Realme as a brand has been in existence for about 4 years now counting from its inception in May 2018, when compared to other mobile brands this is a very young mobile brand. Though young, Realme has shown that it is not afraid to take on the competition in a remarkable way. Just like its slogan says (Dare To Leap) it has really taken a big leap right from it conception to this point. How has Realme survived in today’s hostile markets?
Firstly, it grew its community wisely. Realme as a brand has been active in other regions of the world such as Asia and Europe, here it has grown a very strong fan base and user community, this is as a result of what it’s devices bring to the table in terms of specs and abilities.
Second, it has shown its unique versatility. The brand has a unique approach to the tech market, as it guns for users with various tastes and needs from a device. It has a flagship line-up as well as an entry-level line-up that satisfies its users.
Third is the fact that it’s devices are affordable yet retaining a premium build. This in itself can be a boost to the company’s user community. Just two days ago, the company became the sixth top smartphone vendor. Just under four years of existence, the company has proved itself up to the competition.
Originally a spin-off from OPPO, itself a subsidiary of BBK electronics, Realme has outgrown it’s more expensive and flagship sister company, OnePlus. Now after taking over the market in certain regions Realme has finally set its eyes on the Latin-American and African markets, how will they perform in the African space?
Let us have a side by side comparison of some of Realme’s finest devices along with a few of the finest devices you can currently find in Africa at the moment. We will also compare the low-end devices from Realme along with those from brands common here in Africa. This comparison will show a bit of what Realme has to offer in terms of specifications and device abilities.
Comparison Tables of The Budget Realme Devices.
For the budget section, we will be considering the Realme GT master and the Tecno Phantom X. Which is better, which has more value for money? These questions will be trashed by the use of our trusted comparison table.
| Realme GT master | Tecno Phantom X |
| Super AMOLED screen, 120Hz, 6.43 inches, 99.8 cm (~85.3% screen-to-body ratio), 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~409 ppi density) | Super AMOLED screen, 90Hz, 6.7 inches, 110.2 cm (~91.3% screen-to-body ratio). 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~385 ppi density) |
| Android 11, Realme UI 2.0 | Android 11, HIOS 7.6 |
| Qualcomm SM7325 Snapdragon 778G 5G (6 nm) Octa-core (4×2.4 GHz Kryo 670 & 4×1.9 GHz Kryo 670); GPU Adreno 642L | Mediatek Helio G95 (12 nm); Octa-core (2×2.05 GHz Cortex-A76 & 6×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55); Mali-G76 MC4 |
| 32 MP selfie camera | 48MP + 8 MP selfie camera |
| 64 MP + 8 MP + 2 MP with LED flash | 50 MP + 12 MP + 8 MP triple rear camera with Quad-LED flash |
| 128 GB & 256 GB internal storage (*UFX fast storage) | 256 GB internal storage + dedicated Micro SD slot |
| 6 GB & 8 GB RAM | 8 GB RAM |
| Li-Po 4300 mAh, non-removable; Fast charging 65W, 100% in 33 min | Li-Po 4700 mAh, non-removable; Fast charging 33W, 70% in 30 min |
| $440 | $555 |
This is a quite interesting battle between the two devices, with the Phantom X being the more common device here in Africa and also Tecno’s first shot at flagship specs on a device. Clearly, TECNO took the lead in the camera abilities, but pairing this camera hardware with an arguably not so flagship chipset was not ideal. Tecno sure took a good beating from the Realme GT master, these devices are $100 away from each other but when it comes to the specs Realme is way ahead of this competition.
Realme clearly came tops in this competition, but if Realme should get established here in Nigeria, they will definitely push out their lower priced devices before introducing the flagship killers. Let us also take a look at how a low-end device from Realme will stand against the already existing competition.
Comparison Tables of The Low End Realme Devices.
Again we will be putting a device from Realme against one from Tecno since they are the largest smartphone retailers in Africa at the moment. The Realme Narzo 30 will be going up against the Tecno Spark 7 Pro.
Let’s compare the devices spec for spec.
| Realme Narzo 30 | Tecno Spark 7 pro |
| IPS LCD, 90Hz, 6.5 inches screen, 102.0 cm2 (~83.4% screen-to-body ratio), 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~405 ppi density) | IPS LCD, 90Hz, 6.6 inches screen, 105.2 cm2 (~83.7% screen-to-body ratio), 720 x 1600 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~266 ppi density) |
| Android 11, Realme UI 2.0 | Android 11, HIOS 7.5 |
| Mediatek Helio G95 (12 nm); Octa-core (2×2.05 GHz Cortex-A76 & 6×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55) ; Mali-G76 MC4 | Mediatek Helio G80 (12 nm); Octa-core (2×2.0 GHz Cortex-A75 & 6×1.8 GHz Cortex-A55); Mali-G52 MC2 |
| 16 MP | 8 MP |
| 48 MP + 2 MP + 2 MP LED flash, HDR | 48 MP Triple camera setup. Quad-LED flash |
| 64 GB, 128 GB internal storage + dedicated microSD slot. | 64 GB, 128 GB internal storage + dedicated microSD slot |
| 4 GB, 6 GB RAM | 4 GB, 6 GB RAM |
| 5000 mAh battery + 30W fast charging | 5000 mAh battery |
| $212 | $180 |
The margin was narrowed down in this comparison table, this shows that Realme has a lot of competition at the lower price section than they do at the mid-range section.
Is there room for Realme in the African smartphone market? The answer is an affirmative yes! It will be lovely to see Realme phones in Nigeria‘s mobile market, the competition, the variety of devices to choose from while shopping, more product launches and lots more that might just follow through.
Realme has become a force to reckon with in the tech world, from their wide range of products such as smartphones, smart accessories, laptops and so much more, I must say that I am really looking forward to seeing Realme devices become an option when next shopping for a smartphone.
In which African countries Realme is available?
- Egypt
- Kenya – active since middle 2020
- South Africa – Twitter account active since July 2021
- Nigeria (the company has set up a Nigeria Twitter handle here)
You are reading Mobility Arena.