Chinese smartphone manufacturers, in India, seem to be tightening the noose on smaller manufacturers who are already finding it difficult to sell their goods in the budget segment. With Xiaomi, LeEco, OnePlus and many such Chinese players struggling to take the bigger share the Indian smartphone market, only the one who offers a true value for its product will take home the bigger piece of cake.
Chinese tech giant Xiaomi announced the Redmi Note 3 in India this week. The price for the device is insanely good as it promises a good ratio of price to performance. For just Rs 9,999, the Redmi Note 3 offers a stunning metal body with a powerful Snapdragon 650 processor, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. A fingerprint sensor, 4G VoLTE compatibility, a 4050mAh battery and a 16MP camera are some of the main USPs of the Redmi Note 3. Apart from the above, the device also sports a Full HD display at 5.5-inches and an expandable storage. For an additional price of Rs 2,000, you can get a 3GB RAM - 32GB storage variant. The units will start sales on Mi.com and Amazon, followed by Flipkart, Snapdeal and a few more local outlets.
At the same event, Global VP for Xiaomi, Hugo Barra announced that the flagship Mi 5, which was earlier announced in Barecelona during the MWC and launched in China earlier this week, will also see sales in India in a few weeks from now. The flagship Xiaomi Mi 5 sports a 5.15-inch Full HD display, a Snapdragon 820 chipset, 3GB/4GB of RAM variants, three storage variants (32/64/128GB), 13MP/4MP cameras and a 3000mAh battery apart from a fingerprint sensor and a 4G VoLTE compatibility. The price for the Indian market has not yet been decided, but you can expect the handsets to be priced between Rs 20,000 and Rs 25,000 in India.
The same event also witnessed the launch of two more devices from the Xiaomi stable. A portable Bluetooth speaker and a 20,000mAh battery has also been announced for sale in India within the next few weeks. The Mi Bluetooth Speaker will be priced at Rs 1,999 in the Indian market, while the 20,000mAh power bank will see a price tag of Rs 1,699.
The Mi Bluetooth Speaker features an all-aluminum body with a compact form factor and colorful variants. The speaker holds a stereo driver system and is powered by a 1500mAh battery for an 8-hour battery life. The speaker is compatible with smartphones and computers with a Bluetooth 4.0 interface and also sports AVRCP for music control. You can also use the speaker as wireless speakerphone/hands-free when paired with your smartphone. The Chinese version of the same speaker has a microSD card, but the Indian version will not sport the storage interface. You can use the speaker with non-Bluetooth compatible devices too using the AUX port. The speaker comes packed with a protective case, but has no cables for audio or charging. You would have to rely on your own smartphone charger to top up the internal battery.
The 20,000mAh power bank is an upscale from the existing 16,000mAh battery, but has a lighter weight, a thinner form factor and efficient charging capabilities.
