Realme Smart TV unveiled in India, and it starts off at just ₹12,999 ($170)
Realme is setting its sights squarely on Xiaomi's Mi TV 4A series with the launch of its first TV.
Realme launched its first phone two years ago, and in that time the manufacturer managed to carve out a niche for itself in India. Realme consistently undercut Xiaomi in the entry-level and budget segments, allowing the brand to gain a sizable market share in the country in a short period of time.
Realme is now looking beyond phones as it tries to build on its momentum in the country. The brand has unveiled its first TV in India, dubbed the Realme Smart TV. The smart TV segment in the country has gotten a lot of attention over the last two years following the introduction of Xiaomi's Mi TV series. To put it mildly, Xiaomi reinvented the smart TV category by offering TVs with great value for money.
And that is the strategy Realme is emulating with its first smart TV. The Realme Smart TV is available in 32-inch and 43-inch options, and the brand is targeting the budget TV segment with its first offering. Looking at the hardware on offer, it's easy to see that Realme is positioning its TV as an alternative to Xiaomi's Mi TV 4A series. So let's take a look at what you're getting with Realme's first TV.
The Realme Smart TV has the same design as most TVs in the budget segment. The panel itself is surrounded by thin bezels, and there's a stand on either side that acts as the base. Because the TV is aimed at the budget segment, you don't get the wall mount kit in the box - it will instead be available as an accessory that you can opt for during installation.
Most smart TVs launched in India run Android TV out of the box, and the Realme Smart TV is no different. You get Android TV based on Android 9.0 Pie, with access to the Play Store and the likes of Netflix, Prime Video, and other streaming services installed out of the box. You also get Google Assistant and Chromecast built-in.
The 32-inch variant of the Reamle TV has a 720p resolution, with the 43-inch model offering a 1080p resolution. The panel itself is made by a TCL subsidiary, and Realme is offering a two-year warranty on the panel and a one-year warranty on other parts. The Realme Smart TV has 178-degree viewing angles and the panel has a maximum brightness of 400 nits. There's 24W of onboard audio, with a woofer and tweeter sitting on either side of the TV.
The TV is powered by MediaTek's MSD6683 chipset with 64-bit quad-core Cortex A53 cores and 1GB of DDR3 RAM and 8GB of internal storage. Realme says that the Chroma Boost engine on the Smart TV has been calibrated based on the data the brand collated from the same feature on its phones.
There's also Dolby Audio, and the 43-inch variant of the TV even has HDR10, but the feature will not work with Netflix and other streaming services. In terms of connectivity, the Realme Smart TV has Wi-Fi 2.4GHz (there's no 5GHz Wi-Fi connectivity) and Bluetooth 5.0. There are three HDMI ports, a USB port, and digital audio out. The remote is near-identical to the Mi TV remote, with a slightly bulkier design at the bottom. It has dedicated buttons for Netflix, YouTube, and Prime Video.
The Realme Smart TV starts off at just 12,999 ($170) for the 32-inch variant, making it a fantastic choice in the budget segment. The 43-inch model is available for 21,999 ($290), undercutting the Mi TV 4A series. Realme is offering six months of YouTube Premium for customers picking up the TV in India.