A dispute over patents on WLAN technology is again pushing a Chinese technology brand out of Germany. Is there more?

Another bites the dust. Realme confirms its exit from the German smartphone market to Nextpit. The cause is a patent dispute with Nokia over the use of WLAN technology. Nokia claims that the Chinese smartphone brand is using the technology to bring wireless connectivity to its devices without paying the related fee. In order not to get into a costly lawsuit, Realme chooses eggs for its money and retires.

This comes as no surprise to those who follow the German smartphone industry closely. As early as August 2022, Oppo and OnePlus decided to stop selling smartphones until Nokia is ready to mix water with wine, which doesn’t seem like an option right off the bat. It is no coincidence that Realme is also part of the BBK Electronics consortium, which has now completely withdrawn from Germany, because Vivo smartphones can no longer be found there either.

No exodus from Europe

At the moment there are no signs that Realme smartphones will disappear from the Benelux. Realme has a limited market share of less than five percent in Europe, but the brand has been on the rise. OnePlus and Oppo fans don’t have to worry for the time being either. OnePlus has already brought the flagship OnePlus 11 and OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite to our country this year. The OnePlus Nord 3 will be announced in July.