices to the mass market price bands. It also introduced innovations such as “125W UltraDart Charge” fast charging technology and is one of the first brands to launch smartphones with the Snapdragon 865 and Snapdragon 765G chipsets. Also, its recent expansion beyond smartphones into the IoT space with products like the smart band, smartwatch, TWS, and smart TVs will help the brand build a more holistic ecosystem, further strengthening its position in the market.

Analyst Contacts:

Abhilash Kumar

Tarun Pathak

Shobhit Srivastava

Varun Mishra

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