India (Mumbai/Pune) check-in - adding some “street” heuristics that have held up this year:
Price bands I actually see (base RAM/ROM):
- C-series: 7-11k. 5G C-models creep to 12-13k but don’t expect miracles.
- Number series (non-Pro): 14-18k; “+” sits 18-22k.
- Narzo: same silicon as number series but 500-1,500 cheaper online during sales.
- GT/GT Neo: 28-45k depending on chip/tier (GT 6T near 30k, GT 6 mid-to-high 30s on sale).
Drop pattern I trust:
- 1 month: 5-8% if there’s a card bank promo.
- 3 months: 10-18% in big sales.
- 6-9 months: 20-30% off launch, then flat till EOL.
If a model isn’t at least 12-15% down by month 3, it’s usually an inventory issue or it’ll get replaced soon.
Online vs offline:
- Big online sale + card + coupon usually beats cash street by 1-2k. Off-sale weeks, good shops match or are within 500-1k if you ask for cash/no-EMI.
- Don’t chase coupon screenshots. Check final payable with the exact bank card and delivery pincode; a lot of offers are targeted.
- Always ask offline for GST bill; otherwise no warranty claim if things go south.
Storage upsell reality:
- 6/128 to 8/256 is typically +1-2k. That’s worth it on Realme because of updates + heavier Realme UI. 12GB variants jump +3-4k-only worth it if you game or keep 100+ apps.
Common rebrand/twin pairs (India):
- Narzo 70 Pro ≈ Realme 12+ (D7050, OIS main, 67W).
- Narzo 70/70x ≈ Realme 12/12x trims.
- Narzo N53 ≈ Realme C53.
Use these to price-compare apples-to-apples.
Red flags at given prices:
- >18k with UFS 2.2 or single speaker-skip.
- >20k with LCD-skip unless you really need high PWM LCD (rare here).
- Dimensity 6100+/Helio G99 above 15-16k-only buy under 15k.
- Missing n77/n78 5G bands for India-don’t pay midrange money for that.
- 2MP filler sensors pretending to be “triple camera”-ignore.
Tools/tracking:
- Keepa for Amazon.in, PriceBefore/BuyHatke graphs, Flipkart price history via extension.
- Telegram: DesiDime alerts, specific Realme deal channels during BBD/GIF, set keyword alerts.
- Sale calendar: Republic Day, Summer Sale (May), Independence Day, Big Billion Days/GIF (Oct), Festive finales (Dec).
Warranty/import:
- Realme warranty is region-tied. “Global ROM” on a China unit = no service here, often no OTA, sometimes broken bank apps. Unless the price delta is massive and you’re okay with zero support, skip grey.
Used/refurb quick math:
- 12 months old: 55-65% of current new street price if clean, with bill+box.
- 24 months: 35-45%.
- Battery: Android won’t show health; run AccuBattery for a week or check charge counters. Budget 1.5-2.5k for an out-of-warranty battery swap. Avoid units with replaced boards (IMEI mismatch kills warranty/5G registration headaches).
My current datapoints (last 4-6 weeks, Mumbai):
Model + storage: Realme 12+ 8/256
- Current street price (online/offline): 19.5-21k / 20.5-21.5k
- Months since launch: 18
- Worth it at this price? Yes ≤21k for OIS + AMOLED; above that I’d wait for sale or look at Narzo 70 Pro.
Model + storage: Narzo 70 Pro 8/128
- Current street price (online/offline): 16.5-18k / 17.5-19k
- Months since launch: 18
- Worth it at this price? Under 18k, easy yes. It’s the cheaper twin of 12+.
Model + storage: GT 6 12/256
- Current street price (online/offline): 34-38k / 36-40k depending on exchange bonuses
- Months since launch: 15
- Worth it at this price? Good at ≤36k; otherwise wait for next bank stack.
Model + storage: C67 6/128
- Current street price (online/offline): 8.5-10k / +500-ish
- Months since launch: 20+
- Worth it at this price? Only <9k. Otherwise get a fresher C-series or a Narzo N-model.
Would love folks from EU/SEA to add their bands, plus any 2025 models I’ve missed with real street numbers.