China's Realme Apologises After Armed Robbery of Flagship Smartphones Shipment
Realme apologises for the delay in the release of its GT6 smartphones owing to an armed robbery in transit to Spain. The theft has created delays in Spanish and Portuguese shops. Realme's European market share stayed stable at 4%, but shipments increased by 59% in Q1 2023.
Realme, a Chinese smartphone manufacturer, has apologised to its consumers for any potential delays in the sale of its next handset. The company disclosed that a shipment of GT6 cellphones, which were set to launch in Italy this week, was stolen while in transit to Spain.
Realme acknowledged that the theft occurred "for reasons beyond our control" and sincerely apologised for the situation. The incident apparently occurred in late May, when the car delivering the gadgets was stopped at gunpoint. As a result, both Spanish and Portuguese businesses are seeing delays in retrieving stolen cellphones.
The exact number of stolen handsets and their worth have not been published, and Realme has made no more remark on the event. This episode is a blow for Realme, which formed as a separate entity from Oppo in 2019, as it seeks to create a strong presence in Europe, one of its core regions.
While its market share in the region remained stable at 4% between 2022 and 2023, shipments in the first quarter of current year increased significantly by 59% year on year. This expansion was fueled by Western Europe and a noteworthy comeback in regions such as Italy and Spain. Realme had planned to release its GT series handsets in 2021 as a strategic move to compete in established markets such as Western Europe and China.
The business marketed the GT6 as its latest "flagship killer," a term widely used by Chinese brands to represent handsets with high-end capabilities at low pricing. The GT6 is likely to be powered by Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 CPU and will include artificial intelligence capabilities, though specifics have yet to be published.
Chinese smartphone firms, including Realme, have aggressively expanded their worldwide footprint in recent years. Realme, which was originally nurtured by Oppo, is now one of the industry's fastest-growing brands.
Since its inception five years ago, the company has shipped more than 200 million devices, with the majority of sales coming from outside China. Realme, originally incubated by Oppo, has emerged as one of the fastest-growing brands in the industry.
Since its founding five years ago, the company has shipped over 200 million handsets, with the majority of sales coming from outside of China.
Realme apologises for delays in the release of its GT6 smartphones due to an armed robbery during transit to Spain.
The theft has caused delays in Spanish and Portuguese stores.
Realme's market share in Europe remained steady at 4% but saw a 59% increase in shipments in Q1 2023.
Source: YAHOO