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Realme is going to become Oppo’s sub-brand once again which some might see as a sign that the market is changing.
Realme started its journey as a sub-brand Oppo and it is going back now.
Realme has been a strong player in the market with its phones and other devices but now the company is ready to head back to its roots and have a fresh start. Realme is rejoining Oppo’s stable to become one of its sub-brand, just like OnePlus but limiting its access to certain markets in the near future. These were mostly rumours but in the last few hours Realme has confirmed the development and talked about its reasons for doing so.
To give you a recap, Realme did start its journey as an Oppo sub-brand many years back, before going independent like many other brands. Now, Oppo is reverting back to its original shape and bringing Realme within its structure.
Realme Headed Back, But Why?
The smartphone sector is facing a tough time and the next few years are going to show its effects. The RAM shortage is forcing them to sell phones at a steep price which reduces their margins and Realme could be looking at the bigger picture and happy to work under Oppo’s wings to keep its expenses to a minimum.
Realme working as an Oppo sub-brand also means it can diversify into other categories and rely on the parent company for its service support and other parts of the business. This does make a lot of sense but we’re not sure how the new arrangement works and whether Oppo will keep this change limited to China and keep it the same way in other regions like India.
Realme did just launch its new 16 Pro series in the country and most people have talked about the higher than usual prices for the same hardware that may have cost them around Rs 5,000 less in 2025.
OnePlus is also seeing the value of working as a sub-brand for Oppo without diverting from its focus on premium all-round devices like the OnePlus 15 while the software team is now working in tandem for the same platforms.
We could see more brands take this route as they look to grapple with the ongoing market uncertainty all caused by the heavy demand for AI data centres, and forcing many to realign their market focus.
January 08, 2026, 11:41 IST
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