Realme, one of the fastest-growing smartphone brands, is still among the leaders in the mobile industry, especially in India. However, recently, there have been some concerns about their operations in India. This includes Realme being accused of boosting sales numbers by selling pre-activated smartphones. Also, Realme’s lifestyle sub-brand, Dizo, shut down without official statements. Moreover, Realme smartphones have been accused of stealing users’ data in India.
Furthermore, the Realme GT series has been ignored in light of these issues, as the company is not even attempting to launch it in India again. This report will share some important things that users need to know. I love Realme smartphones, but seeing the current situation, it is sad to see Realme’s position, especially after Madhav Seth (the former Realme CEO) quit.
Realme operations in India are better than they used to be.
Before proceeding, we would like to clarify that there are no issues with the device. Instead, this is about real estate operations. So, without further ado, let us look at this closely.
Realme bloatware is not legitimate.
Every company packs some level of bloatware into their device to keep the cost of the device low. Nevertheless, Realme is said to have the most bloatware, even on their flagship devices. For example, Realme GT 2 Pro has ten third-party apps, and Realme 11 Pro has 74 pre-installed apps, of which 26 are unnecessary.
Generally, users think it is a feature, and there is little issue with bloatware. The issues arise when a company like Realme packs almost 91% of apps that are unavailable on the Google Play Store. This means those apps are not legitimate, and there should be some issue with the app that does not fulfill the guidelines of Google. This is a proven concept, and there are no issues with this business model of serving bloatware through which the company generates revenue, but the issues lie under
Most apps that come pre-installed on Realme smartphones are used to serve manipulative ads, pornography, or sexual-type apps. There are even some apps that offer quick loans with little paperwork, but failure could cause serious mishaps, such as harassing customers for repayment. Users and their family members or other contacts go through this as they are asked to repay the amount immediately. These fraudulent apps that come pre-installed on Realme smartphones are bloatware apps that sell your data or are also pre-installed on the device.
On the other hand, some users also receive nude video-call fraud calls. Normal users receive the calls, but they are used further to blackmail users. Tech enthusiasts like us only sometimes fall into this trap because we are more aware of fake things. Even Apple or Google have some issues, so if the app is not directly available in these stores, how can we trust an app that is not available on the Google Play Store?
Even if you try to resolve these issues, you cannot control India’s highest authorities directly. Even Realme’s former CEO confirmed that even India’s highest authorities cannot make some decisions by themselves. This directly means that these apps are controlled by BBK in China.
Realme is falsely promoting its sales numbers.
Realme has recently launched its Realme 11 Series, and over 1 million units have been sold, or so the company claims. The company is not pressuring retailers to sell pre-activated handsets to show higher sales. Instead, when retailers activate the device with their SIM card, it appears as if the device has been sold on Realme’s backend.
Users will not face warranty issues because the warranty will be provided on their bills. Another thing to note is that if users discover this issue, the retailer will offer the same device or an upgraded smartphone. In the case of opting for an upgrade, Realme sells two smartphones. Even OnePlus smartphones have been accused of the same issue. This is how Realme is inflating its sales numbers, making normal users believe that this smartphone is good enough.
Realme is selling 20 smartphones ranging from 8k to 28k in price. Most of the smartphones they sell have a new back panel, while others remain the same, such as the Realme 11X 5G and Realme 115G, which only differ regarding the rear, front, and RAM. This confusion needs to be clarified, as we find every smartphone with a price gap of only $1000. One major issue with this is that the price of their latest models decreases within two months.
Initially, this was fine when the company launched fewer smartphones. However, now we have new smartphones with subtle changes every single month. Furthermore, do not expect good software update quality. Consumers are now willing to spend 20% more on their next smartphone, while Realme claims to want to launch smartphones in the budget segment, which is not a good move. This means that premium smartphones are going to continue to grow.
Realme does not have any people at the moment.
So, if Realme says they want to sell smartphones at entry level, this is not a good sign. Realme also does not have a face to represent their smartphones. Due to this, Indian consumers have trust issues, and Realme is currently only operating in China. The company is not even seeking a replacement; above 30K, there are only a few companies where Realme does not exist.
Despite having good smartphones for the price, they should try selling good smartphones in the premium segment. We recommend buying Realme smartphones, but we must see how long we can say that.