Realme was certainly one of the best ideas to come from Oppo in recent years. What started as a lineup of mid-range smartphones was quickly elevated to the sub-brand status. Later, Realme became an independent brand operating in the smartphone business. For some years, it was one of the most relevant and fastest-growing smartphone brands, but something has changed. In a sudden twist of fate, Oppo announced a major restructuring that will put Realme back under its wings.
Realme is Once Again an Oppo Sub-Brand
A major restructuring inside the ranks of the former BBK Electronics conglomerate will give back Realme's sub-brand status. The news emerged from China's Leifeng.com and is based on info citing Oppo's internal sources. As per the report, Realme founder and CEO Sky Li will retain his responsibilities and will lead the Realme sub-brand under Oppo management in this organizational alignment.
According to the report, Oppo aims to strengthen the internal collaboration between Oppo, Realme, and fellow sub-brand OnePlus. It will also improve the resource management and Oppo's global expansion strategy. Under the new management, Oppo will be the leading brand while OnePlus and Realme will operate as complementary sub-brands with their own marketing strategies. The move, in other words, might shrink the operation of these brands that will now operate under Oppo and not beyond.
It is worth noting that this move won't impact future Realme product releases. All upcoming devices will adhere to their original launch schedule. According to the report, Realme will be integrated into Oppo's after-sales service system, which also includes over 5,000 physical stores across China.
Highlights
- Realme founder and CEO Sky Li will continue to lead the brand under Oppo’s management
- Oppo wants tighter collaboration between Oppo, Realme, and OnePlus
- Oppo will act as the main brand, with Realme and OnePlus as complementary sub-brands
- Each sub-brand will keep its own marketing strategy
- Realme’s operations may shrink as it now works under Oppo instead of independently
- Upcoming Realme product launches will not be affected
- Realme will join Oppo’s after-sales network, including 50,000+ physical stores in China
- BBK Electronics dissolved in 2023 and was replaced by Oppo, vivo, and imoo
- Oppo and vivo now dominate the group’s smartphone business
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Interestingly, the BBK Electronics Group, which had Oppo, Vivo, OnePlus, iQOO, and Realme operating as independent brands, disintegrated back in 2023. Now, it is succeeded by Oppo, vivo, and imoo. The first two names are now everything in this group's smartphone segment, while imoo is a children's smartwatch maker.
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