Interview: Realme's Madhav Sheth talks Realme 8 5G, laptops, and 2021 ambitions

25 April 2021
Sheth also tells us about the success of Realme's number series.

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  • N
  • NoDare
  • p}2
  • 02 May 2021

Is this the guy responsible for the GIANT "Dare to Leap" behind the phones that is causing Realme to lose too many sales to the Redmi Note Pro and others?
By the way, too much limelight for one person is bad business. Just look at the photos accompanying this and other articles by this gentleman here.

    • j
    • jack
    • U{W
    • 29 Apr 2021

    SShreyas, 28 Apr 2021Which phone (with SD 865) is priced at 24,999? I can'... moreRealme X50 Pro 5G at Flipkart upcoming sale

      The Android Freak, 26 Apr 2021Realme X50 Pro priced at 31999 and same snapdragon 865 powe... moreWhich phone (with SD 865) is priced at 24,999?
      I can't find any

        sq2013, 26 Apr 2021Same as any CEO of any big company to be fair. They live in... moreSeems like the Realme India's CEO likes to Market himself more that the brand or its products lolol.... You will notice it if you check previously published articles on Realme related to leaks and products.

          The Android Freak, 26 Apr 2021Realme X50 Pro priced at 31999 and same snapdragon 865 powe... moreDon't get me started with the X50 pro , haha. One of the worst-priced phones ever (and reviewed) If they want to go to that path haha

            • M
            • MoneyForSpend
            • p}2
            • 27 Apr 2021

            sq2013, 26 Apr 2021Same as any CEO of any big company to be fair. They live in... more
            Your words are true. I had not seen it like that at all, and it is only for the 108 Megapixel camera that I wanted that phone. I've been looking for a year for the perfect phone for photography and with x2 or x3 zoom (i use a Canon reflex but it´s so heavy). I can spend up to 800 Euros. I was going to buy at 700 Euros the Sony Xperia 5 II, but it has an elongated screen and is horrible for viewing photos or youtube videos (black bars each side). I bought the Google Pixel 4a 5G I returned it by issue on screen that many know (touch), it still made excellent photos but very aggressive make-up that you see when you zoom in. And the Onplus 7T for Hardware defect too, signal coberture, heavy, so big. The 8 Pro no way because it has screen defaults too (black crush). So I thought about this Realme 8 Pro because of its camera. I know it's not the good one. Its sensor is a S5KHM2 (the same as the redmi note 10 pro, which also has hardware failures in its proximity sensor and software), nothing to do with the S5KHM1 of the S20.... But I don't like samsung too much. Because of bloatware. So apart from the A52 which I don't buy it because it doesn't even have auto on/off power, something essential, and bloatware, nor the A71 because the x3 zoom is not real but 1.1 yes and also doesn't take very good photos, I thought about this Realme 8 Pro, with horrible speakers and horrible video stabilization and horrible selfies but at least the 108 megapixels of the cheapest sensor in the 108 range gives enough brightness in pixel biding from 1-9 to take photos with clarity. That's only why I was going to buy it but now I've seen that Realme is bad in its updates, very slow. I don't care about the build materials, but not the Dare to Leap behind it, I HATE IT THIS SLOGAN, that's why I have to buy the Punk Black.... Or maybe not. All time i think in the phone i have the image of this CEO smiling... I can't stand this CEO or the CEO of OnePlus (is worse with his BIG HYPER marketing). They think they are the new Steve Jobs, although I couldn't stand Steve either, who even abandoned his pregnant girlfriend.... What a guy with no feelings. Really, And people saw him as the mystical Guru....

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              • Antichinesephones
              • pK2
              • 26 Apr 2021

              doesn't matter who's leading Realme it stills Chinese brand.

                • s
                • sq2013
                • 0Fx
                • 26 Apr 2021

                SShreyas, 26 Apr 2021Nah. I don't think that Nokia will achieve anything by... moreIt's the only way I can see them remaining relevant though. As an android based brand, they can't and won't compete ever. They're so far out of touch. The only thing that could be justifying the price is that they think that the name still carries weight. This ain't 2005. Nokia had a golden age but they can't trade off that forever. The world's moved on. People won't pay over 400 euros for phones that are less capable than phones out there for 200 euros. In my country, the Nokia 7.2 is 330 euros. That phone has an LCD display, a 3500mah battery, android 9.0 and a Snapdragon 660. I bought a Poco F3 for 292 euros with a Snapdragon 870, 4500mah battery, an amoled screen with a 120hz refresh rate and 33w charging as well as 5G. It's literally probably two or three times as good as a phone. It is just commercial suicide.

                  sq2013, 26 Apr 2021The only way Nokia can work is to get back into windows. An... moreNah. I don't think that Nokia will achieve anything by going in this direction.
                  Windows Phone is completely dead. And I don't think Microsoft will again start working on it just because of Nokia.
                  HMD did produced some amazing phones but couldn't managed to either market them well or price them well.
                  For instance, in my country, Nokia 8.1 was launched for INR 30,000. 6 months down the line, HMD slashed the price by half. They could've launched it at INR 20,000 along with better marketing and it'd have been a huge success given the amazing features it had.

                  Also, they should keep 2 or 3 phones in the lowest budget segment with one "Android Go" series, one series with basic Android and one series in lower mid-range (can skip the last one, though). Also, they should start these "flagship killer" sort of devices. The 8.3 5G was a good one. It'd have been a bang for buck if launched below €400.

                  And most importantly, they should start designing and developing their own designs rather than approaching an ODM, like they did in 2017 and 2018. Also a simple UI on top of vanilla Android (like OxygenOS) would be appreciated.

                  Let's see what their new CPO plans for future. But shifting to Windows, even if Microsoft agrees, would require considerable inputs from the brand and I don't think HMD will be able to manage that.

                    • s
                    • sq2013
                    • 0Fx
                    • 26 Apr 2021

                    SShreyas, 26 Apr 2021First of all, yes, spoofing of IMEI numbers was not accepta... moreThe only way Nokia can work is to get back into windows. Android is saturated now. There's too much competition and either they're unable or unwilling to try and compete on a value basis. They just can't I believe. Windows is still a huge brand and just because they messed it up once, it doesn't mean that it's unworkable. The opportunity for synchronization between a mobile device os and Windows desktop os is just enormous. How they managed to mess it up is beyond me. The market wants something different. Pure linux is too complicated for the average everyday user and that's not being disrespectful but windows is a very easy language to understand. Probably over 70% of office places in the world use Windows os every day in the office. I work for a company with over 1000 employees and we work on a windows computer using Citrix and Cisco networking systems daily. Nokia can't survive like this. People just won't pay over the odds for a name in the midst of a pandemic.

                      Start learning to give bigger endurance battery. Fast chargers are not solution

                        Vic4BBM, 26 Apr 2021I was only giving my opinion about the statement by the per... moreFirst of all, yes, spoofing of IMEI numbers was not acceptable. But, mistakes happen, especially of you have such a vast product lineup. There has been data leak by Nokia, too, as I mentioned in my previous comment.
                        And I am very sure that IMEI incident was a "mistake". Because Vivo is investing in India. So, they're not "thugs" (like "Ringing Bells" which advertised a $5 phone and cheated everyone who pre-ordered it)

                        Secondly, without any doubt, you're free to form opinions or support a brand. But you're being a fanboy, trying to justify what can't be. And I hate that fact.
                        Check this out (opinion section), I was speaking against the advertisement of Xiaomi's apps and their ridiculous pricing in my region:
                        https://www.gsmarena.com/newscomm-48807.php#2297584

                        I loved Nokia's 2017 and early 2018 lineup and own a Nokia 6.1 Plus. That's why I was a bit more aggressive (sorry for that) because HMD is ridiculing the name of a legendary brand with their poor strategy, insane pricing.
                        Recently, Flipkart (a substitute of Amazon in my region) was offering me INR 9,250 for a phone that I bought for INR 15,000. Guess what? Those who purchased that phone couple of months later (compared to mine) for INR 9500 were also offered the same price. Even cheap phones (>10k) like Realme and Xiaomi don't depreciate that much.
                        That's why HMD is more than a ridiculous brand that is only slapping "Nokia" logo on back of a Chinese phone coupled stuttering software (my own experience) and even more ridiculous pricing.

                          • ?
                          • Anonymous
                          • wiS
                          • 26 Apr 2021

                          Some flagships from realme still running android 10.where is realme's promise for android 11.i'll never recommend realme to anyone.

                            • s
                            • sq2013
                            • 0Fx
                            • 26 Apr 2021

                            MoneyForSpend, 26 Apr 2021Some phones have "Dare to Leap" written on the ba... moreSame as any CEO of any big company to be fair. They live in a different world. Money is not an object for these people. A Q and A with smartphone fans would have been much more productive but that would mean losing control of the agenda. There are some very uncomfortable questions about the brand going around and he would struggle to answer them. You're in a dream world if you ever think such people would care about the likes of us. Regardless of a pandemic or not, they just want your money. He won't tell you so I will, don't go near this overpriced trash. You can pay the same money and get a Poco f3 or even cheaper X3 pro. This Realme brand has delusions of grandeur but anyone who actually understands the economics of smartphones and the bill of materials will see they're trying to sell cheaper parts on a huge mark up simply by adding gimmicks like branding garishly or glow in the dark cases or even 108mp cameras that due to small apertures and underpowered image signal processors on midrange chipsets will never give you what you might think is the quality of photography you might expect from a 108mp camera. In short, Realme are here for a good time and not a long time. There is no chance of longevity as they're not bringing real value to the market.

                              • s
                              • sq2013
                              • 0Fx
                              • 26 Apr 2021

                              Vic4BBM, 26 Apr 2021Please read whole thing before shooting in any reply. I ha... moreYeah I saw that online but what's that got to do with Realme or Xiaomi? Have realme been caught using spoofed IMEI numbers? Not that I can see so have a go at Vivo but the discussion is about Realme here. As badly priced as I think that their phones are, they have not been found to have tampered with the IMEI numbers on phones. So again, what's your point?

                                • ?
                                • Anonymous
                                • p}2
                                • 26 Apr 2021

                                The Android Freak, 26 Apr 2021These segment uses cheap Amoled panels from Chinese compani... moreAnd Google Pixel? It´s an American Company. People are returning their Google Pixel 4A and 4A/5G because of touch issues and Ghost Touch from very poor quality screens made in Vietnam. Or the same with the Samsung S20 FE 5G display... I do not take away your reason, but this already happens in all brands.

                                  SShreyas, 26 Apr 2021Do you even realise what you're RANTING? Let's wo... moreI was only giving my opinion about the statement by the person. If you think it's ranting or whatever you take it as, it's your viewpoint.And nowhere I have used any caps like you have done.

                                  Plus it was nothing personal against anyone. You replied to my comment and someone else also jumped in. I never expected anyone to agree with me.

                                  Everyone is free to have an opinion. I only put up what I think is appropriate as per my understanding. You ( or anyone else) may agree , may not agree. That's fine.

                                    • M
                                    • MoneyForSpend
                                    • p}2
                                    • 26 Apr 2021

                                    Some phones have "Dare to Leap" written on the back, tackily and in large letters in case you need glasses. Some people's pictures look like "to be a poser". When you combine the two you think if that can be more important than developing the updates needed to make a phone work well. This gentleman only seems to care about his image. And answering "stay tunned" when he doesn't even know what to answer. The picture in another post where you see him getting out of his car with a phone in his hand is pathetic, this one is twice as pathetic. Steve Jobs is a figure that many want to imitate (for example one man in OnePlus), now this man. If you are reading me, worry about having a clear mentality before bringing a product to market, to listen to buyers, not to abandon them in the updates or be slow in doing them and to create competitive products that compete against its biggest rival: Xiaomi (Poco, Redmi). And last but not least, worry about whether you come out well groomed or not in photos, properly dressed or not, this is the last you should be concerned. This message it´s from a European who is seriously thinking whether to spend 300 Euros on a Realme 8 Pro 8/128 GB, in a global economic crisis caused by a pandemic, and thinking to dedicate his money to someone who is not a "to be a poser" in photos or who prints some big no sense letters on the back of a phone that will make me feel like a kid if I show it. And I say this as constructive criticism from the heart. But if you're more concerned with looking at how the photos look in this post than reading comments from future buyers, go ahead.... It's my 300 euros and the many dollars or various currencies from the rest of the world that won't pay for your car, your house, your food. I am European, and in Europe there are many phones better than Realme at same price. If you are the image of a brand, you should worry first about styling and dressing your phones well, not yourself.

                                      Vic4BBM, 26 Apr 2021Your comments confirm that you do not look beyond price in ... moreDo you even realise what you're RANTING? Let's world's most "expensive" brand and HMD Global
                                      HMD provide ENTRY LEVEL chipset (SD 480) for €400. On the other hand, Apple's iPhone SE (2020) is selling for €350, with much better "security" (if that's your primary concern), OS, and much longer support.

                                      And FYI, Custom ROM is all about having control over "every aspect" of your phone, including "security". The security features of most Custom ROMs is much better than security features provided by many of the brands itself. The entire idea of Custom ROM came from the concerns regarding privacy, security and customization.

                                        sq2013, 26 Apr 2021What do you mean about saying that you don't know what... morePlease read whole thing before shooting in any reply.
                                        I had said that VIVO ( brother / sister of Realme) was found using same IMEI for multiple phones ( numbers in thausands). That's the level of security from BBK and it was exposed by Indian police. Cannot rule out same for Realme.

                                        The person who replied to me didn't even say a word on that. He was just focused on Price. Price is not everything.
                                        Hope you understand the context now.

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