Key Highlights:
Realme was the dark horse in 2018, after releasing six smartphones in its debut year and registering a staggering 600 percent growth during the festival season. The brand launched as a subsidiary of Oppo initially, but after the Realme 1, it started to operate independently, led by Oppo’s VP Sky Li. However, so far all Realme phones relied on ColorOS, a custom interface developed by Oppo. According to a new report by 91Mobiles, however, Realme may soon implement it’s own custom interface in its phone, ditching Oppo’s ColorOS.
The report claims that Realme filed a trademark application with the United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office for “RealmeOS”, indicating the company may be developing its own Android interface.
The trademark application states the name “RealmeOS” can be used for OS programs, software to maintain and operate computer systems, and downloadable apps for mobile devices, among others.
A custom OS is not the only thing Realme is reportedly working on. An earlier report claimed the nascent company is also developing its own app store that will serve as an alternative to Google Play Store. It could be possible that this is a move to enter the Chinese market, where Google does not offer its services and every OEM has to rely on their own app store.
In India, Realme quickly propelled to become one of the top smartphone brands in India. The company offered phones with powerful hardware at affordable prices, often undercutting the competition. However, it was the ColorOS UI that many in the Realme community asked to be improved or replaced with something more attuned to stock Android. Perhaps, the new “RealmeOS” is a move to fix that.
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Realme 3 to launch in Q1 2019, a 48MP camera phone in tow as well