Realme A1 Said to Be Brand's Next Budget Smartphone in India, Priced Below Realme U1

Oppo-spinoff Realme is likely to expand its market in 2019 with Realme A1. The new model is rumoured as the company's next budget smartphone in India. It is said to be cheaper than the Realme U1 and come in Black and Yellow colour options. To recall, the Realme U1 was launched with a starting price of Rs. 11,999 for the 3GB RAM/ 32GB storage variant and goes up to Rs. 14,499 for the 4GB RAM/ 64GB storage configuration. Realme also notably has the Realme C1 as its most affordable model in the country. The smartphone is currently available with a price tag of Rs. 7,999.

Citing a person familiar with the development, Android-focused blog DroidShout reports that the Realme A1 will be positioned below the Realme U1 in the company's smartphone range. The new model is also said to come in Black and Yellow colour options.

There aren't any details about the hardware or price of the Realme A1. However, being a cheaper option over the Realme U1, the new model is speculated to come closer to the Rs. 10,000 price mark.

Realme so far has four smartphone models in its current lineup, including the Realme U1, Realme 2, Realme 2 Pro, and Realme C1. In the entire range, the Realme C1 caters to the demand of customers seeking an affordable model against the likes of Asus ZenFone Lite L1 and Xiaomi Redmi 6A. The smartphone was launched at Rs. 6,999 and recently received a hike of Rs. 1,000 that increased its price to Rs. 7,999.

After the Realme C1, Realme has the Realme 2 that starts at Rs. 8,990. The Realme U1 comes after the Realme 2 with a price starting at Rs. 11,999 for the 3GB RAM/ 32GB storage model, while its 4GB RAM/ 64GB storage variant is priced at Rs. 14,499. In contrast, the Realme 2 Pro is available as the top-of-the-line model by the Chinese company with a starting price of Rs. 13,990.

While the specifications of the Realme A1 haven't been revealed yet, the smartphone is speculated to be closer to the Realme U1. This means the new model could have an octa-core MediaTek Helio P70 SoC with either 3GB or 2GB RAM. The new Realme phone is also likely to have a dual rear camera setup.

Realme earlier this month confirmed that it will push Android 9.0 Pie on the Realme 2 Pro, Realme C1, and Realme U1 in the first quarter of 2019. This suggests the rumoured Realme A1 could also be upgradeable to Android Pie - if not come with the latest software version out-of-the-box.