‘All Realme devices priced above ₹20,000 to be 5G compatible’: Madhav Sheth

What does the realme 8 series have to offer to the Indian buyer?

realme 8 series complements and builds further on the product positioning and promise of the Number series, which is our Youth Flagship with best comprehensive experience in the segment. As a 5G leader, we have planned 5G models for this series, but we would also like to provide best experience 4G options for users who would still prefer 4G devices.

The camera has been the main talking point for the realme 8 series. What was the brand’s goal while developing the new camera system?

We have been receiving requests for a 108MP camera from our community. At realme, we don’t want to launch any hardware just for the sake of the number. We have put efforts into optimizing the hardware for better photo quality and offering more camera features to provide a holistic upgraded camera experience which are the world’s first and available on DSLR only to give customers a better holistic camera experience.

The realme 8 series camera technology reflects the brand’s commitment to providing customers across the country with a professional photography experience. The realme 8 Pro is the first realme smartphone to feature a 108MP Ultra Quad Camera with the world’s first Starry Time-lapse Video, world’s first tilt-shift time-lapse video and many other advanced features like 3x in-sensor zoom, giving users the best pixel quality in the smartphone industry.

realme 8 boasts the flagship, ultra-clear quad-camera set-up, consisting of a 64MP primary camera with the new starry mode, tilt-shift photography and multiple new portrait modes.

What are the major challenges or restrictions that smartphone cameras still face in terms of image quality?

There are some common challenges for the whole industry restricted by some optical limitations.

Like in some low light scenarios, due to optical restrictions, most smartphone cameras still cannot compare with professional DSLR in terms of noise, exposure, etc. With ever-upgrading algorithms and software tuning, realme has enabled our users to get high quality photos to cater to their daily needs with the nightscape mode. But there’s still scope of improvement.

Similarly, for far-away objects when you zoom, optical restrictions are still there. This time, realme developed a 3x in-sensor zoom feature to give users higher zoom clarity.

What are the company’s plans for its retail outlets in India?

In 2021, realme plans to open up 300-500 new “smart” stores. This will include a few flagship stores, enabling more users to experience realme smartphones and AIoT products. In addition, the company intends to form partnerships with other retailers to market some of its lifestyle items.

The new flagship store for realme will be a grand 10000 square feet space in the heart of Gujarat and will also serve as our premium service Centre. It is devoted to quickly settling post-purchase problems. Apart from smartphones, the store will display all of its products, including televisions, audio equipment, and wearables. Customers will live a smart, connected, and desired life through smart devices and gadgets at this 360 TechLife flagship store.

We believe mainline shops are the backbones of the country’s retail business, thus we are boosting the distribution channels in India, especially in Tier-4 & Tier-5 cities, to cover 35,000+ mobile stores. During the lockdown period, we strengthened our micro-distribution model and are very confident of ensuring supply to the retailers in the fastest possible time. This will cater to Tier 2/ Tier 3/Tier 4/ Tier 5 towns.

With the vaccination drive running on full capacity, does realme expect offline sales to pick up any time soon?

Consumers were apprehensive about leaving their homes due to the risk of contracting the virus, which did impact sales from mainline channels in 2020. However, stores are taking necessary precautions and following safety protocols for the same and with the ongoing vaccination drive we believe things will get better.

We believe mainline shops are the backbones of the country’s retail business, thus we are boosting the distribution channels in India, especially in Tier-4 & Tier-5 cities, to cover 35,000+ mobile stores. During the lockdown period, we strengthened our micro-distribution model and are very confident of ensuring supply to the retailers in the fastest possible time. This will cater to Tier 2/ Tier 3/Tier 4/ Tier 5 towns. These channels will form the key crux of bringing realme to the masses.

realme plans to lead India’s transition to 5G, what is the company’s strategy for the long term and short term to achieve it.

5G is the technology of the future. All the OEMs are trying to capture this new trend and we intend to be a 5G Leader in India and globally. We have received a lot of feedback and market enquiry on 5G.

We will introduce 5G-enabled smartphones at democratized prices to enable users to experience the latest processor with much-enhanced capability in terms of power management, display optimization, camera support, gaming performance etc, and get consumers future-ready for 5G. Our plan is to democratize 5G technology in 2021 with half of the devices to be 5G and all the devices above 20K to be 5G only. Also, all realme 5G phones support both NSA and SA mode to give you the holistic 5G support.

We have started it with the launch of realme X7 5G series, narzo 30 Pro 5G and will eventually bring it to more devices. For realme 8 series, we have planned both 4G and 5G versions. We will keep on bringing 5G phones to more massive price segments. You will see us launch more 5G models in the upcoming months.