Kris Carlon / Android Authority
TL; Dr
- After OPPO, OnePlus and vivo, realme ended its smartphone business in Germany.
- This decision is likely due to Nokia's patent dispute, which was decided in favor of Nokia.
Finnish OEM Nokia won a major patent battle against OPPO in Germany, forcing OPPO and OnePlus to stop selling smartphones in the German market. Following in OPPO's footsteps, Vivo has suspended its smartphone business in Indonesia for the foreseeable future. Now, Realme has shut down its smartphone business in the country, marking the complete exit of BBK Electronics from Germany.
According to a report from Nextpit , Realme has confirmed to the publication that it will be leaving the German market. The company will focus on its core markets in other European countries and suspend its operations in Germany until licensing negotiations with Nokia reach a successful conclusion.
We've reached out to Realme for comment and will update this article as soon as we hear anything.
Those who follow OPPO vs. Nokia wouldn't be surprised by this departure. Nokia, the Finnish device maker (not to be confused with HMD Global, which licenses the Nokia smartphone brand), holds important patents related to Wi-Fi connectivity. The German court ruled that OPPO had infringed the patent on the smartphone, so OPPO had to remove its products from the country.
We suspect the ruling will result in a similar loss for OnePlus, vivo and realme. These four companies belong to the Chinese BBK Electronics group and could be equally affected.
Existing customers using this company's products will likely continue to receive software updates and have their warranty obligations fulfilled. However, with licensing negotiations with Nokia still ongoing, don't hold your breath as the phone makes its way to Germany. If you're currently looking to buy a great smartphone in Germany, your options are currently limited to Apple, Samsung, Google and Xiaomi.
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