New Delhi, Mar 5 (IANS): The interesting Xiaomi-realme war on social media has once again gain attention of their fans and this time, it is regarding the camera technology, as both the companies claim that they brought smartphones housing 64MP sensor to the world, with realme saying on Friday that they offered the first-ever "hands-on experience" on the technology.
According to realme, it showcased its latest 64MP quad-camera set up to the consumers and fans in India on August 8, 2019, and "was the first to provide the world a hands-on experience of 64MP quad-camera and the technology behind it".
"realme marked that day by hosting a unique photography event in New Delhi, wherein the audience was provided with a personal experience and briefing about the 64MP technology," the company told IANS.
"realme has consistently delivered a cutting-edge, premium smartphone experience to Indian customers at the most value-driven price points and has always showcased its true commitment towards its fans," it added.
Xiaomi's Redmi brand showcased the 64MP camera technology in China on August 6, 2019 while realme said it showcased the same sensor "hands-on" in New Delhi on August 8, 2019.
Redmi Note 8 series was launched in China on August 29, 2019 with the same 64MP camera while realme XT smartphone with 64MP sensor arrived in India on September 13, 2019.
Redmi Note 8 Pro with the same camera technology was launched in India on October 16.
Both the brands have now locked horns with the 108MP camera in their devices.
While Xiaomi has launched Redmi Note 10 Pro Max with the 108MP sensor, realme is set to bring the same technology in its next offering later this month.
According to industry experts, for consumers, the camera continues to be a major smartphone purchase determinant.
"With smartphones increasingly getting homogenised in terms of specs, smartphone brands are focusing on imaging, and more importantly, megapixels as a key marketing differentiator and attention grabber," Prabhu Ram, Head-Industry Intelligence Group (IIG), CMR, told IANS.
The fact is that the best camera phones from Apple (iPhones) and Google (Pixel) never boast of higher megapixels but one can vouch for the ultra-superior and natural qualities in photos clicked on their devices.
"For the average consumer on the street, it will be tough to distinguish the difference in image quality, purely on the basis of higher megapixels. That said, many consumers may get swayed by the notion that the higher the megapixels, the better the device," he emphasised.
realme and Xiaomi have been waging war against each for some time now.
In January last year, Xiaomi's India boss Manu Jain tweeted: "Funny! A copy-cat brand mocks us. Later this brand brings ads and some ppl start blaming us. Most brands push ads but only Xiaomi is bashed. Because we've been transparent about our business model. If any journalist wants to understand our internet business, I'm happy to talk!"
realme CEO Sheth replied, saying "it does not suit brands to lower their corporate ethics and get into mud-slinging on social media as it only harms the overall industry sentiments. We are here to provide our users best of the experiences and realme would rather focus on that".
In May 2019, both men took to Twitter, starting with Jain's outburst against realme. The Xiaomi man hit out at the realme 3 Pro smartphone. He pointed out that it features the Qualcomm Snapdragon 710, adding that it is older than Snapdragon 675 used in Xiaomi's then-latest device Redmi Note 7 Pro.
Sheth reacted calling Xiaomi "insecure" of its success in the country "Someone is afraid," he had tweeted.