Realme achieves 865% year-on-year growth in Malaysia

• Brand ranked in 7^th place in global smartphone market
• Achieved a 7.5% Android phone market share in Malaysia

Things have been going tremendously well for Shenzhen-based smartphone makers Realme. Established only as recently as 2018, the Chinese smartphone brand has quickly risen into a recognisable player in the market.

Global industry analyst firm Counterpoint lists Realme as the “World’s Fastest Growing Smartphone Brand” in 2019, beating the odds in a global smartphone market slowdown where overall market size has been showing negative growth. In Q3 2019, the brand registered over 800% annual growth, shipping over 10 million smartphones and came in at 7^th place in the global smartphone market.

Realme’s growth in Malaysia is equally staggering. According to Counterpoint, its year-on-year growth in the country from 2018 to 2019 is recorded at 865%. The brand has now achieved a 7.5% market share in the Android smartphone market in the country.

“Here at realme Malaysia, we are constantly pushing the boundaries and breaking new records with our Dare to Leap spirit. We could not achieve such results without the support from our team, fans as well as the industry. Today, we would like to thank everyone for their enthusiasm towards realme and will continue our Dare to Leap spirit as we keep innovating and bring more exciting products for our fans in Malaysia,” says Realme Malaysia CEO Hunter Wang (pic, right) in a press release.

The brand opened its first Malaysian concept store in April last year, located at The Mines shopping centre. In April 2019, its Realme 3 smartphone sold a record 500 units in three minutes during Lazada’s 7^th Birthday Sale, selling an overall 2,000 units during the sale period.

Counterpoint lists India and Indonesia as the most important markets for Realme, contributing to more than 80% of its shipments. Realme ranked 4^th in the Indian smartphone market with 16% share in Q3 2019.

In Indonesia, Realme was the fastest brand to reach one million units in the same period, which Counterpoint says is driven by strong sales of the aforementioned Realme 3 and Realme C2 devices. In their Q3 2019 report, Counterpoint notes that the brand’s core strength lies in how fast it brings premium features to the budget segment and mass market – it was among the first few brands to equip its US$100- to US$250-priced models with 64MP quad-cam setups and pop-up selfie cameras.

As for Q4 2019, Counterpoint found that the brand is continuing its growth streak and has remained the fastest growing brand during the quarter at 163% YoY.

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