Realme Separates From Oppo to Create Independent Brand, Aims to Create Smartphones for 'Young People Around the World'

Oppo sub-brand Realme is breaking away to become an independent brand and will be headed by Sky Li, former Global VP at Oppo who has resigned to take up the responsibility of running the new mobile phone business in India and other markets. Interestingly, this is the second instance when an Oppo executive has left the core business to continue with a new brand - previously, it was Pete Lau who started OnePlus. However, OnePlus still remains a part of Oppo's parent company, BBK Electronics.

According to his letter posted on Facebook, Sky Li, founder and Global CEO of Realme, said, "Before leaving Oppo officially, I've been in charge of Oppo's global overseas market during these past few years, leading Oppo to grow from the business available in 3 markets to one that covers 31 countries and regions. The overwhelming response and trust from the young generation is something that has encouraged me to launch the new brand Realme. The new brand will not only offer a good product but also will reflect one's persona. I am proud to declare that the new brand will have more to offer to young people around the world with better products."

Towards the end, Sky Li also thanked Oppo CEO Tony Chen for his guidance over the past 18 years that they have worked together.

To recall, the sub-brand launched its first smartphone, the Realme 1, exclusively in India back in May this year. The smartphone offered extreme value-for-money with specifications such as a MediaTek Helio P60 SoC, up to 6GB of RAM, up to 128GB of internal storage, and a unique design at a starting price of just about Rs. 8,990. The smartphone is sold through flash sales on Amazon.in and the initial reception has been good, with hundreds of positive reviews on the online retailer's website.