Realme becomes fastest-growing smartphone brand

Startup brand Realme sold more than 1 million smartphones in April, making it the fastest-growing smartphone brand among major vendors, the company said today.

Since the first quarter, Huawei has been gradually stepping out of the entry-level and middle-end market, while firms such as Xiaomi and Realme aim to expand in the market segment, according to researchers like IDC and Counterpoint Research.

Realme, which returned to the domestic market after previously setting its sights overseas, now has 85 million users globally, said Xu Qi, Realme's vice president. 

The brand launched a new version of its GT models today through cooperation with Japanese designer Naoto Takenaka. To date, Realme has sold more than 1 million GT models, a relatively high-end series of the brand.

Booming GT model sales means "initial success" of the brand's strategy to expand into the middle-end market segment, said Xu.

The new GT models feature a triple-camera system and special optimizations for video production and gaming. On sale beginning next week, prices begin at 2,399 yuan (US$369).