How Chinese manufacturers dominate price conscious Indian smartphone market

While different reports are stating different companies as India’s leading smartphone manufacturer, there is one common underlying element that these reports highlight i.e. the Chinese brands continue to dominate the country’s smartphone market. According to market analysis reports by IDC and Counterpoint for second quarter of this year, brands like Xiaomi, Vivo and Oppo continues to be in the list of top five smartphone brands in the country. Not just that, other brands such as Huawei’s Honor and OnePlus have also shown staggering growth in a price conscious India’s smartphone market.

According to IDC report, Xiaomi continues to lead the India’s smartphone market, beating the South Korean electronics giant Samsung in second quarter this year. However, a recent report by Counterpoint shows a contradicting view. According to Counterpoint, Samsung regained the smartphone leadership title in the second quarter of this year. Though it is complex to comprehend which brand rules the country’s smartphone market, it is note that both reports highlight that Xiaomi shipments grew around 100 per cent year-over-year.

Honor 9N review: Mid-range device with premium design, average performance

Honor, the online sub-brand of the Chinese smartphone maker Huawei, has been aggressively pushing its new smartphones in India. As a result, the company recently becamme one of the fastest-growing smartphone brands in the country, according to the Counterpoint research. A new addition to the company’s budget smartphone portfolio, the Honor 9N, sports a notch-based screen, a first for the company’s budget profile. However, there is more to the phone than just the new screen format.

The Honor 9N sports a premium glass design, dual rear cameras and a modern 19:9 aspect ratio notch-based screen. Importantly, the phone comes in three RAM and storage configurations – 3GB/32GB, 4GB/64GB and 4GB/128GB. It shares its technical specifications with other Honor budget smartphones, but in terms of design and features, it offers a refreshing new experience.

Design and display

The Honor 9N takes design cues from its flagship sibling, the Honor 10. The phone’s front and back are covered with glass, with subtle curved sides that move into a metallic chassis. The back glass is reflective in nature and takes some of the colour-changing properties from the Honor 10. However, it is not as profound as seen in the premium sibling.

Honor 10 India launch by May-end; sale exclusively on Flipkart: Know more

Honor, the online subsidiary brand of Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei, is set to unveil the Honor 10 on May 15 in London. In India, the smartphone will launch by the end of May, exclusively on home-grown e-commerce platform Flipkart, according to an official statement issued by the company.

The midrange smartphone is believed to take inspiration from the Huawei P20, unveiled last month along with the P20 Pro and P20 Lite but not yet launched in India. In terms of pricing, according to an industry source, the Honor 10 would be launched at Rs 35,000 and would rival the OnePlus 6, which is also due for a launch on May 16.

"We are delighted to announce that Flipkart will be our exclusive online sale partner for Honor 10. At Honor, we have always believed in making our products easily accessible for our consumers by opting for strategic partnerships. We are confident that this association with Flipkart, who shares our vision to deliver superb value to consumers will help strengthen our position in the Indian smartphone market." said P Sanjeev, Vice-President Sales, Huawei India-Consumer Business Group.