Realme has just released its annual open letter looking back on a breakthrough year. 2020, though challenging, was a year of many positives on many fronts for realme, from corporate to product to design and more. realme cemented its position as a mainstream global smartphone brand, ranking 7th overall in terms of shipments. realme CEO Sky Li penned an open letter to chart the immediate future for the company as it builds on the momentum of a successful 2020.
2020 was a strong year for realme, as the company took centre stage and stood firmly as one of the top global mainstream smartphone brands, disrupting the industry. realme took only nine quarters to achieve a significant milestone: reaching 50 million shipments globally. Industry watchers and prominent media sat up and took note: Counterpoint research has listed realme as “the fastest-growing smartphone brand in the world” and esteemed media Financial Times heralded it as commanding a “leading position in Asia’s emerging markets.”
realme backed up these claims with a strong corporate performance, as it grew 250% from 35 to 61 different markets and regions operationally, including Latin America and Europe. It has also launched over 27 different AIoT products successfully as it seeks to build a robust AIoT framework at the strategic business level. With a clear vision and strong mandate from its consumers, realme bucked the trend of negative business outlook in 2020, as one of two smartphone companies to have achieved positive growth as early as Q1 2020.
realme’s success was rewarded with awards and international fame for its quality products and business milestones. Underpinned by strong support, realme has gained 17 brand awards, 159 product awards and five top-tier design awards around the world in 2020. One major milestone in 2020 was one for the history books, as realme officially became the fastest company to reach 50 million shipments, according to Counterpoint Research. realme’s achievements have also been pleasing to the eye, and this has not gone unnoticed by the international design community. Though young, realme has won five top international design awards such as the Good Design Award 2020 for three different products, the Red Dot Design Award for the realme X2 Pro, the Golden Pin Award and more.
All of this has enabled realme to look even further and higher in 2021, as the company seeks to augment its AIoT ecosystem and disrupt the current infrastructure with new products and initiatives. In this aspect, realme will launch its own AIoT platform TechLife that aims to foster new companies and ideas, participate in co-creation and scale innovative AIoT products. This initiative will bring a more cohesive and integrated smart living lifestyle, allowing for greater communication and collaboration for users. Counterpoint analyst Liz Lee commented that “Building on strong wearables momentum, recent entry into smartwatches and strength in online, realme could repeat its smartphone success to become 2021’s dark horse in wearables.”
As a trendsetter amongst global youths today, realme has aligned its brand values with its user base to enable them to leap into the future with confidence. Already a top 5 brand in 12 different countries, realme aims to develop an ecosystem that goes beyond the smartphone, delivering high-quality technology to support all elements of everyday life; be it personal, with the family or whilst travelling. The emerging company will build on its strong 5G foundation, expanding its role as a 5G popularizer in different markets and customer groups.
realme has a strong affiliation with its target consumers (global youths aged 18-25) – in fact, the median age of the employees is only 29 years old. Which is why realme shares the same brand values as their target consumers, ensuring they are at the forefront of the company’s mind. Therefore, as a leader for the youth culture of today, realme seeks to allow more youths to express themselves where cutting-edge technology meets trendy design.
“The youths of today will decide our future, and realme seeks to empower them to dream big and leap into the unknown with confidence and positivity,” says Sky Li. His clear focus on the youth niche around the world has allowed realme to connect with its audience across many aspects of youth culture, such as music, sports, videography and gaming. In 2021, realme will continue to engage more youths in these areas to showcase the potential of our youths.
