latest
Another Oppo sister company is leaving this European market
Realme joins Oppo, OnePlus, and Vivo in leaving Germany due to a patent dispute with Nokia
In August 2022, Nokia won a patent dispute case against Oppo and OnePlus, forcing both companies to stop all their advertising efforts in Germany. There were also rumors of the two BBK-owned companies exiting the European market in March this year. Oppo quickly refuted such reports, though it confirmed its Germany business was on hold. Now, Realme, another BBK firm, is putting its business on hold in the country due to the ongoing patent dispute with Nokia.
Realme’s 2023 camera flagship packs a 200MP shooter with OIS
The Realme 11 Pro+ launches internationally in June 2023
After a lot of hype and rumors, Motorola became the first company in the world in August 2022 to launch a smartphone with a 200MP camera. The Moto X30 Pro was a premium smartphone featuring high-end specs, which debuted globally as the Edge 30 Ultra in September 2022. Less than five months later, Xiaomi brought the 200MP camera to the masses with its $400 Redmi Note 12 Pro+. Not to be left behind, Realme — BBK Electronics' budget-oriented brand — has now announced its plans to launch the Realme 11 Pro series internationally with a 200MP camera in June.
The iPhone 14's Dynamic Island is all but coming to this Android phone
The Realme C55 offers a familiar-looking tweak to the area around the front camera
You've got to hand it to Apple for turning the lifeless notch into a clever way to show quick information such as media playback and timer, as well as display notifications for low battery warnings or AirDrop transfers. It was only a matter of time before the Dynamic Island crossed over to Android's yard in a native capacity, and Realme has just made it happen. The Chinese phone maker has officially introduced the first Android handset with a Dynamic Island-like feature.
Realme might be first to copy the iPhone 14's Dynamic Island
Realme's Dynamic Island clone has been leaked
Apple’s latest iPhone series undoubtedly lifted a few elements from many of the best Android phones, including the always-on display and ProRAW mode, both of which were already available in one form or another on Samsung and Google Pixel phones. The Dynamic Island, on the other hand, is unique to the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, though it can be argued that it was first seen on a long-retired LG phone. Apart from housing the selfie snapper, what distinguishes Apple's implementation is how it makes practical use of the black punch hole in the top of the screen. A Mi theme developer tried to conjure up a Dynamic Island clone for Xiaomi phones last September, but not a single Android OEM has yet to take a crack at it. Realme may be the first to bring a native version of it to an Android phone.
Over the last few years, Chinese smartphone manufacturers have been in a race to launch phones with the fastest charging speed possible. At MWC 2022, Realme showcased its 150W charging technology, which made its debut soon after on the GT Neo 3. The tech allowed topping off the Neo 3's 4,500mAh battery from 0-50 percent in a claimed 5 minutes. You'd think such charging speeds would be more than sufficient for almost everyone. But that's not the case with Realme, as it has gone ahead and unveiled a phone with 240W fast charging support.
Realme teases an Android phone for all Coca-Cola lovers out there
Hopefully, it's served up with some fizzy specs to boot
In recent years, big names in the food and beverage industries have found it easy to slap their brand on a random Android phone. KFC had a go at it back in 2017 with a specially-branded Huawei phone that bore the image of Colonel Sanders himself. Even earlier, in 2015, Pepsi introduced an easily forgettable smartphone of its own called the Pepsi P1, a device that didn't look half-bad by most standards at the time. Now, nearly a decade later, its closest rival appears to be following suit. The next special edition beverage-branded phone may come from Coca-Cola in collaboration with Realme.
.JPG?q=50&fit=crop&w=430&h=300&dpr=1.5){kind=tracking}
The Realme GT Neo 5 could redefine fast charging as we know it
240W SuperVOOC chargers have been spotted in the wild
With high-capacity batteries, the smartphone industry observed a need for fast-charging technology when nobody wants to twiddle their thumbs for three hours while their phone recharges. Fast charging capability is a major selling point for affordable offerings and high-end smartphones from Chinese brands like Xiaomi and BBK Group. Oppo-branded 240W adapters spotted in the wild appear ready to push the limit further.
The new Realme 10 Pro Plus packs in a curved AMOLED display for less than $400
Another case study in giving those with tighter budgets more choice
Starting life as a spin-off of Oppo, Realme has become a recognizable name in its own right, especially across India and southern Asia. That said, we've called its last attempt at a cut-price flagship phone, the Realme 9 Pro+, as somewhat boneless and a bit sleepy, especially in its focus markets where high-octane, low-price competition is on overdrive. So, what's the company doing to make up for it? Apparently, the new Realme 10 Pro should have all the answers.
These two Android phone makers are asking users about Dynamic Island-like features
Both Xiaomi and Realme seem open to the idea
Dynamic Island is one of the biggest talking points on the iPhone 14 series, and it seems Android OEMs are already considering what elements of the feature they can use on future smartphones. Both Xiaomi and Realme have published comments in the last few days that suggest each is looking at the feature on Apple's handsets as inspiration for future software upgrades. Realme seems keener on the idea, while Xiaomi's comments suggest it is looking at the idea, but it's unlikely it'll arrive on smartphones soon.
Realme GT Neo 3 review: A phone that earns its racing stripes
However, there’s more to the Realme GT Neo 3 than just the super-fast charging
Read update
For Realme, the GT Neo 3 represents a more affordable yet sportier alternative to its top-end GT 2 Pro. While the phone does make a few trade-offs to get to the sub-₹40,000 price bracket, it also gets one feature that you probably haven’t even seen on a flagship phone. The GT Neo 3 can charge at an astonishing 150 watts, which can juice up half the battery in merely 5 minutes! This insane charging speed may be the highlight of this phone, but there’s much more that it gets right for its price.
-1.JPG?q=50&fit=crop&w=430&h=300&dpr=1.5)
Google confirms OnePlus, Oppo, Asus, Nokia, and more phones getting Android 13 Beta
The average Joe might have to wait, as these early builds are aimed at developers
Read update
Pixel users have had fun with Android 13 since the first developer preview arrived in February. Meanwhile, owners of other devices have been left to watch from the sidelines, missing out on all the goodies of the new operating system... until now. With Android 13 officially in the beta phase of development, manufacturers like Oppo, OnePlus, and Realme — plus a whole lot more — are now calling upon their customers to enroll their flagship devices in respective developer preview programs.
Realme 9 5G accidentally appears on official site ahead of European release
The phone's making its way to Europe following the Indian launch of an identically named but very different device
Realme's strategy of bombarding the entry- to mid-range segment with tons of phones has been doing wonders, and the company even recorded multifold growth last year in Europe. It's not surprising to see that the same mantra's been carried forward to this year as well — the second quarter has only begun, but multiple new offerings across the price spectrum have been introduced. The budget end is populated by the Realme 9 series, from which four models are already being sold on the continent. Other brands would've considered that enough, but Realme's a bit of an oddball and is looking to expand the lineup by another two models. One of these has now made a surprise appearance.
Realme 9 review: Good enough doesn’t make the cut
Not burdened by 5G, the Realme 9 4G makes for a ‘better’ phone, but it still can't keep up
Realme adheres to one primary strategy: bombarding the budget segment with tons of phones. Sure, it gives buyers plenty of options to choose from, but not without added confusion. That is the case with Realme’s 9 series, which has already seen six handsets in just a couple of months (all closely priced), including the newly launched Realme 9 — a 4G-only variant of its 5G sibling. Without the 5G tax, Realme is able to beef up several other aspects of the phone, from display quality to the charging speed. However, these improvements don’t necessarily stand up to other phones from Xiaomi, Samsung, and even from Realme itself.
When will my phone be updated to Android 12?
2021's Android upgrade is slowly coming to more devices every month
We're well into the age of Android 12 and if you own any of the devices that have already been updated, you can count yourself lucky. For the rest of us with relatively new phones, there's only one question: when will I get it? We've dug for the answers, all you need to do is click through to find them out.
Renders show the OnePlus 10R as a rebranded Realme with 150W fast charging
Same device, different names
Read update
OnePlus is expected to have a busy few months ahead of it with a flurry of smartphone launches, including the global release of the OnePlus 10 Pro on March 31. This will then be followed by the launch of certain Nord-branded products in the mid-range segment. The BBK-owned company is reportedly also working on the OnePlus 10R — the successor to last year's OnePlus 9R, which was essentially an Indian-exclusive rebranding of the OnePlus 8T. Shortly after the phone’s detailed specs and features made their way to the internet, a new leak has revealed the 10R’s design in all its glory.
Huawei, Xiaomi, Oppo, and Realme have all been trying to make names for themselves when it comes to charging smartphones superfast. Xiaomi has already managed to make 120W fast charging a common feature on all its premium devices launched since 2021. Not to be left behind, BBK-owned Realme announced at MWC 2022 that it planned to introduce 150W UltraDart charging with its GT Neo 3. Now, nearly a month later, this charging hot-shot has officially launched in China.
Realme announces the GT 2 lineup and 150W super-fast charging — just not together
Along with just a whole bunch of other new hardware
MWC 2022 has begun, and following announcements from tech giants like Samsung, Lenovo, and Nokia, we've got yet another company showing off its latest hardware at the expo. As rumored, Realme has revealed a new 150W ultra-fast charging tech for smartphones, along with the global launch of its GT 2 series smartphones.
The mobile landscape went under a pandemic-accelerated overhaul in the past couple of years. Huawei is no longer the foreign juggernaut it used to be, Honor is with new ownership, Oppo and OnePlus are in slow-motion homogenization, and LG is a complete non-factor in 2022. You'd think these developments would suck all the air out of Mobile World Congress, which is being held on-time this year as opposed to in last year's sweaty Iberian summer. Well, prepare for your breath to be taken away.
Realme to announce world's fastest smartphone charging tech at MWC 2022
Faster than 125W, which it introduced last year
MWC 2022 is about to begin in a week, and tech companies have started gearing up for the event. Samsung recently teased what it plans to launch at this year's event, and now Realme has joined the game with its latest announcement. The BBK-owned company plans to reveal its latest fast-charging technology on February 28 this year, which it claims would be the world’s fastest charging solution for smartphones.
Realme thrives in the mid-range segment with an ever-growing lineup that matches the likes of Xiaomi and Samsung. The Realme 9 Pro+ is the company’s latest bet to snag a bigger slice in this price bracket, which is getting increasingly competitive in markets like India. The phone checks a lot of boxes as it tries to appeal to a wide range of users. While the 9 Pro+ does get quite a few things right, it just doesn't go far enough.