The Realme U1 was launched in India on Wednesday as part of a new U-series
It’s not often we see a new brand make a mark in today’s market scenario that is already seeing a lot of competition, but Realme has fought the odds. The brand made its debut early this year as an offshoot of Oppo, and four smartphones later it has made a name for itself. The success of the first four phones has given Realme the confidence of launching a brand new series in its first year and the Realme U1 is the first product in this series.
The Realme U1 was launched in India on Wednesday as part of a new U-series. This is a series that seems to be about introducing selfie-centric phones, which is what the U1 is about. But the Realme U1 is also about offering something unique like past Realme phones, which is why it is the first phone in the world to be powered by the new Helio P70 chipset. This along with Realme’s commitment to offering an attractive design at an affordable starting price of Rs 11,999 makes the Realme U1 yet another potentially promising smartphone. I spent a brief amount of time with the Realme U1 and here are my initial thoughts.
In terms of design, Realme has kept things pretty familiar. On first look, the U1 look similar to the Realme 2 Pro. It gets the same dewdrop display with a tiny droplet-style notch, and the rear panel is glossy and reflective. The panel on the back does not curve along the sides as it did on the Realme 2 Pro. It’s more of a glass-like slab that offers what Realme calls a pillar reflection. This essentially means you will notice refractive lines on the glass depending on the angle you hold it. This is offered in three colours – Ambitious Black, Brave Blue and Fiery Gold. Note that the Gold colour variant will only be around the start of 2019.
The dewdrop display was first introduced with the Realme 2 Pro and it has now come to the U1.
