The Indian telecom device market witnessed strong growth in 2012. According to industry estimates, over 221 million handsets were sold in the country during the year. Annual sales are expected to increase further to 251 million units in 2013 and 326 million units in 2016.
Low-cost devices are expected to constitute over 91 per cent of overall handset sales. According to ABI?s Mobile Device Shipment Market Data report, low-cost smartphone shipments are expected to grow from 45 million in 2012 to 170 million in 2016.
Handset vendors are increasingly turning their attention to this segment, with the aim of extending their reach beyond the metros and cities. Given that the next phase of telecom growth is expected in rural areas, manufacturers are targeting customers who are looking for feature-rich mobile devices at affordable prices.
Over the past few years, companies like Samsung, Nokia and Ericsson have flooded the market with such devices. Considering the requirements of a price-sensitive market like India, these devices are priced between Rs 1,500 and Rs 6,000.
Apart from international players, several domestic players ? Karbonn Mobiles, Micromax, MAXX Mobiles, Videocon Mobiles and Intex ? entered this space in mid-2010. These players are focusing on launching devices with advanced features at low prices.
For example, Micromax has introduced a speech recognition application, which is similar to Apple?s Siri. Karbonn Mobiles has developed its own instant messenger and push-mail service, which is inspired by BlackBerry?s messenger service. These companies are offering these handsets for about Rs 4,500.
To drive sales, they are investing in advertising and marketing initiatives to highlight the unique selling points of their devices. Micromax has embedded the Artificial Intelligence Speech Handset Assistant (Aisha) in its recently launched smartphone Ninja, which is priced at
Rs 4,999. The company has earmarked an advertising spend of Rs 160 million for the Ninja smartphone. Aisha?s unique selling point is its accent-neutral voice recognition, through which it accepts commands, reads out messages and helps users locate ATMs or restaurants on a voice prompt. The company claims to have received orders for 100,000 Ninja handsets within a week of launching the smartphone. The handset manufacturer is targeting college students who aspire to upgrade to a feature-rich handset, but cannot afford a premium brand.
tele.net takes a look at the recently launched low-cost mobile devices in the Indian market…
Operators
Idea Cellular
The operator has launched Zeal, a dual-SIM 3G smartphone. The smartphone is powered by a 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and functions on the Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread operating system. It has a 3.5 inch screen and 256 MB RAM. The smartphone is priced at Rs 5,390. The operator is offering a recharge coupon priced at Rs 261, which will provide 1 GB of free data usage each month, apart from free Idea TV for three months.
Beetel Teletech
The company has introduced the GD 777 touchscreen handset. Priced at Rs 5,499, the handset has a 5 megapixel camera. The GD 777 supports expandable memory up to 16 GB, Java, GPRS, WAP and EDGE connectivity. It also supports various instant messenger platforms and 3D games, and can be used as a webcam. In early 2012, the company introduced the GD 470 dual-SIM touchscreen handset at a price of Rs 3,300. The device supports Bluetooth connectivity, and file formats like 3GP, AVI, MP4 up to 25fps. Other features include a 1.3 megapixel camera, expandable memory up to 8 GB and access to Beetel World, which offers social networking applications and infotainment applications such as Facebook, Snaptu, Mig 33, Yahoo!, ibibo, Vuclip, Reuters, Hungama and books published by Penguin India.
Videocon Mobiles
The company has expanded its range of tablets with the launch of the VT71 device. The tablet functions on the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich platform; has 4 GB of ROM, 512 MB of RAM and a front VGA camera; and supports Wi-Fi connectivity and an expandable memory up to 32 GB. The Videocon VT71 also offers the Saavn music, NexGtv TV, and Facebook and Nimbuzz applications. It is priced at Rs 4,799. The company has also introduced the Dost handset series with the launch of the V1531+, V1542, V1528 and V1544 devices. All the devices have a 1.3 megapixel camera and support dual SIM cards, Bluetooth technology and the Movie Juke Box application. The V1542 and the V1544 handsets have 2.6 inch screens, while the V1528 and the VG1531+ devices have 2.4 inch screens. The V1542 costs Rs 2,099, the V1528 Rs 1,799, the V1531+ Rs 1,849 and the V1544 Rs 2,399.
Handset vendors
Nokia
The company has introduced the Nokia 103 handset, which is priced at Rs 1,000. The device offers single-SIM GSM connectivity along with stereo FM playback. It functions on the Nokia Series 30 operating system. The company has also introduced the dual-SIM C2-03, C2-06 and the C2-02 touch-and-type devices, which are priced at Rs 4,289, Rs 5,349 and Rs 4,949 respectively. The C2-03 has a TFT screen with 56,000 colours, a handwriting recognition facility, a phonebook with a capacity of 1,000 entries and Class 12 GPRS. The C2-06 has 10 MB of internal memory, a 2 megapixel camera, video recording facility, support for email and push mail and WAP 2.0. The C2-02 has a 65,000 colour screen, a 2 megapixel camera, support for Java and social networking sites, an inbuilt organiser, and predictive text input.
The company has also launched the Asha 305 and Asha 306 handsets in the Indian market. The Asha 305 has a 3 inch screen and is priced at Rs 4,500. It has a 2 megapixel camera and supports GPRS. The Asha 306 has a 3 inch screen, a 2 megapixel camera, 64 MB of ROM and 32 MB of RAM, and offers 10 GB of internal memory and an external memory of up to 32 GB. The handset supports technologies like the global positioning system and Bluetooth.
Micromax
The company expanded its Bolt series of smartphones with the launch of the A 35 device. The smartphone functions on the Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread operating system and is powered by a 1 GHz processor. It packs in dual cameras (a 2 megapixel rear camera and a 0.3 megapixel front camera) and supports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1 technologies. The A 35 is priced at Rs 4,250. The company has also introduced the A 54 Smarty 3.5 Android device at a price of Rs 5,999. It is based on the Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread operating system, and has a 1 GHz processor, an HVGA capacitive touchscreen and a 3 megapixel camera. Other features include support for dual SIM cards, an inbuilt audio and video player, Bluetooth support, the G-sensor and proximity sensors, 130 MB of internal memory and quick access to various applications such as Facebook, Hookup, Mi Zone, Mi Store and the Google Play Store.
Moreover, Micromax has expanded its Smarty range of handsets with the launch of the A 30 dual-SIM device. Priced at Rs 3,849, the handset has a 2 megapixel camera and operates on the Android Gingerbread platform. Other features include a 832 MHz Broadcom processor, 256 MB of RAM and 512 MB of internal storage. The device supports Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity.
Samsung
The handset manufacturer has introduced four devices as part of the Rex series ? Rex 90, Rex 80, Rex 70 and Rex 60. Samsung has positioned this series between feature phones and smartphones. These handsets are priced between Rs 4,300 and Rs 6,500. The Java-based devices support dual SIM cards. The Rex 90 has a 3.5 inch screen and a 3.15 megapixel camera, and supports Wi-Fi. The Rex 70 and the Rex 80 also have a 3 inch screen. The Rex 70 has a 2 megapixel camera and 10 MB of internal memory, while the Rex 80 has a 3 megapixel camera and offers 20 MB of internal memory. The Rex 60 has a 2.8 inch screen and a 3 megapixel camera, and offers 30 MB of internal memory.
The company has also launched the Champ Neo Duos C3262 handset, which is priced at Rs 3,599. It has a 2.4 inch screen and supports dual SIM cards. It offers 20 MB of internal storage and an external memory of 32 GB. The device supports GPRS and Bluetooth.
MAK Mobility
MAK Mobility, the national distributor of KONKA smartphones in India, has launched the Trio range of handsets. It comprises the Agni, Aakash and Prithvi devices, which are priced between Rs 1,199 and Rs 2,999. The Aakash and Agni devices have the King Movie high definition video player, a 1.3 megapixel camera and support a memory card of up to 16 GB. The Prithvi has a VGA camera and a special box speaker with a K-class amplifier.
Karbonn Mobiles
The company has launched a low-cost handset, Karbonn A1+, which is priced at Rs 4,990. It has a 3.5 inch screen and supports dual SIM cards. The device functions on the Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread operating system and is powered by a 1 GHz processor. The Karbonn A1+ has 256 MB of RAM and offers a memory of up to 32 GB. It supports GPRS and Wi-Fi connectivity.
