8 years after its first phone, Realme announces the end of something "amid a shrinking market"

A machine-translated report from the Far East reads that Oppo "clenches its fist" in the moment of a "shrinking market". That's not an exaggeration, as we've noted recently.

The global smartphone game is cooling off in 2026 after a small bounce this year, mostly thanks to rising memory chip costs. Big names like Apple and Samsung could see only minor drops, but Chinese brands like Vivo, Oppo, Xiaomi, and Honor are set for tougher hits. With production costs jumping up to 25%, one can expect pricier phones, fewer upgrades, and maybe even slimmer lineups, especially in the budget and mid-tier segments.

That's why, to better navigate through this stormy sea, Realme returns to Oppo as a sub-brand. According to internal Oppo sources, in the future, Realme and OnePlus will strategically align with Oppo's main brand, allowing for differentiated approaches in the market.

Will there be any changes?

The Realme CEO Sky Li (Li Bingzhong) will oversee the overall sub-brand operations, while OnePlus China president Li Jie will continue in his current role. Realme's new products will be launched as planned and will be fully integrated into Oppo's after-sales service system.

With the gradual reintegration of OnePlus and realme, OPPO's resources will be better consolidated, the report states, creating a clearer strategic relationship between the main brand and its sub-brands. Looking at last year's performance, this integration has already shown results, with the Oppo-related group increasing its market share "both in China and overseas".

What's next?

Realme is expected to drop the Realme Neo 8 in China later in January, running on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chip.

It's also packing a 6.78-inch AMOLED screen with 1.5K resolution and up to 165Hz refresh (yeah, that sounds like the OnePlus 15, doesn't it?), plus a 50MP main camera.

Under the hood, you can expect an 8,000mAh capacity battery with 80W fast charge, IP68/69 water protection and ultrasonic fingerprint sensor.

So far, delays are not expected.