Realme 3 coming in Q1 2019, 48 MP handset also in the works

Back in 2010, today's Realme appeared as a subsidiary of OPPO carrying the "OPPO Real" name. In 2018, Realme became an independent brand and released a few affordable handsets that were well-received in India and other emerging markets. This year, we will see this young brand release at least the Realme 3 handset and a phone packing a 48 MP camera.

In a recent interview with The Indian Express, Realme India's CEO Madhav Sheth said that the Realme 3 will be introduced in the first quarter of the year and that the company sees no value in triple cameras and punch-hole selfie shooters. Considering this statement, we should expect a notched display and a dual camera setup on the back. On the other hand, Realme's CEO confirmed that the company is planning to launch a handset with a 48 MP later this year as well, probably in time for the launch of the brand's first experience store.

The aforementioned experience store is supposed to open its gates in the second half of the year. For now, Realme's team in charge of it are working on "structure and principles" and the location of this store still has to be chosen. By the end of the year, Realme should open at least a few retail stores in India, but the company's official did not reveal any other details.

India might get quite a few new retail stores from brands like Realme later this year due to the changes in the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) norms for the e-commerce industry. According to the new rules, a vendor cannot sell for more than 25 percent of products at a marketplace, so handsets exclusively available in India via Flipkart or Amazon will soon become a thing of the past.