Realme, a low-cost newcomer Chinese smart-phone maker, has carved out a leading position in Asia’s emerging markets, as the pandemic intensifies competition to secure market share in the strategically important region.
在疫情加剧、亚洲新兴市场竞相争夺份额之际，中国低成本智能手机制造商真我(Realme)占据领先地位。
In the first half of 2020, Realme’s sales grew 157 per cent year on year, making it one of only two brands to register positive growth globally during the period, according to tech research firm Counterpoint.
根据科技行业研究公司Counterpoint的数据，2020年上半年，真我的销量同比增长157%，成为同期全球仅有的两个实现正增长的品牌之一。
The two-year-old brand cracked the world’s top 10 handsets last year, based almost entirely on its ability to sell cheap and relatively high-spec smart-phones in south and south-east Asia.
这个仅两年历史的品牌去年跻身全球前十大手机制造商之列，几乎全靠其能在南亚和东南亚销售廉价而配置相对较高的智能手机。
In an interview with the Financial Times, founder and chief executive Sky Li described competition in the region as “white hot”. He attributed Realme’s sales growth to the brand’s precision targeting of young buyers interested in tech fads but unable to pay too much for them.
该公司创始人和首席执行官李炳忠(Sky Li)在接受英国《金融时报》采访时将该地区的竞争形容为“白热化”。他将真我的销售增长归因于该品牌精准瞄准了对科技潮流感兴趣、但无法支付太高价格的年轻买家。
The company’s pandemic-beating performance comes as Samsung is accelerating efforts to claw back market share from Chinese manufacturers in India, where Realme is closing in on Samsung’s current third-place ranking.
在该公司于疫情阶段实现骄人业绩之际，三星(Samsung)正在加速从中国制造商手中夺回在印度的市场份额，因为在印度，真我正在逼近排名第三的三星。
As of July, the company was the seventh most popular brand globally and ranked fourth in Thailand, India, Cambodia and Egypt.
截至7月，该公司在全球人气最高的品牌中排名第七，在泰国、印度、柬埔寨和埃及排名第四。
In recent months, major international brands have also moved to strengthen their position in India, as the rise of anti-China sentiment after a deadly border clash in June created a potential opening for challengers.
近几个月来，各大国际品牌也纷纷采取行动加强其在印度的地位，原因是在6月发生致命的边境冲突后，印度的反华情绪抬头，为竞争对手创造了潜在机会。
Mr Li, who was previously head of India operations at OPPO, China’s third-largest smart-phone brand, said he saw an opportunity to sell flashy and sleek but cheap smart-phones in emerging markets.
曾担任中国第三大智能手机品牌OPPO印度业务主管的李炳忠表示，他看到了在新兴市场销售华丽、时尚但价格低廉智能手机的机会。
“We weren’t content with being a small-is-beautiful brand. We wanted to become a main player in the industry,” he said of the decision to set up Realme as an independent brand.
“我们并不满足于做一个‘小就是美’的品牌，我们希望成为行业的主要参与者。”他在谈到决定创立真我作为一个独立品牌时如是表示。
US players have also shown increased interest in the market. Google last month announced that it would invest $4.5bn in Reliance Industries’ Jio Platforms and would partner with the Indian technology group to build an Android-based operating system for its smart-phones.
美国企业也对该市场表现出了越来越浓厚的兴趣。谷歌(Google)上月宣布，将向信实工业(Reliance Industries)的Jio Platforms投资45亿美元，并将与这家印度科技集团合作，为其智能手机开发基于安卓(Android)的操作系统。
Realme’s rise has come in large part from riding on the success of OPPO, which has provided the company with manufacturing and space in its sales stores across India, said Nicole Peng, a Hong Kong-based analyst at Canalys.
Canalys驻香港分析师彭路平(Nicole Peng)表示，真我的崛起在很大程度上借力于OPPO的成功，因为OPPO为真我提供制造服务，其在印度各地的销售门店给真我留出空间。
Both companies are part of a network of models backed by Shenzhen-based conglomerate BBK Electronics, which is also an investor in brands Vivo and OnePlus. “There aren’t really any issues to ramp up scale or cut costs to make cheaper devices,” she said.
这两家公司都是由总部位于深圳的集团公司步步高电子(BBK Electronics)支持的品牌网络的一部分。同时，步步高也是Vivo和一加(OnePlus)品牌的投资者。她表示：“在扩大规模或削减成本以制造更便宜的手机方面，真我没有什么问题。”
The next stage for Realme to solidify its lead will be to expand its presence in China, where it officially launched its first model in May last year.
为巩固其领先地位，真我下一步计划是扩大在中国的业务。去年5月，真我在中国正式推出首款机型。
CK Lu, a Taipei-based analyst at Gartner, said Realme was well placed to succeed in its home market because there was a big demand for cheaper models and their main rival Xiaomi has been inconsistent in launching well-priced phones with new features.
高德纳(Gartner)驻台北分析师吕俊宽(CK Lu)表示，真我具备在本土市场取得成功的条件，因为市场对廉价手机的需求很大，而它的主要竞争对手小米(Xiaomi)并不总是能够推出具备新功能、价格有吸引力的手机。
“In China, there was always demand in the lower-tier city market, especially after Covid made many brands look too expensive,” Mr Lu said.
吕俊宽表示：“在中国三、四线城市，市场需求一直存在，尤其是在新型冠状病毒肺炎时期，许多手机品牌显得过于昂贵了。”