With Narzo 30 5G, Realme now has five 5G smartphones launched this year in India. And that is less than half the number of 5G phones that Realme has planned to launch this year. Priced at Rs 15,999, the Narzo 30 5G is among the cheapest 5G phones you can buy, but Realme does not want to settle here.
At its recent global 5G summit, Realme announced it is working on a 5G phone that will cost $100 (about Rs 7,000). In an exclusive conversation with India Today Tech, Realme India and Europe CEO and Realme VP, Madhav Sheth said the $100 5G phone is coming soon to India.
“…we are on it and aiming to make this happen at [the] fastest,” Sheth told India Today Tech on the sidelines of the Narzo 30 launch. The idea behind the $100 5G phone is simple: Realme wants to democratise the 5G technology as much as it can, at least before the onset of 5G access in India.
“Realme aims to be a 5G leader in India and also globally and we strongly believe that everyone deserves to have a 5G device. About 90 per cent of our R&D resources have been shifted to 5G to develop 5G technology and products, with which we may be able to further lower our cost on R&D of 5G,” said Sheth.
Rs 7,000 5G phone will not come easy
For the $100 5G phone to happen, Realme will have to pull strings much harder than usual, especially at a time when production lines are marred by pandemic-induced constraints and logistical woes.
According to Sheth, the uber-cheap 5G phone may “be impacted by the supply situation” and to avoid a situation like this, the company will have to make preemptive arrangements. “We are working closely with supply chain partners, especially chipset makers, to make sure to equip Realme devices with the latest 5G processors, in compact build quality but at the most affordable price.”
A blasting Diwali for Realme
Realme’s commitment to maintaining a robust partnership with supply chains, chipset makers, and other partners is essential because the company has set a goal to outperform last year’s sales of smartphones during Diwali. This Diwali, Realme aims to sell at least 60 lakh smartphone units.
“Preparation for the Diwali season has started and [we] have the confidence to best meet the demand of the Diwali season in terms of stock,” said Sheth.
Realme will launch products under the new 1+5+T strategy, which stands for 1 smartphone for 5 products from the category that includes laptops, TVs, smartwatches, wireless headphones, and smart speakers, and T will be one device from the TechLife category, which is Realme’s ecosystem of smart home devices and includes categories such as entertainment (game consoles, computer mice, etc.), care (vacuum cleaners, scales, toothbrushes, etc.), and connection (sockets, light bulbs, cameras, etc.).
Narzo 30 5G, but why?
That one question that has got me, as well as many fans, perplexed was: Why does Realme Narzo 30 5G exist? That is because the Narzo 30 5G has nearly the same specifications as the Realme 8 5G that was launched not too long ago. And while the specifications are all the same, the price is not.
The Realme 8 5G costs Rs 13,999 for the base model, while the Narzo 30 5G comes at a price of Rs 15,999. I asked Sheth about the need to have two similarly specced smartphones, and this is what he had to say.
“Narzo applies a different design language which is bolder, avant-garde, and more preferred by young players. We have also noticed in our research that there is a significant surge amongst young players who want High RAM and storage and this for sure will be incorporated to realme narzo 30 5G as well.”
The Realme Narzo 30 5G has 6GB of RAM, while the Realme 8 5G has 4GB of RAM — and that is probably the biggest difference here that kind of justifies the price gap of Rs 2,000 between the two phones.
The way forward
Realme’s aggressive nature has got it some quick recognition in the market and it has to be agile enough not to lose that, especially when its competitor is Xiaomi and its Redmi and Poco brands. Realme’s ecosystem is growing and that is how the company wants to be in your hands and everywhere in your house.
