• There is a new Chinese smartphone brand that has officially launched in South Africa, as realme has debuted two of its affordable devices locally.
• The realme C55 and C30s are now available in SA, starting at R5 999 and R2 499 respectively.
• SA is not the first African country that realme has launched in, as it debuted the brand in Kenya last year.

In recent years there have been a number of Chinese smartphone makers that launched brands in South Africa, and the latest one to do so is realme.

Having hit the 140 million user mark since its inception in 2018, the brand is said to be one of fastest growing smartphones OEMs in the world, and has now added SA to its 61 different markets. South Africa is not the first African country where realme was made available, however, as it launched in Kenya last year.

As such, we could see more territories gaining access to the brand’s affordable devices in future. Over the next three years, realme says it plans to create an additional 15 markets with one million smartphone shipments under its current strategy.

For now, realme has launched its C-Series in SA, with two models in particular – the C55 and C30s (pictured in the header image).

“Value for money is the name of the game for realme. The company is releasing its C-Series range, which is a product line with flagship standards, leading the segment on image, storage, charging and design. The C55 and C30s in this range are available – through realme partners at prices that won’t dent the pocket,” the company highlighted in a press release sent to Hypertext.

“The C55, for instance, with its 64-megapixel camera, 16GB RAM and 256GB storage, is at RRP of R5999 and available at Takealot and MTN. The C30s comes with a massive 5000 mAh battery and a 16,5cm (6,5”) full screen at an RRP of R 2499 available at local retailers, Truworths, Edgars and Woolworths,” it added.

Along with being affordably priced, realme says the launch of these two phones in particular are designed to showcase that the company offers more bang for buck.

“Our intention is to exceed users’ expectations and to raise the benchmark on the entry-level phone market, ensuring that we retain the ‘champion’ title within the segment. In other markets around the world, we have seen our devices gain traction among young consumers looking for a top-quality entry-level smartphone that is affordable. We expect the South African market to behave similarly,” enthused Gareth Clarke, realme’s account lead.

With a number of Chinese smartphone brands already offering entry-level to mid-range phones that are really well-priced in SA, it will be interesting to see how realme goes about gaining a notable market share.

For consumers the more choice, the better.