Realme 9 Series Tipped to Launch With 4 Models in Q1 2022 After Delays Due to Global Chip Shortage

Realme 9 series could feature four models in India — Realme 9, Realme 9i, Realme 9 Pro, and Realme 9 Pro+/Max, according to a new report. The upcoming smartphones were expected to arrive this year, but have been reportedly delayed due to the global chip shortage. These are now tipped to arrive in the first quarter of 2022. The Realme 9 series will feature Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 chipset and AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, according to past leaks.

With the Realme 9 series, the company is expected to add a new Realme 9 Max/Pro+ variant alongside the Realme 9, Realme 9i, and Realme 9 Pro, according to tipster Mukul Sharma in association with 91Mobiles. The new Realme smartphones were earlier said to launch in October, but Realme Vice President Madhav Sheth confirmed in September that launch plans for the Realme 9 series were pushed to 2022 because of the global semiconductor shortage.

Sharma says the Realme 9 series smartphones would launch latest by February 2022, adding that it wasn't clear if all four devices — Realme 9, Realme 9i, Realme 9 Pro, and Realme 9 Pro+/Max — will be launched at the same time. Sharma says Realme could launch the four models in two separate events.

Realme has followed a pattern of releasing two generations of its Number and Pro series every year, but the company only launched the Realme 8 series in 2021.

Realme is yet to make an announcement regarding these smartphones. The series is tipped to feature Snapdragon 870 SoC that was launched earlier this year and support 5G connectivity. The Realme 9 handsets will also sport 108-megapixel cameras and feature AMOLED displays with a 120Hz refresh rate, according to previous leaks.