Chinese Co Xiaomi Unveils First Smartphone In India Priced At 14,999

Increasingly, many handset makers such as Motorola and Alcatel are partnering with e-commerce firms to launch their devices exclusively.

While Motorola has launched its Moto G, Moto X and Moto E with Flipkart, Celkon had launched its Android Kitkat-powered Campus A35K exclusively with Snapdeal.

Founded in 2010 by serial entrepreneur Lei Jun, the Beijing-headquartered firm has become one of China’s biggest electronics companies that designs, develops and sells smartphones, mobile apps and other such consumer items.

According to the company’s Web site, it has already sold over 17 million handsets in China. Its portfolio includes devices such as Mi 3, Redmi (Singapore dollar 169), Mi Wi-Fi and Mi Box, among others. It launched its products in Singapore in February this year.

Other Chinese firms selling its handsets in India include Huawei, ZTE, Lenovo, Gionee and Oppo, the latest entrant.

The Indian smartphone market is witnessing strong competition between local and international players, all vying to grab a share of the multi-billion dollar market.

According to IDC, smartphone sales in India grew almost three-fold to over 44 million in 2013, buoyed by affordable devices made by local firms such as Micromax and Karbonn.

In the first quarter of 2014, 17.59 million smartphones were shipped into India as compared to 6.14 million in the same period of 2013.

Samsung was the market leader in the category with 35 per cent market share in Q1, followed by Micromax (15 per cent), Karbonn (10 per cent), LAVA (6 per cent) and Nokia (4 per cent).

Affordable smartphones, especially those priced in the sub-$200 category (Rs 12,000), are doing well in the Indian market.

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