Expecting good traction for laptops during festive season: Realme

Realme expects to see good traction for its laptops - a new category for the smartphone maker - during the upcoming festive season in the country, a top company executive said

Realme expects to see good traction for its laptops - a new category for the smartphone maker - during the upcoming festive season in the country as it goes up against giants like HP and Dell Technologies, a top company executive said.

Realme has launched two laptops, priced Rs 44,999 onwards, that will be available from August 30.

"We had been asked to launch a laptop in our online community and on social media for quite some time. We have been looking carefully into this market...We think the Indian laptop market needs some changes," Realme Vice President and India and Europe CEO Madhav Sheth told PTI.

He added that the consumer-centric brand wants to "dominate every single segment of the market".

"...our entry into the laptop segment is aligned with our goals to bring new and cutting edge products to our users. Indian consumers do deserve better value laptops. As a new player, we want to focus on building the best products and strengthen our Realme TechLife ecosystem first," he said.

In India, Realme - with 14.6 per cent market share - ranked fourth in the tally of top smartphone companies in the June 2021 quarter, behind Xiaomi, Samsung and Vivo. Over 33 million smartphones were shipped in India in the second quarter of 2021, according to research firm Counterpoint.

Sheth said while it is early to comment on targeted laptop sales, he is "hopeful about the festive season and expects to see good traction at the time".

Trends like work and study from home have continued to drive robust demand in the Indian PC market with over 3.17 million units being shipped in the June quarter, up 50.5 per cent over the year-ago period, according to research firm IDC.

Notebook PCs continued to hold more than three-fourths share in the overall PC category and grew 49.9 per cent year-on-year in the second quarter of 2021. This is the fourth consecutive quarter, wherein notebook PCs reported over 2 million units shipment.

HP Inc maintained its lead in the India PC market with a 33.6 per cent share as its shipments grew 54.2 per cent annually. Dell Technologies continued to hold the second position with a 22.1 per cent share and 86.1 per cent y-o-y growth in shipment in the June 2021 quarter.

Lenovo held onto the third position with a share of 17.8 per cent, while Acer ranked fourth with 8.7 per cent share. Asus and Apple tied in the fifth position with 4.7 per cent share in the June 2021 quarter.

"For us, the product is everything. The competition looks heavy but if you check the Realme Book (Slim), you will find it's best among all peers. It is the lightest laptop with a 2K display, Harman speakers, PC connect and many more features in its segment which makes it unique and different from other competitors," Sheth said.

The Indian laptop market needs some changes and Realme is here to disrupt this market like how it changed the smartphone market three years back, he added.

The devices will be available both through online and offline sales channels.

"Currently, the potential customers to our Realme Book (Slim) are working professionals, students, creators and those who prefer laptops tuned for entertainment and gaming. We are tying up with multiple edutech organisations as well so that students can enjoy the products at the best price and quality," he said.

The company will also "enter the IT offline industry by having a separate, fully fleshed out distribution channel to deepen presence".

Sheth noted that the device is a powerful machine for gaming enthusiasts as well.

"Realme is known for bringing disruptive products in every segment. We know the pulse of users and will always try to match their needs...we will steadily expand our laptop selection as well...," he added.