realme emerges as most popular smartphone brand among youth in 'CMR Consumer Insight Survey 2026'

New Delhi, Feb 27 (IANS) realme continues to strengthen its connect with the young generation, emerging as the ‘Most Popular Smartphone Brand Among Youth’ driven by high user satisfaction and advocacy strength among Gen Z and Millennials, according to the CMR Consumer Insight Survey 2026 for realme.

The study reflects how today’s youth seek powerful performance, reliable battery life, and design that mirrors their identity.

The survey across eight cities, highlights how deeply smartphones are embedded in the lives of the youth. With 74 per cent spending over four hours daily on their devices, performance and reliability have become non-negotiable. Camera quality (86 per cent) and battery life with fast charging (79 per cent) emerged as the most important factors influencing purchase decisions.

realme leads overall customer satisfaction among key smartphone brands and recorded the highest Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 81, reflecting strong advocacy and recommendation intent.

The study also reinforces realme’s strong youth association, with consumers identifying the brand as both youthful and performance-driven.

Upgrade intent remains strong, with over half of young users planning to upgrade within the next year, largely driven by design and camera improvements. Peer recommendations and online reviews continue to play a decisive role in shaping purchase choices.

Commenting on the findings, Francis Wong, Chief Marketing Officer, realme India said, “The CMR survey recognising realme as the Most Popular Smartphone Brand Among Youth, driven by high user satisfaction and advocacy, validates the strong trust young consumers place in us.

It reflects their confidence in our overall performance, innovation, camera reliability and user experience. We are encouraged to see realme strongly associated with youthfulness and trust, reinforcing our deep connect with the youth as we continue to deliver meaningful innovation.”

“Today’s always-on Gen Z consumers increasingly view smartphones as an extension of their personality and lifestyle, evaluating them on how seamlessly these devices integrate into their daily digital routines.

As smartphone usage intensifies, design aesthetics, reliability, battery life, and imaging capabilities are emerging as baseline expectations rather than differentiators. Smartphone brands that consistently deliver a strong ownership experience are more likely to build long-term advocacy among young users. realme’s popularity among youth reflects its resonance with these evolving expectations,” added Prabhu Ram, VP-Industry Research Group, CMR.

Beyond smartphones, the study highlights realme’s growing presence in the TWS category, where it records strong satisfaction levels, particularly around design, battery life and sound quality. The findings further underscore the importance of ownership experience, with youth engagement, seamless purchase journeys and responsive after-sales support playing a key role in strengthening loyalty.

As young consumers increasingly prioritise performance, reliability and design-led innovation, realme remains committed to delivering meaningful technology experiences that align with their evolving digital lifestyles.

--IANS

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