If you know the Realme brand it’ll likely be for its smartphones like the Realme GT, but like many other companies, it’s working on building an ecosystem of connected products, a mission that has taken a big leap forward with the announcement of the Realme Book laptop. It’s Realme’s first attempt at computing, and it follows the brand’s familiar path of offering high specs for a reasonable price.
Made from metal, the Realme Book weighs 1.38kg and is 14.9mm thick, with the option of choosing a blue or grey anodized finish. The IPS LCD screen measures 14-inches and has a 3:2 aspect ratio, plus a 2160 x 1440 pixel resolution with a 400 nit peak brightness. It’s covered in Gorilla Glass for protection, and has thin bezels for a 90% screen-to-body ratio.
Inside the top model is an Intel 11th generation Tiger Lake Core i5 1135G7 processor with Intel’s Iris Xe graphics, and up to 16GB of RAM with a 512GB SSD. A cheaper Realme Book uses a Core i3 processor, but it has not stated which one. The Book is cooled using a dual fan system, and it’s claimed the battery will last for 11 hours before needing a recharge. Realme uses a 65W fast-charging system for the Book, which is also a feature on many of its smartphones, where it takes a 4,500mAh battery to full in a little over 30 minutes. However, it does not list a charge time for the Book laptop.
The chassis has a Thunderbolt/USB 4 port on the Core i5 model, plus a USB Type-C port, a single USB Type-A port, and a 3.5mm headphone socket. There are two speakers tuned by Harman Kardon with DTS HD support, and a backlit keyboard with 1.3mm of key travel and a touchpad. The power button also contains a fingerprint sensor. The Realme Book has Wi-Fi 6 connectivity and comes with Windows 10 installed, plus a PC Connect feature to link your phone directly with the laptop.
Realme does not sell its smartphones in the U.S. and while it’s not clear where the Realme Book will be released, the company has provided prices in U.S. dollars. The top Core i5 model with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD will cost $999, while the cheapest Core i3 version with 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD will be $749. No release details have been announced at the time of writing, but the pricing may suggest a U.S. release is in the plan for the future.
Realme’s strategy of starting out with smartphones and then launching a laptop as part of a growing device ecosystem, including smartwatches and smart home equipment, is common. Huawei and Honor have followed this path over the past years for example, as has Xiaomi.
