Realme unveils new 5G smartphones

Chinese smartphone vendor Realme unveiled new 5G smartphones on Tuesday, in the hope of attracting more consumers to prepare for the upcoming Nov 11 online shopping festival.

The move came as Realme aims to beat out rivals amid intense competition in the sector via competitive product quality and prices.

The Realme Q2 series, as the new smartphones are named, start at 998 yuan ($147.9). Among the new devices, Realme Q2i is a budget-friendly handset that offers a triple-camera setup consisting of a 13 mega-pixel primary lens and two 2 mega-pixel macro and depth sensors. It is powered by the chip company MediaTek's processor.

Realme Q2 Pro is more premium, featuring 65W fast charging and a quad-rear camera setup that is accompanied by a 48mega-pixel main lens.

Launched in the middle of 2018, Realme has quickly grown to be the seventh-largest smartphone vendor in the world, chiefly relying on its popularity in e-commerce sales channels and its resonance with young consumers.

China's 5G smartphone shipments are estimated to reach 140 million units in 2020, according to estimates from market research company Counterpoint Research.

More than 600,000 5G base stations have been built and put into use in China, connecting over 100 million terminal devices in total, according to data released by the country's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.