New Delhi, Dec 29 (IANS): Smartphone brand realme became the fastest-growing 5G Android smartphone brand globally in the third quarter (Q3) this year, registering a 831 per cent (on-year) growth, a new report showed on Wednesday. In India, realmes 5G smartphone sales grew a whopping 9,519 per cent, the most among all regions.

The growth helped realme retain the sixth spot in the global 5G Android smartphone sales for the second consecutive quarter. Much of realme's growth came from China, India and Europe.

Other fast-growing 5G smartphone brands include OPPO and Vivo, driven by their mid-to-high-end 5G smartphones, according to Counterpoint Research.

Globally, the 5G smartphone sales grew at 121 per cent (on-year). OPPO registered 165 per cent growth while Vivo logged 147 per cent growth in the third quarter.

"OEMs have been continuously bringing 5G across price-tiers and regions, making it more accessible. Furthermore, the companies also actively pushed 5G smartphones due to the better availability of 5G components," said Research Director Tarun Pathak.

"realme, with its strong multi-channel strategy and a wide 5G portfolio across price-bands, helped it grow the fastest, followed by OPPO and vivo. Apple, the current 5G market leader, only entered the 5G smartphone market in Q4 2020," he added.

The growth in the Indian market is especially remarkable for a country where 5G network is yet to be deployed.

"This was followed by China, where its 5G sales grew 830 per cent YoY, making it one of the fastest-growing 5G smartphone brands in China. The third highest growth came from Europe," said senior analyst Varun Mishra.