Realme to launch smart TV by April

Kolkata: India’s fourth-largest smartphone maker Realme’s next big bet is going to be smart television which will make its global debut in India by April as part of its strategy to expand into newer categories including smart watch and speaker, its India CEO Madhav Sheth said.
Industry executives said the move will trigger another round of price war in the television segment since Realme, like Xiaomi, has an aggressive pricing strategy in India and the two-year old Chinese startup has pushed out well-entrenched competitors in smartphones. The company will also manufacture all these products in India, Sheth said.

“Smart television is growing in India and we will become a significant player offering disruptive experience at the correct price,” Sheth said. He said Realme will be targeting Rs 3,000 crore sales from the newer categories in 2020 by launching 20 new products, while the company seeks to double its revenue.

In calendar 2019, Realme India clocked around Rs 14,700 crore in sales having sold 15 million smartphones which it wants to take up to 30 million units in 2020. Sheth doesn’t expect much disruption from the Coronavirus scare in China and has already factored in the possible delay in component supplies in these new launches.

Realme, which is also the fastest growing smartphone brand and second-largest in online sales after Xiaomi, said newer products like TV, smart watch and speakers will be subsequently launched in other markets like China.