Chinese phone major Oppo has quietly launched a new sub-brand Realme in India to take on smartphone market leader Xiaomi. Realme 1 will be the first smartphone from this new sub-brand. The phone will exclusively be sold online on Amazon. The e-commerce giant Amazon also has a page dedicated to the upcoming Realme 1 and reveals this will be an Amazon exclusive announcement. The listing page also indicates the new smartphone will be unveiled on May 15, 2018. Though the key features and details remain elusive, the listing does show the device in a unique Diamond Black edition. The banner promises “unique, exquisite design” against the generic design followed by all affordable phones. The rear panel shows a glossy finish, so probably the Realme 1 will sport a glass sandwich design, or it could boast the same plastic body with a glossy finish like the Oppo F7.
In addition, the rear panel shows a single camera module in the top left corner supported by an LED flash. The phone image also shows the volume rocker is on the right while the power button is on the left side.
Oppo is touting the quality of its engineering process, and it claims that the Realme 1 has gone through 10,000 drop tests, 10,000 USB tests, and 1,00,000 button tests to ensure highest possible smartphone quality for constant usage. And, the company also claims they have more than 500 authorised service centres where you will get a guaranteed service of the phone in an hour.
For the unaware, last week Oppo introduced a smartphone called Oppo A3 in China which featured similar Diamond patterns on the rear. So the Realme 1 could possibly be a cheaper version of the Oppo A3. The Oppo A3 features a 6.23-inch FHD+ 19:9 aspect ratio display and is powered by MediaTek Helio P60 mobile chipset. Other specs include: 6GB of RAM, 16MP primary camera with LED flash, 8MP front camera, ColorOS 5.0 based on Android 8.1 Oreo. The Oppo A3 features similar specifications as the Oppo F7 which was launched in India last month, which is the reason why the Realme 1 could be a cheaper version of the Oppo A3 with downgraded specifications.
The Realme 1 might come with a similar design sporting a longer display and screen notch. Beneath the display will be the physical home button with an integrated fingerprint scanner. Other information about the internals of the device are not available, but the smartphone will likely be launched in Rs 10000 to Rs 15000 segment to take on the Redmi Note 5 Pro.
