Now, it can be said with certainty: Realme will officially make its debut in the Philippines on November 29. Or just a day after the OPPO sub-brand announces the upcoming Realme U1 smartphone in India, if the rumors pan out in the first place.

We first reported that Realme is launching in the Philippines in September, when we stumbled upon its official local Facebook page. Days after, we saw a job listing for a Realme PR or public-relations manager in the country. Fast-forward to today — less than a month later — we’re staring at a date we knew was coming sooner rather than later.

Realme will join Xiaomi and Honor, whose founding company is Huawei, in the local mobile space, where competition has driven prices to dizzying lows. Thankfully for Realme, it has zero qualms about getting its boots muddy in the price wars between the Philippines’ biggest smartphone brands.

Realme C1. Related article: OPPO sub-brand’s Realme C1 is a cheaper OPPO A3s

In India, the entry-level Realme C1 costs ₹6,999 at launch, which translates to roughly P5,220 or $96. The phone features a 6.2-inch notched LCD; a Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 running Color OS 5.1 based on Android 8.1 Oreo; 13- and 2-megapixel rear cameras; and a 4,230mAh battery. It offers similar specs to the OPPO A3s, which sells for P6,990 ($133) locally.

Realme 2 Pro. Related article: Affordable Realme 2 Pro with up to 8GB RAM is official

Its current flagship and most powerful smartphone to date is called the Realme 2 Pro, which pairs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 with up to 8GB RAM and 128GB of expandable storage. It has two cameras on the back as well. The most expensive variant of the Realme 2 Pro is priced at ₹17,990(P13,194 or $251). It’s genuinely intimidating for any smartphone to stack up against.

Consumers, on the other hand, will likely find it hard to ignore. In fact, Realme was named the hottest-selling smartphone brand all over Southeast Asia for the duration of the Lazada 11.11 sale, beating Samsung, Xiaomi, Apple, and Huawei for the sales crown. It’s been said that Realme’s performance was particularly strong in Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia.

SEE ALSO: Realme 2 is official; coming to SE Asia, Middle East this year

As to which phones specifically Realme will sell in the Philippines, we’re told that its product lineup will be revealed on November 29 also. Considering its fairly thin portfolio, we’re pretty sure the Realme C1, Realme 2, and Realme 2 Pro will be offered here.

The Realme U1, notably the first model to carry MediaTek’s newly launched Helio P70 processor, is another possibility, though it will probably go on sale at a much later date. We’ll know for sure next week, so mark those calendars.

The brand is currently looking for what it calls “squad leaders,” who, besides providing updates to co-community members, will get to experience first the latest Realme devices and even propose their own community activities.

In case you’re interested

Realme C1 specs

• 6.2-inch LCD display with notch, 1,520 x 720 resolution (19:9)
• Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 processor
• Adreno 506 GPU
• 2GB RAM
• 16GB expandable storage
• Dual 13-megapixel (f/2.2 aperture) + 2-megapixel (f/2.4 aperture) rear cameras
• 5-megapixel front camera with AI face unlock
• 4,230mAh battery
• 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, USB OTG, 3.5mm audio jack, microUSB 2.0 port
• Android 8.1 Oreo-based ColorOS 5.1
• Color variants: Deep Black and Ocean Blue

Realme 2 specs

• 6.2-inch LCD display, 1,520 x 720 resolution (19:9)
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 processor
• 3GB/4GB RAM
• 32GB/64GB expandable memory
• Dual 13- and 2-megapixel rear cameras with LED flash
• 8-megapixel front camera
• Fingerprint reader (rear-mounted)
• 4,230mAh battery
• Android 8.1 Oreo

Realme 2 Pro specs

• 6.3-inch IPS LCD display, 2,340 x 1,080 resolution, 19:9 aspect ratio, 408ppi, Corning Gorilla Glass 3
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor
• Adreno 512 GPU
• 4GB/6GB RAM, 8GB RAM
• 64GB memory, 128GB memory
• Dual 16- and 2-megapixel rear cameras
• 16-megapixel front camera
• Fingerprint reader (rear-mounted)
• MicroUSB port, dual nano-SIM slots, 3.5mm headphone jack
• 3,500mAh battery, 5V/2A charging
• ColorOS 5.2, Android 8.1 Oreo
• Colors: Ice Lake, Blue Ocean, Ice Lake

Learn About This Author

Ramon Lopez

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Reviews editor: Ramon "Monch" Lopez has 16 years of professional experience creating and editing content for print and digital publications such as Yahoo. He headed the gadgets-merchandising division of one of the Philippines’ largest retail operators somewhere in between.