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HTC to launch a mid-range phone designed for India in Q3
You’ve probably noticed that India has quickly risen to focus in the smartphone industry this year. The nation’s appetite for feature rich mid-range smartphones has already drawn in the cut throat Chinese manufacturers and the fact hasn’t escaped household brands either. HTC’s president of global sales, Chia-Lin Chang, has announced that the company will be introducing a new smartphone specifically designed for the Indian market later in the third quarter of 2015.
“We have a third-quarter plan for our global launch in India to introduce a device which is specifically designed for the Indian consumer,”
Speaking with ET Telecom, Chang stated that the Indian market is critical for HTC. HTC’s new mid-range smartphone will be priced at Rs 15,000-20,000, pitting the handset against the likes of Xiaomi’s popular Mi4 and the ASUS Zenfone 2, and making it more expensive than the new Mi 4i, Moto G 2nd Gen and HUAWEI’s HONOR range. The company may also be planning a sub-Rs 10,000 smartphone for the future, but it will take longer to reach the market.
“For Rs 10,000 and below segment, we will be going slightly slower because we want to ensure better experience,”
Chang also stated that HTCis looking into manufacturing operations in the country, but won’t make a decision until four to five months’ time. Interestingly, HTCcurrently holds a 6 percent smartphone share in the Indian market, which grows to a 19 percent share if you look at only 4G LTE devices. This new smartphone could help HTCbreak into the country’s top five manufacturers.
Less than a week ago, Xiaomi went to India to unveil its Mi 4i smartphone and yesterday Sony announced that it is looking to grab some share of the Rs 8,000-10,000 budget price bracket. India has quickly become one of the most competitive regions to do business, with manufacturers all looking to carve out a share of one of the next big mobile markets.