Realme India CEO Madhav Sheth talks about Realme GT 3’s battery health, India plans in 2023, and more

Realme prides itself as a smartphone brand that aims to deliver the latest and cutting-edge technologies in its devices. From launching several 5G smartphones before 5G even rolled out in India to reaching new heights in fast charging, Realme wants to ensure its customers get the best technology out there at reasonable prices. The Realme GT 3 is the latest such product from the brand, highlighting a whopping 240W fast charging technology that can juice up the phone from 0-100% in under 10 minutes.

The Realme GT 3 240W naturally raises a few questions regarding battery health, heating concerns, and where the brand plans to go next in 2023. To understand these and more, 91mobiles reached out to Realme India’s CEO Madhav Sheth on the sidelines of MWC 2023.

91mobiles: In 2023, is Realme focusing on expanding its portfolio or offering fewer distinctive products?

Madhav Sheth: Since our inception, we have been a technology democratiser at the core, forging ahead with an aim to create an innovative TechLife ecosystem, in-line with our consumers’ needs. We remain committed to our vision. Our 2023 product strategy will focus on three major components – leap-forward tech, leap-forward design, and leap-forward experience.

Our product portfolio follows the “Spire Strategy” approach, where each product series features a revolutionizing technology that forms the mainstay of our proposition. We are further prioritising superior design, performance, and overall user experience for all products.

For the smartphone category, the Realme Number Series will be the ‘Hero product’ for 2023, with a razor-sharp focus on design and functionality. We are continuously listening closely to our consumers’ feedback and exploring newer ways to bring innovations to our product line-up and enhance their overall experience. Our premium flagship GT series will feature trailblazing capabilities that we believe will transform the industry. Our newly launched Realme GT 3 is equipped with 240W charging capabilities, and as the year progresses, we plan to introduce even more incredible features.

In terms of the entry-level segment, we are focusing our efforts to make the Realme C-Series one of the top-selling smartphones in 2023. The C-Series phones will continue to have practical features such as massive storage capabilities along with additional stand-out features such as a premium design which will set it apart in the industry. Lastly, we are happy to share that we have plans to expand our tablet portfolio in India later this year.

91mobiles: As fast charging technology advances quickly, how are battery health and longevity concerns being addressed?

Madhav Sheth: Realme has been a pioneer in charging tech since the beginning and has over time brought more advanced charging tech to the market. Along with the advanced charging technology, we have also worked extensively on battery technology and the bridging technology between the two to ensure longer battery longevity and optimum long-term user experience.

All fast charging technology from the house of Realme comes equipped with multiple temperature control ICs, charging ICs, cooling systems, and advanced software features to provide a high-end optimised charging experience. Talking about our latest charging technology, i.e., the 240W SuperVOOC charging, we have 13 temperature control ICs within the device and 3 charging ICs to facilitate different charging speeds for different environments. The smartphone also comes with a large Vapor Chambor liquid cooling system which uses an advanced heat dissipation mechanism to efficiently take heat away from crucial components including but not limited to the battery.

The batteries used by us are also higher quality, denser, and can maintain up to 80% of battery health even after 1600 charge cycles, compared to the industry standard of 800 charge cycles.

We also continuously communicate with our consumers to educate them on best practices to take care of their device and their batteries – like avoiding extreme temperatures, unplugging the charger when the device is fully charged, and using certified charging accessories.

We believe that our focus on battery health and longevity, along with our commitment to providing the best fast-charging experience, will help our customers to stay connected and get the most out of their Realme devices for years to come.

91mobiles: Will Realme target a new price segment in the Indian market in 2023, or continue to focus on current segments?

Madhav Sheth: As we look towards 2023, we remain committed to providing value-driven smartphones to our consumers in India. We understand the needs and preferences of our consumers, and as a result, we are continuously evaluating our product portfolio to cater to their demands. While we will continue to focus on our current price segments, we also recognise the importance of expanding our premium product portfolio.

We are planning to make our premium product portfolio much stronger, targeting the segment above 25k. This will include high-end smartphones that offer cutting-edge technology and premium features to our discerning customers.

91mobiles: What upcoming developments can we expect in India from Realme?

Madhav Sheth: In addition to creating disruptions in the tech and design ecosystem, Realme has always understood its position as an environmentally responsible brand. To that point, we are committed to promoting sustainable practices in our day-to-day business operations and reducing our carbon footprint.

Demonstrating our commitment to the environment, in 2022, we launched the Realme GT 2 Pro, the world’s first smartphone to use a biopolymer derived from renewable resources such as paper pulp and SABIC’s biopolymer which reduces carbon emissions during manufacturing of the rear panel by 35.5%. For this smartphone, Realme partnered with the world’s renowned industrial designer, Naoto Fukasawa, who came up with a premium flagship paper tech master design. Every million GT 2 Pros made with paper tech master design are the equivalent of 3.5 million fewer plastic bottles being produced.

For us, business operations and social responsibility go hand-in-hand. We intend to continue our efforts towards sustainability and stand tall on our promise of ‘Leap-to-Greener’ by coming up with more environment-friendly initiatives to build a greater and greener world.

For a more in-depth look at the Realme GT 3, you can check out our first impressions here.