realme has officially confirmed that it is stepping away from the Chinese smartphone market as part of a major strategic shift. Instead of competing at home, the company says it will focus its resources on growing its presence in overseas markets, while also retiring realme UI in favor of ColorOS.
realme is “pressing the pause button” in China
The announcement came from realme Vice President Shen Qi, who shared an open letter on Weibo explaining that the brand will “press the pause button” on its business in China.
According to Qi, the decision was made after careful consideration. He said realme will now concentrate its resources on international markets, with a stronger focus on performance-focused and gaming-oriented smartphones while continuing to bring new technologies to global users.
The move follows OPPO’s ongoing restructuring, which has already seen sister brand OnePlus officially stop launching new products in the United States and Europe. Earlier reports also suggested OPPO plans to reposition its smartphone brands across different regions.
Europe becomes a key focus
While realme is leaving its home market, the company isn’t slowing down globally.
According to earlier reports, OPPO plans to strengthen realme’s presence in parts of Europe, particularly in the Nordic region, including Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. realme already sells smartphones in several European countries, and those markets are expected to become a bigger priority moving forward.
Existing users in China will still receive support
realme also assured its existing customers in China that support will continue despite the company’s exit from the local market.
Sales of current devices, warranty services, and after-sales support will be handled by OPPO’s official service team. Users will also continue receiving software updates.
Once the next version of ColorOS becomes available, eligible realme smartphones in China will receive the update through the normal update process, with the company saying users’ rights and after-sales services will remain protected.
Goodbye realme UI
Alongside the market shift, realme has confirmed another major change.
The company is discontinuing realme UI, with ColorOS becoming the software platform for future devices. The transition will begin with ColorOS 17, matching the same software strategy that OPPO is implementing for OnePlus, where OxygenOS will also be replaced by ColorOS starting with Android 17.
The move is expected to simplify software development across OPPO’s ecosystem by allowing its smartphone brands to share the same software platform while continuing to receive updates.
For now, realme’s announcement only confirms its exit from the Chinese market. The company has not announced any changes to its operations in other regions, and its renewed focus will instead be on expanding its presence in overseas markets.