Realme emerged as the second top smartphone brand in India in October. According to Counterpoint Research, the smartphone brand got its highest-ever market share of 18 per cent in the past two years – a milestone for Realme, which started out only three years ago as a spinoff of Oppo. The biggest driver for the monumental growth of the company in India’s smartphone market was its lineup of 5G phones.

“2021 has been a year of milestones for realme and this win is another feather in our hat. With our ‘Dare to Leap’ spirit and individuality, we will continue to challenge the existing status quo and prove leadership time and again,” said Madhav Sheth, CEO of Realme India, VP of Realme, and President of Realme International Business Group. “Our aim for 2022 is to be the No. 1 smartphone brand in India, and this milestone is just another stepping stone to realise that vision.”

The maximum sales of smartphones happened through online channels, and Flipkart – Realme’s favourite online shopping partner – played a major role. Realme said that it became the No.1 brand on Flipkart with a market share of 52 per cent. The overall online sales swept a 27 per cent market share, making Realme sit among the “Top 2 Online Smartphone Brands.”

The first position still belonged to Xiaomi, whose market share of 20 per cent in October included the shares of independent brand Poco. Samsung stood at 16 per cent, while Vivo managed to secure a 13 per cent market share in the quarter, according to the report. However, the smartphone shipments in the third quarter tell a different story. According to Counterpoint Research’s Q3 data on smartphone shipments in India, Xiaomi topped the charts with 22 per cent market share, followed by Samsung with 19 per cent share. Realme captured the fourth spot in the rankings with a 14 per cent share, mostly driven by its budget C-series.

With the new milestone, Realme was closer than ever in its rivalry with Xiaomi, which owns the Redmi brand, as well. Both companies are often engaged in trivial banter on Twitter, and are supported by large communities of their customers, which are an important part of events organised by both Xiaomi and Realme. “This rapid growth is a testament to the brand and evidence of our consumers’ love for us,” said Sheth.

Earlier this year, Realme announced the milestone of reaching 100 million in cumulative shipments globally since its inception, while its cumulative shipments in India in the second quarter of this year stood at 50 million. That is around half of what Realme sold worldwide in three years, so, clearly, India may be the biggest market for Realme.

The Realme 8s 5G became the top 5G smartphone in October in the Rs 15,000 – Rs 20,000 segment. The GT series, which is the company’s new flagship range, saw sales of 300,000 units, while the gaming-centric Narzo series registered sales of 1.4 million units. Apart from the mobile phone business, Realme’s AIoT and TechLife products sold 9.3 million units, registering a 40 per cent year-over-year growth.