I have been following in Realme’s footsteps for quite a few years. Their phones, although somewhat unknown in Spain, are essentially -almost- everything that is asked for in a quality-price device: the best specifications along with balanced software at the lowest possible cost.

Born as a sub-brand of OPPO, although “completely independent” over the years, I always saw this brand as a kind of POCO for Xiaomi. With the launch of the recent GT7 Pro -without forgetting devices such as GT6-, the company has demonstrated a spectacular degree of maturity. So much so that it is starting to be a threat to OPPO.

a little history

The first time “Real me” appeared was in 2010, at the launch of the OPPO Real. It was a phone launched in China, focused on young people, and was conceived as a sub-brand of OPPO until its formation as an independent company in 2018.

Its first product was launched in India, under the name “Realme 1” and distributed on Amazon. They did so with the aim of making it clear that they were a brand with the potential to conquer emerging markets, and subsequently expand to the rest of the territories. And, yes, they wanted to compete against Xiaomi head-on.

The objective with Realme, from the beginning, was founded with the objective of offering phones to young people, with a quite particular and “happy” design. The entry into the Chinese market was in 2019, with the presentation of the Realme X, Realme X Lite and Realme X Master Edition. Next to arrival to the Chinese marketthe ambition to love was born conquer europe.

The company belongs to the group BBK Electronicsso it shares resources with sisters like OnePlus and OPPO. In fact, despite the fact that the three companies insist on complete independence, the operating system is a clone between the three brands.

A very Asian-style catalog

Realme, like other Asian manufacturers, has a fairly extensive catalog. Its entry range consists of both the Narzo and the C range, devices that cost around 100-150 euros and have simple specifications.

The mid-range is starred by its number models, with the realme 13 as current protagonists. They are direct rivals for the Redmi 13, in fact, their numbers and surnames -Pro, Pro+- usually coincide.

Despite the good work with this range, the GT family is the brightest when we talk about Realme. It is a dart towards POCO, with the same philosophy of offering top-of-the-line specifications at a groundbreaking price. The Realme GT6 was one of the best tests, offering a high-end set for less than 700 euros. This year, with the GT7 Pro, there is much more to tell.

The Realme GT7 Pro, a before and after for Realme

Realme GT7 Pro, OPPO Find X8 Pro and OnePlus 13. Independent brands but… practically the same phone. In fact, I was able to review the Realme GT7 Pro and the OPPO Find X8 Pro in the same week. I couldn’t stop thinking that the Realme was almost the same for 450 euros less.

This phone is priced at 799 euros in its version with 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of internal memory. The screen is practically the same as the OPPO, it has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite instead of the MediaTek 9400 -a small point in favor-, and the main difference is in the camera, where it is behind the OPPO.

Let’s talk about numbers

Despite the strength of its catalog, Realme remains a small manufacturer globally. OPPO currently occupies fourth positionbut Realme does not climb into the top five. If we talk about sales volume, India is its main marketwhere they are stronger than in any other territory.

In countries like Spain, the company has the opportunity to fill Huawei’s gapalthough it seems unlikely that it will reach OPPO’s fourth position -behind Apple, Samsung and Xiaomi-. But only time will tell.

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In techopiniones Android | Which Realme mobile to buy in 2024: the best quality-price models