Realme U1 launched as ‘India’s SelfiePro’, powered by Helio P70 and a 25 MP front camera; starting at 11,999/-

Realme U1

Realme, the No. 1 emerging smartphone brand in India, launched Realme U1 as the most powerful selfie-centric phone, in the capital today.  Realme U1 is the first ever smartphone powered by the AI master MediaTeK Helio P70 processor globally.

The device comes in two variants; 3 GB RAM + 32 GB ROM at INR 11,999/-  and 4GB RAM + 64GB ROM at INR 14,499/- in three exquisite colours, Fiery Gold, Ambitious Black and Brave Blue. Specifically created for the Indian selfie lovers, the smartphone comes with an AI 25 MP front camera with Sony IMX 576 flagship sensor and 6.3-inch FHD+ Dewdrop Full Screen. The device with Ambitious Black and Brave Blue colours will be exclusively available on Amazon.in from December 5, at 12:00 noon. The Fiery Gold version will be available from around New Year, 2019.

Speaking at the launch of Realme U1, Madhav Sheth, Chief Executive Officer, Realme India, said, “We are delighted to launch Realme U1, the most powerful selfie smartphone under XK range for all Realme fans. We are the in No. 3 position in the overall market starting from Oct to Nov according to Counterpoint. In terms of rapid growth we have secured the position of No. 1 emerging brand in the country as quoted by CMR. With the launch of U1, Realme has a strong product line from budget to mid segment smartphones.”

 “We have four series under our power and style philosophy: C series, the value king – Realme C1 offers the most powerful pack of entry-level;  Realme Series, the power master,  is the best all-rounder in budget segment;  U series, the photography expert –Realme U1, the most powerful selfie- centric phone in mid-range; Pro series, the flagship for youth – Realme 2 Pro, with powerful features and style,” he added.

 Strength from the heart: Realme U1 is the world’s first phone equipped with the Helio P70 AI Processor

 The Realme U1 demonstrates how the brand is committed to its product philosophy “Power meets Style”. The hardware configuration of the U1 reaches new heights, further upgrading user experience by becoming the world’s first smartphone to be equipped with the MediaTek Helio P70 chip.

On choosing the Realme U1 to launch P70, TL Lee, General Manager, Wireless Communication, MediaTek said: “We are delighted to partner with Realme to launch World’s first MediaTek Helio P70 chipset powered smartphone. The P70 chip is the latest and most powerful chip in the MediaTek P-Series. It represents significant optimization and improvements in performance and power consumption and was designed with stronger camera module support and better AI performance. Realme’s platform will showcase the full potential of Helio P70. Realme targets young users that have high expectations of smartphone performance, power consumption, and camera functions. Through this cooperation with Realme, MediaTek will continue expanding internationally.”

The P70 chip uses TSMC’s latest 12nm FinFET production process, which reduces power consumption by 15% compared to other 14nm class processor. At the same time, the P70 features an octa-core architecture with four Cortex-A53 high-efficiency cores and four Cortex-A73 high-performance cores, for a maximum clock speed of 2.1GHz. In terms of graphics processing, the P70 is equipped with a 900MHz ARM Mali-G72 MP3 GPU, resulting in overall computing performance that is 13% higher than the P60.

 SelfiePro front camera with Dual Rear Camera

 Born as “Indian’s Selfie Pro”, Realme U1 is equipped with an AI 25 MP SelfiePro front camera powered by SONY’s IMX576 light sensor with its strong bottom imaging capacity. With more powerful fundamental computing capacity and image processing, it fully supports users to take selfies, due to Realme U1’s Helio P70 processing platform.

The Realme U1 SelfiePro cameras have been specifically developed to showcase Indian people’s skin tones, and precisely capturing details of eyes and hair, through 296 facial identification points. The device also offers a group selfie beauty mode featuring algorithms that automatically identify genders in the same photo and apply the most suitable beautification solutions without tempering, slimming and whitening.

Compared with its predecessor P60, P70 has much stronger performance in taking photos. The brand new HD depth-of-field engine improves the in-depth mapping performance by 3 times and supports 24fps smooth preview of bokeh effect, with less power consumption. Furthermore, the enhanced AI performance ensures better exposure, focusing, and white balance in the face recognition and scenario recognition modes. P70’s powerful image processing capacity, coupled with Realme’s optimization at the software level, gives U1 an HDR function capable of real-time preview. The HDR effect can show in the frame in real time.

Realme U1 comes with a 13MP+2MP duel rear camera.  The 13MP master camera clearly recover objects and precisely present all details; The 2 MP secondary camera shows the depth-of-field and bokeh effects and adds more fun. The smart camera phone also supports 90fps/720P slow-mo video capture to slow down the wonderful moments in life for more fun.

Light pillar design captures the essence of texture and look

To satisfy young people’s tastes, the Realme U1 adopts a more fashionable and bold design style, replacing plain, solid design with a unique light pillar effect. In different lighting, rotating the mobile phone shows off a unique textured look from different angles. To achieve this, the back panel of the mobile phone is constructed using a 13-layer micron-level coating that has been baked and polished at very high temperature, with layers finely joined to achieve atomic-level bonding between the laminates. The result is a back cover that combines transparency and rugged durability.

In terms of design, the U1 uses Realme’s new upgraded VI in its packaging. The box casing utilizes the brand’s secondary color grey with logo and text in Realme Yellow. Inside, the packaging features an all-Realme Yellow design, to convey a young, positive and optimistic brand image that will continue to bring more surprises to its users.

Dewdrop Full Screen is  practical

 The 6.3’’ Dewdrop Full Screen is highly integrated with the front camera, light sensor and distance sensor, and a receiver adopting a new channel sound transmission design, all integrated into the “dewdrop” and embedded in the top of the screen. Together, these maximize performance and the phone’s visual impact.

The U1 has a screen-to-body ratio of 90.8% and a screen ratio of 19.5:9, for ultra-wide field of view that greatly enhances the efficiency of information presentation. Users will achieve more immersive visual feedback while browsing images and watching videos. In terms of resolution, the U1 is equipped with a 2340*1080, 409PPI screen that takes picture clarity to the next level. Its 1500:1 high contrast and 450nit brightness screen allows users to choose 1080P HD mode while watching videos on YouTube, greatly improving their viewing experience.

Along with the SelfiePro, Realme also launched Realme Iconic Case mobile phone case; and the pro-grade, high-end Realme Buds headphones with a bold and trendy design that combines practicality and durability and will be on sale around New Year, 2019. Like Realme smartphones, these companion products are an extension of the brand’s ‘Power Meets Style’ product philosophy.

Realme U1, is available in two variants:

Version Colors Price (INR) First Sale
3GB RAM+32GB ROM Brave Blue 11,999/- December 5, 2018, 12:00 noon onwards
Ambitious  Black
Fiery Gold Around new year, 2019
4GB RAM+64GB ROM Brave Blue 14,499/- December 5, 2018, 12:00 noon onwards
Ambitious  Black
Fiery Gold Around new year, 2019

About Shakthi

I am a Tech Blogger, Disability Activist, Keynote Speaker, Startup Mentor and Digital Branding Consultant. Also a McKinsey Executive Panel Member. Also known as @v_shakthi on twitter. Been around Tech for two decades now.

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