Realme is launching the flagship GT7 Pro on November 4 and the device is already listed for pre-orders/registrations in China. According to a leaked image from an online retailer, the phone will have a starting price of CNY 3,999, or around $560/€520.

The new Realme flagship will feature a Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset and an all-new Samsung Eco2 OLED display. It’s also expected to have an IP69 rating, a massive 6,500mAh battery with 120W charging, and three powerful cameras.

Our sources pointed out that all these features could be the reason for a price increase. The predecessor, Realme GT5 Pro, arrived in December 2023 with a price of CNY 3,399, about 15% lower than the new expected price.

Realme GT7 Pro colors

Xiaomi is gearing up to do something similar with the Series 15 and Redmi K80 lineup – we’re looking at a price hike of around CNY 600-700 (around $100) in just one year. The increase is huge in the context of China’s inflation rate, which has been running at just under 1% for the past nine months.

IDC revealed earlier this month that sales of high-end smartphones in China (devices above CNY 3,000/$500) had increased over the past three quarters.

IDC: smartphone market share by price category

The Realme GT7 Pro will be launched a week before the Asian country’s biggest shopping festival, Singles Day (11.11). This is when we will see if this strategy of a higher base price will benefit the brand or if users will opt for other, more affordable flagship products.