realme has announced they’re now officially in Kenya. This brings almost to full circle BBK Electronics’ move into the Kenyan market. Currently, BBK Electronics’ sub-brands that are in Kenya are OPPO, Vivo and RealMe. That leaves out only OnePlus and iQOO brands. Maybe soon we may see OnePlus move to Africa – especially with their new NORD lineup of affordable devices.

realme describes themselves as one of the fastest-growing smartphone brands in the world. And they say that their expansion into the Kenyan market is part of the brand’s global expansion strategy. Founded in mid-2018, as a breakaway from OPPO, the company focuses on both mid-range and high-end smartphones.

In a release announcing their entrance to the Kenyan market, the company says they recognise Kenya’s exclusive position as a regional nexus for smartphone technology and innovation. They say they’re keen to bring the best of their smartphone technology to Kenya, and that they have a wide range of products specifically designed to meet the needs of young consumers. The company says Kenya’s combination of fast technology adoption, and innovation, plus open economic policies, and a large talent pool makes it an ideal hub to grow their brand. In particular, the company says the large youth-centric market is an ideal place for them to start.

Speaking on the official launch, General Manager of realme Middle East and Africa Operations Josef Wang reiterated that, “realme always believes that by providing exquisitely designed products and reliable performance, we can provide diverse consumer groups especially youth with better user experience, realme focuses on developing its products and design continuously and will unveil more distinctive products and technologies in 2020 because our customers deserve to have products that are compatible with their expectations.”

“We are committed to enabling young people to experience great products at suitable competitive prices also enjoy a happy life provided by advanced technology and unique modern design, so our plans for 2020 is to invest time, effort and all the required resources in AIoT,” he added.

The official entry of realme to the market is marked by the launch of the Triple Camera realme C3. The device will retail under KES 14,000 with the following specifications:

AI triple camera
5000Mah Massive Battery which supports continuous playing of large games like PUBG for 10.6 hours.
The triple camera which will enhance the photo shooting experience.
Helio G70 Processor.
6.5” Mini-Drop full screen that improves and supports game-playing and movie-watching experience.
Colour: Blue and Red.

Aiming at exclusively meeting the needs of its target market and sharing in the same attitudes, realme says their focus continues to be on growing the brand and ensuring that every consumer considers a realme phone when making a purchase.

There are currently a number of offers from them:

Number Series,
X Series,
Pro Series and
C Series

So far, realme claims they have gained 40 million global smartphone users across 59 markets. They say their uptake in the global market has been a success and according to the statistics of global smartphone shipments in Q1 2020 from Counterpoint realme ranks top 7 in the world, positioning it among the mainstream smartphone brands globally.

What are your thoughts on the new entrance? And which of their devices are you looking forward to the most?