Realme vs Xiaomi vs Samsung: Upstart China Smartphone Maker Cracks Notoriously Tough India
Last year, when a global chip shortage forced many smartphone makers to delay launches, upstart Chinese brand Realme took a gambit in India. With processors from global giants such as Qualcomm Inc. in short supply, Realme decided to buy them from a relatively unknown Shanghai manufacturer to be able to keep churning out new handset models.
The move paid off, boosting the four-year-old newcomer’s sales and helping it reach the No. 3 position in the fast-growing market with about 600 million smartphone users. Only Samsung Electronics Co. and Xiaomi Corp. sold more devices in India in the latest quarter, with Realme closing in.
Closely held Realme has emerged as a force in the lucrative but treacherous Indian market where even global brands like Apple Inc. have struggled with regulatory hurdles. And in recent months, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration has heightened the scrutiny of Chinese companies.
Yet Realme has so far escaped the government crackdown unscathed. All smartphones it sells in India are built in the country, boosting local employment. And Realme is helping India bring new users online with its Android smartphones that can cost less than $100, a fraction of what iPhones and pricier Samsung models go for.
“What I want to do is to bring more affordability to the India market,” Realme’s India boss Madhav Sheth said in an interview at a coffee shop next to the company’s local headquarters on the outskirts of New Delhi. Realme is in compliance with all Indian legal requirements and believes in cooperation with authorities, he said.
Realme’s relatively smooth sailing is in stark contrast with the obstacles its larger rivals have faced. Apple had to wrestle with the government for years just to open
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