About 99% of phones Xiaomi sold in India were made in the country, says COO

Xiaomi phones in India are manufactured mainly by Taiwanese giant Foxconn, also known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. Ltd.

Business Standard : Almost all of the phones that Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi sells in India are made in the country, a top company executive said here on Monday, stressing that 'make in India' Xiaomi smartphones are now being exported to other countries too, though at a small scale.

'About 99 per cent of the phones sold in India are made in the country. We make three phones per second,' Muralikrishnan B, Chief Operating Officer, Xiaomi India, told reporters. Xiaomi phones in India are manufactured mainly by Taiwanese giant Foxconn, also known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. Ltd.

The manufacturing is being done at Xiaomi's two facilities -- one at the Sri City special economic zone in Andhra Pradesh and the other at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu.

Xiaomi said it has also started exporting phones made in India to Bangladesh and Nepal.

'We have started exporting to these two countries at a small scale. With more government incentives, we plan to scale up the export of 'make in India' phones,' Muralikrishnan noted.

'We will have to see if we can manage the entire logistics. Ultimately, we will have to realise that cost efficiency also matters,' he added.

The COO of India's biggest smartphone seller said that there are various issues hindering export of its 'make in India' products to other countries including certification issues and low rate of duty drawbacks.

'BIS certification is not accepted in many parts of the world. If the government can make BIS certification accepted in countries in Europe, it would help us scale,' he said, adding that India has a lot to learn from Vietnam in terms of incentivising domestic manufacturing.

About 65 per cent of Xiaomi phone components are also sourced from within the country.

'In terms of manufacturing, the progress that India has made in the past 5 years is phenomenal,' said Foxconn India Country Manager Josh Foulger.

Besides initiatives under 'Make in India', the corporate tax relief and improvement in ease of doing business have helped a lot, he added.Significantly, all the operators at Foxconn's Sri City facility for Xiaomi are women. The facility employs over 15,000 people.

Huawei's Honor rejigs strategy, to soon launch ecosystem products in India

Known in the country for its smartphones, Honor is now seeking to bring its ecosystem products - smart televisions, speakers, tablets, wearables, glasses and laptops - to India.

Chinese electronics manufacturer Huawei’s smartphone brand Honor has altered its product strategy in India. Known in the country for its smartphones, the company now seeks to bring its ecosystem products to India. These products include smart televisions, speakers, tablets, wearables, glasses, laptops, etc. Most of these, already available in China, will be made available in India starting next year.

“In India, we aim to create an entire product ecosystem that would include smartphones, televisions, tablets, laptops, watches, glasses, etc,” said Honor India President Charles Peng in an interaction with Business Standard.

According to Peng, the new product strategy is called “1+8+N” wherein “1” represents smartphones, “8” represents televisions, speakers, watches, laptops, fitness bands, glasses, etc, and “N” represents partner ecosystem products, including mobile offices, smart homes, sports and health, audio-visual entertainment, and smart travel products.

Smartphones, being at the core of the new product ecosystem, will remain the company’s focus area. By the end of this year, the company will bring to India its recently launched 48-megapixel camera based smartphone the Honor 9x, according to Peng.

Later, in the first quarter of 2020, the company will launch the Honor Vision smart television. This will be Honor's first smart product to run on its proprietary Harmony operating system. According to Peng, the company is in talks with content providers in India to support Honor Vision before it is launched in the country. However, the first batch of the television might be launched without any partnerships.

Peng also said that there was no defined launch timeline for these products, but the company was aiming to gradually bring to India most of its ecosystem products that were already available in its home country. As for India-exclusive devices, Peng confirmed there was no such plan but Honor would weigh its options based on consumer interest.

Business Standard

Vivo Z1x review: One of the best bets in the mid-range smartphone segment

At Rs 16,990 for the base model with 6GB RAM and 64GB internal storage, the Vivo Z1x is seemingly one of the best-performing smartphones in the mid-range segment with a 48MP primary camera in tow.

Business Standard : The camera-backed midrange smartphone space had never been so interesting. On Realme has spiced up the game with the launch of the Realme XT (review), which has a whopping 64-megapixel camera, Vivo’s new offering in the Z-series, with a 48-megapixel camera, has only added to delight and confusion.

Business Standard reviewed the Vivo Z1x. Here is how the phone fared on key parameters:

Design

Gradients have become common these days, but the Z1x, thankfully, is an exception. It reflects various shades of the same colour. We had the Phantom Purple variant and the colour scheme looked fine. Its glossy finish made it shine but also attracted fingerprints and smudges.

Vivo Z1x The frame is polycarbonate; a glass back would have been better. The panel is flat, making the phone easy to hold. Even though single-handed operation is a bit difficult, the phone still fits in the hand easily.

The volume and power buttons are on the right, and a dedicated button for Google Assistant and dual nano-SIM card tray is on the left. All the buttons are within reach of your fingers.

The phone weighs 189.6 gms. Though not the lightest, it is not feel bulky — something I felt when using the phone for clicking photographs while riding pillion on a motorbike.

The overall build quality may not have been too desirable for some, but it’s a good change from the common curved look. The flat panel also makes it less slippery.

Display

The 6.38-inch full-HD Plus (1,080 x 2,340 pixels) super AMOLED display, with a 19.5:9 aspect ratio and a 90 per cent screen-to-body ratio, delivers a fine viewing experience. The bezels are minimal on the sides and top but a bit thick at the bottom.

The in-display fingerprint sensor works fine. The colours look a bit dull but the brightness can be adjusted to make it look all clear. The display may not look very crispy but the brighter side is that it doesn’t put much pressure on the eye to adjust to the screen.

The screen is ideal for binge-watching, though. The overall experience on Netflix and Amazon Prime was good. The volume output is decent, so you can rely on the phone’s sound even if you don’t have earphones or headphones.

Better than iPhone? Samsung Galaxy Note 9 creates flutters in Apple camp

Samsung led the smartphone market by volume in the second quarter, shipping 71.6 million units while Apple shipped 41.3 million iPhones.

Samsung, that maintained a comfortable lead in the second quarter this year with 20.9 per cent global market share, has now created flutters in Apple's camp with unveiling its flagship Galaxy Note 9.

According to industry analysts, Note 9 can build a robust road-map for Samsung at a time when the premium segment globally is reporting flat or lower sales amid Chinese players offering flagship devices at a much lower price point in price-sensitive markets like India.

The 6.4-inch Note 9, launched on Thursday, comes with a mammoth 1TB memory, a bigger battery and a Bluetooth-equipped S Pen which is unique to Note devices.

ALSO READ: Samsung's gaming-friendly Galaxy Note 9 unveiled, India launch this month

"The customers in the premium category are split between Android users (who usually prefer Samsung over any other brand) and the iOS users. Both the customers are distinct and usually like sticking to their choices," Upasana Joshi, Associate Research Manager, Client Devices, IDC India, told IANS.

Note 8 was a hit model last year -- post the debacle which Galaxy Note 7 created within the consumer mindset.

"Considering the overall feature to price bundling, Note 9 is an upgrade to the previous Galaxy Note 8 series but one will have to wait to see the demand generated from the Indian market," Joshi noted.

Samsung led the smartphone market by volume in the second quarter, shipping 71.6 million units while Apple shipped 41.3 million iPhones.

"With Apple soon coming with new launches, with three new model line-up, it will certainly change the market dynamics very soon.

"One thing is sure that Note 9 has removed the aspect of a 64GB entry variant in the premium segment. Let's see what Apple has to offer in the coming days," said Joshi.

The story is no different in India where Samsung bounced back in the second quarter with 29 per cent market share, toppling its Chinese rival Xiaomi which garnered a close 28 per cent, says Hong Kong-based Counterpoint Research.

Apple had a mere 1 per cent market share during the quarter -- its lowest in recent history -- owing to changes in its distribution strategy and domestic assembling not picking up pace.



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