Premium mobiles to eye customers in 2019, sans e-commerce discounts

Snazzier phones with premium price tags are set to vie for Indian customers wallets in 2019 but it would be entrylevel and affordable smartphones driving sales volume in the worlds second largest smartphone marketHowever exclusive launches and deep discounts on ecommerce platforms like Flipkart and Amazon could become a thing of the past as new rules for online marketplaces with new rules coming into effect in February According to experts 2018 was a vibrant year for smartphone companies in India as shipments grew by an estimated 11 per cent to about 150 million units And the growth streak is expected to get a bit better at 12 per cent in 2019The stellar growth saw India uprooting the US as the the worlds second largest mobile phone market by volume ranking behind China but handset prices have been skewed towards lowerend of the market This is likely to change fast We expect that midrange smartphones those with wholesale prices in the range of USD 200400 will grow 20 per cent yearonyear in 2018 and by almost four times during the next five years to make it one of the most important smartphone segments Counterpoint Research Associate Director Tarun Pathak told PTIHe said the sales volume sweet spot is moving from subUSD 150 segment towards midtier as many features and capabilities common among flagship models progressively diffuse through to these lower price bands Also with features like fullscreen displays dualcameras biometric security and support for artificial intelligence being made available in more midrange devices customers dont seem to mind paying more for the latest technologies The 4G feature phones designed to bring new users online continued to gain traction among users during 2018 with Reliance Jio making a strong push for these devicesXiaomi which held onto the numero uno spot in a hypercompetitive market said it expects the average selling increasing gradually The company has already expanded its product range to include televisions and said it will continue to focus on bringing more categories and more innovative products to India Premium players like OnePlus and Apple also expect strong growth in sales in 2019OPPO which has recently set up a research and development facility in India is focussed on localising products and creating consumer centric devices for consumers in the coming year The Chinese player much like its peers expects the premium segment market to grow and shape out well in 2019 For Transsion which operates multiple brands in India including itel Infinix and Tecno the Rs 700015000 segment of smartphones is expected to contribute highest in 2019 Globally new innovations like 5G and even foldable screens are trends that consumers are keenly awaiting However it may be some time before new gadgets with these new features make inroads in the Indian marketInterestingly high demand coupled with increased customs duties prompted many vendors to ramp up production in the country From being entirely dependent on imports to meeting almost 100 per cent of the domestic requirement India has come a long way According to India Cellular and Electronics Association ICEA the mobile handset manufacturing in terms of value for 201819 is expected to touch a whopping Rs 165 lakh crore with a volume turnover of about 29 crore unitsThe resurgent mobile handset manufacturing ecosystem in India has saved the country of approximately Rs 3 lakh crore through replacement of complete build unit imports and the growing domestic assembling or manufacturing of handsets ICEA Chairman Pankaj Mohindroo said He added that Indias mobile handset and components manufacturing industry has successfully established 268 manufacturing units generating employment for over 67 lakh across the nationAn ICEAMcKinsey report said if India extends its ambitions to the export market it could manufacture around 1250 million handsets by 2025 and create an industry worth around USD 230 billion The onslaught of the Chinese giants like Xiaomi Vivo and Oppo continued during the year with these three players alone accounting for over 44 per cent of the shipment in the JulySeptember quarterDespite the intense competition domestic players like Micromax and Lava remain upbeat Lava International Head Product Tejinder Singh said brands engaged in shortterm strategies in India would failbrands like Lava which have invested heavily in RampD will deliver products rich in quality and provide the best consumer experience to its customers We feel that this cut throat competition is actually good for the industry as it pushes everyone to improve consistently rethink strategies and optimise costs for the consumers he explainedAccording to Micromax cofounder Vikas Jain further consolidation could be seen in the industry that has seen exit of players like Comio and HTC this year Consolidation is likely to be seen in the market with some smaller players exiting Quality of products and services across price bands are important factors for customers Its not cheap phones but value for money that they seek he saidThe industry also saw the entry of new players like Realme in the country Realme India CEO Madhav Sheth believes competition will continue to be intense especially in the midrange While smartphone launches may hog limelight through the year the PC industry remains also remains upbeat on 2019 HP India Senior Director Personal Systems Vickram Bedi said the PC market in India is going through a transformative phase wherein the premium and gaming segment are leading the growth momentum of the entire category Arnold Su PC and ROG Head at Asus India shared similar views The thin and light segment is expected to dominate 2019 The objective is to build powerful laptops which are easy to carry at an affordable price point he saidCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updatesThis story has been sourced from a third party 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