Chinese smartphone makers are not only known for offering true value for money smartphones but can also be credited with democratizing technologies as well. Realme, which for its credit is a fairly young company, also falls in the same category of companies that want to offer bang for buck devices.
Sometime back Realme’s India and Europe CEO, Madhav Sheth, in an exclusive interaction with TechRadar, hinted that the company wants to bring 5G capable smartphones to everyone’s reach. And keeping his words, Realme does have a couple of really affordable 5G capable phones available in the country.
However, he has now confirmed that Realme wants to make the phones equipped with the next-gen connectivity tech even more affordable. During the recently concluded Realme 5G summit, Sheth stated that the company plans to launch 5G phones under Rs 10,000 price segment.
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Though as of now almost 70% of phones launched by Realme are 5G capable, however, come next year the company aims to increase the share even more. To achieve this, Realme plans to take a multi-pronged approach by regularly launching affordable flagship phones like the ones it already has in its repertoire, launch as many devices possible in the mid-budget segment under Narzo and the regular Realme line up and last but not least super affordable 5G phones under Rs 10,000.
Incidentally, both the major smartphone chipset companies MediaTek and Qualcomm are also pushing the 5G envelope aggressively. While the Dimensity 700 SoC powered Realme 8 5G is currently the cheapest 5G phone in the market, we can expect more such chipsets getting introduced in the due course that could help Realme fulfil its dream.
But where’s 5G?
Apart from Realme, even Reliance-backed Jio is said to be working on cheap 5G phones and is expected to launch the same soon. If things go as plans, it augurs well for users who will get multiple options for 5G phones under the super-affordable category.
Though with all these companies pushing the 5G agenda with full force isn’t everything. The commercial availability of 5G is a distant dream in India as of now. After getting a rap on the knuckles for its delaying tactics, the Department of Telecom has finally revealed that the testbeds for 5G are ready.
Now even though the telecom operators have announced their readiness, the commercial roll-out of 5G connectivity has many roadblocks. Many experts have suggested that the public availability of 5G can happen only early next year, following which, updating existing infrastructure or fresh installation may take some more time.
Hence, if everything goes fine, this only may end up in the favour of brands like Realme and Jio that wants to cater to the entry-level segment and offer them a chance to test ultra-fast mobile internet connectivity.
