Year 2015 in Review: How smartphone brands fared in India this year

This year (2015), the smartphone industry with unprecedented growth, especially in the emerging markets like China, India, Russia, and Brazil. As a part of our ‘Year 2015 in Review‘ series of stories, we wanted to summarise how various smartphone brands fared this year in India.

This includes not only well-established international brands like Apple, Samsung, LG, and HTC, but also Indian brands like Micromax, Intex, Lava, and Xolo. We also take a look at how new smartphone brands like OnePlus, Xiaomi, and YU have performed in the country.

The Winners

• Apple – The iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus are considered as one of the best smartphones in the high-end category. However, they were sold with very high price tags in India. On the brighter side of things, the company sold tonnes of previous generations of its smartphones such as the iPhone 5s and the iPhone 6 in India. It seems true that most consumers just want to buy an iPhone, no matter how old it is.
• ASUS – Remember the first smartphone in India with 4GB RAM? Well, ASUS successfully managed to make a mark in buyers’ minds by launching the Zenfone 2 with 4GB of RAM, especially by pricing it attractively. A lot of consumers who wanted to buy a mid-range smartphone had the Zenfone 2 in their shortlists.
• Lenovo – The Chinese PC maker went aggressive in India this year. The Lenovo K3 Note and the Lenovo A6000 were in the list of top five smartphones in India in terms of sales according to an annual report from MySmartPrice for 2015. The company is off to a good start in India and hopes that it can continue to do the same.
• LG – Looking at how most smartphone brands started offering non-removable batteries and non-expandable storage, LG decided to target consumers who want those features. It did well in the high-end category with the LG G4. It offered a microSD card slot, a removable battery, a great camera, and a dual-SIM card slot. LG definitely is doing a good job in the high-end smartphone category, but its efforts in the mid-range or entry-level price categories seem lacklustre though.
• YU – The Micromax-backed smartphone brand tied up with Cyanogen to offer optimised smartphones. The company launched four smartphones in India this year and whether or not their products are good, they at least managed to attract a lot of attention from consumers.
• Motorola – After the company’s entry in the Indian market with the Moto G, which was a game changer, Motorola has launched some really good devices like the Moto X Play and recently the Moto G Turbo Edition. Even though not spec-heavy, they actually perform quite well, have good build quality, ergonomics, cellular performance, and loudspeakers.
• OnePlus – After the immense success of OnePlus One, the company took forward its initiative of releasing ‘Flagship Killer’ smartphones with the OnePlus 2. Even though it added many new-age features like a USB Type-C port, a fingerprint sensor, and a much improved camera, there were some cut corners as well. However, when you look at the company’s OxygenOS, you can understand that it’s going in the right direction.
• Samsung – Remember how Samsung got bashed by consumers for releasing a high-end smartphone with badly done software and cheap-feeling exterior design? Well, Samsung completely changed its path with the Galaxy S6. Its new products beautiful, well-built, and the software has improved immensely. Even mid-range devices like the Galaxy J and the Galaxy On series offer good battery life and reliability. The definitely appears that it has set out on a correct path.
• Xiaomi – The Chinese smartphone brand kept its game strong in the entry-level and mid-range price category by launching well-specced devices like the Redmi 2 Prime and the Mi 4i. However, it needs to work on software and improve its after-sales support.

The Losers

• Gionee – The smartphone brand lost its sheen to brands like OnePlus, YU, Xiaomi, and Lenovo. Once known for offering value-for-money smartphones, Gionee has failed to entice a similar feeling among consumers this year. We feel that the company should focus more on improving the software quality on its devices and reduce the bloatware.
• HTC – The company continued its age old habit of releasing pathetic cameras in its smartphones this year. HTC needs to understand that it cannot succeed in the high-end market without offering a competing camera.
• Microsoft (formerly Nokia) – Too late to the smartphone party, Microsoft’s attempt at making Windows as the alternative to iOS and Android has failed terribly. Not only it released Windows 10 Mobile too late, its latest smartphones – the Lumia 950 and the Lumia 950 XL – offered below par design and build quality.
• Sony – Good on paper, but not so impressive in real life usage. That’s the story with Sony as always. The Sony Xperia Z5 and the Xperia Z5 Compact couldn’t compete with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S6/S6 edge/Note 5, the LG G4 and the Apple iPhone 6s Plus even though it is the strongest in terms of on-paper specs.

The Dark Horses

• BlackBerry – Although it did not launch its first ever full-fledged Android smartphone in India yet, people are pretty excited about the Priv. The company managed to sell more units of BlackBerry Priv this quarter than it sold BBOS 10-powered devices in Q3 2015.
• Huawei – It is the biggest smartphone brand in China, and it made a Nexus smartphone this year to show the world that it can make a class-leading smartphone for the international audience. The Huawei Nexus 6P is considered to be one of the best smartphone this year. It also did a fairly decent job with the Honor brand in India as it released some interesting and well-performing devices.
• Intex – The company claimed that it became the second largest smartphone vendor in India after Samsung. The numbers were trashed by Micromax, but it seems that Intex has managed to sell a lot of smartphones in India with the help of aggressive marketing.

Everybody Else

Other brands like Lava, Meizu, Micromax, Oppo, Vivo, and Xolo failed to gather as much attention this year as they would have wanted. Micromax is still stuck with bad software and pathetic customer support. Oppo hasn’t understood the importance of pricing its devices correctly. Consumers couldn’t get used to Meizu’s software because it behaves different from Android that people are familiar with.

Xolo tried its hand at online-only ‘Black’ series of smartphones, but failed. None of its devices received the amount of hype that is associated with online-only products nor did they were awarded with favourable ratings from experts. The other smartphone brands that aren’t mentioned in this article definitely didn’t do anything interesting in India.

64GB Xiaomi Mi Pad 2 sells out in under a minute

Last month, the Xiaomi Mi Pad 2 was unveiled. The 7.9-inch slate was originally offered with 16GB of native storage, powered by Android. This model is priced at 999 Chinese Yuan, or $156 USD. This morning, at 10 am sharp in China, Xiaomi released the 64GB variant of the tablet which is offered with Android, or Windows 10 inside. Both models are priced at 1299 Chinese Yuan, or $203 USD.

If you weren't quick enough to score a 64GB Mi Pad 2, the bad news is that the tablet is now sold out in that configuration. It took less than a minute for all of the inventory to be sold in a flash sale. There were a few complaints made to the company's Tablet page on Weibo, but there isn't much that can be done except to wait for the company to churn out more units.

In case you haven't had time to study the specs, the Xiaomi Mi Pad 2 keeps the 7.9-inch screen employed on the original Mi Pad, and even the 1536 x 2048 resolution is the same. Instead of the Tegra K1, which powered the OG model, the sequel has the Intel Atom X5-Z8500 chipset under the hood, with a quad-core 2.2GHz CPU. 2GB of RAM is inside along with 64GB of native storage. An 8MP camera is on back featuring an f/2.0 aperture, and the 5MP front-facing camera handles selfies and video chats. A 6190mAh battery powers the unit, and the slate features a Type-C USB port. Fast charging allows you to top off the battery quickly.

The quick sellout of the 64GB Mi Pad 2 will surely lead to the old glass half full/half empty game. Some will say that exceptional demand led to the quick sell out, while others will say that Xiaomi didn't produce enough units. Regardless of the reason behind it, the headlines say that the 64GB version of the Mi Pad 2 is sold out and that will look good for the company, which has uncharacteristically stumbled around a bit this year.

The 64GB Xiaomi Mi Pad 2 launched today, and sold out in less than a minute

Xiaomi Mi 3, Mi 4 and Mi Note to Soon get Updated with Android 6.0 Marshmallow

Xiaomi will be soon releasing the Android 6.0 Marshmallow updates for a few of its devices including Xiaomi Mi 4, Mi Note and Mi 3. According to the MIUI operations manager, the update seems to be in the final stages of testing and will see the light soon.

This was an update that many were waiting for with bated breath and with this update Xiaomi will join a handful of other phone manufacturers who have already updated their phones with the Marshmallow. The update seems to have in fact reached the update validation stage which means that it might start seeding pronto.

Many Xiaomi users were dejected when the company still stuck to the age old Android KitKat 4.4 even after releasing the MIUI 7 ROM, but Xiaomi contradicted the apprehension saying that the base version of the OS wouldn’t matter as the features in MIUI 7 would be same. This is indeed a legit argument but it sort of loses its steam as some of the apps from the Playstore run only on the Android Lollipop and newer versions.

Now it seems that the phones will be directly updated to the Android Marshmallow. The update is currently in Beta stage, post which it will hit the developer version and finally it will shape up as a stable OTA update, the entire process will take some time. We still aren’t sure if the update is coming for international users as well, or just the Chinese users for now.

We would suggest the novice users to wait for the stable version as the Beta is susceptible to bugs and other malfunctions which might ultimately affect your phones functionality. On the other hand if you won’t mind getting your hands dirty and experiment along with the device, the beta update is for you. We shall be posting more details as and when they become. Stay tuned.

Samsung Galaxy S7 To Get Pressure Sensitive Screen, Faster Charging Port, Says WSJ

In the cut-throat battle for smartphone buyers in increasingly saturated global marketsit’s become a game of clones for device makers.

To wit: Samsung is set to take a leaf out of Apple’s playbook for the next iteration of its flagship Galaxy smartphone. According to the WSJ — quoting “people familiar with the matter” — the Galaxy S7 will have a pressure sensitive display when it launches next spring.

This follows Apple rolling out its own pressure sensitive 3D Touch tech on the iPhone 6S, its current flagship, this fall. The tech brings an additional interaction layer to the iPhone, allowing users to press down harder to preview and view content — i.e. without having to tap multiple times.

Apple’s new, more sensitive touchscreen tech didn’t emerge out of a vacuum; rather Cupertino tested a similar tech on its Apple Watch wearable first, although the smartphone incarnation of the technology is billed as more sophisticated (hence having a fancier moniker; 3D Touch vs Force Touch).

The 3D Touch advantage represents a pretty marginal hardware gap right now vs Android devices, with relatively few iOS apps having had chance to make especially interesting use of the tech. Even so Samsung clearly can’t rest on its laurels.

Indeed, we’ve seen the exact same hardware feature catch-up race played out when Apple added a fingerprint reader to the iPhone 5S, back in September 2013 — with Samsung going on to put a fingerprint scanner on its flagship device thefollowing spring.

Albeit, on the software side, Apple is frequently accused of appropriating features from Android and adding them years later to iOS. See: Game of clones.

The WSJ’s sources also reckon Samsung will be adding a new high-speed charging USB Type-C port to the forthcoming flagship line, set to be added to both the Samsung Galaxy S7 and the S7 Edge (aka Samsung’s curved screen variant). This port will apparently support delivering a full day’s charge in under 30 minutes — or even significantly less. So even faster than the current fast-charging feature offered by Samsung devices such as the S6.

If true that’s a pretty significant addition. Apple just launched a $99 battery case — a not-so-tacit admission that people struggle with smartphone battery life as it stands. The S7 offering a very fast charge could therefore be a very popular feature — and one which steals a march on current iPhone hardware.

The S7 is also set to include an improved camera optimized for low light photography and with hardware that is flush with the back of the phone, rather than a lens that bulges out, according to the WSJ’s sources. Camera tweaks are pretty much a given with smartphone flagships since they are most people’s daily shooter nowadays, and photo sharing continues to be massively popular.

Other possible additions for the S7 line include a retina scanner, and the return of an external memory card slot (in the S7, not the S7 Edge), according to the newspaper’s sources. Samsung ditched the micro SD card slot when it redesigned the flagships last year — a decision that earned it plenty of blowback from the Android community, as did its decision to ditch removable batteries. So again adding a faster charging feature may help throw those disgruntled folk a bone.

The S7 is slated to launch in the U.S. in mid March, with its unveiling, like last year, due around the Mobile World Congress tradeshow — at the end of February.

We’ve reached out to Samsung for comment and will update this article with any response. The company recently reshuffled the leader of its mobile division — the first significant management change since Lee Jae Yong assumed the vice chairmanship of Samsung Group from his father last year.

In recent times Samsung’s mobile business has struggled to compete with Apple at the high end while also being squeezed on profits by fierce competition at the lower end from the likes of China’s Xiaomi.

Xiaomi Launches Redmi Note Prime at Rs 8,499, Features an Upgraded SoC, Dual SIM 4G Support and Doubled up Storage

Xiaomi had us guessing last week when it teased a Prime Phone, while we guessed a Prime update for its existing line up, it seems Xiaomi had something else in its mind. Xiaomi has pulled the wraps from Redmi Note Prime, a second made in India phone that will be Priced at Rs 8,499 and will be made available exclusively on Amazon.in.

The first phone being the Redmi 2 prime, the Note Prime will be manufactured in the Sri City plant in Andhra Pradesh in collaboration with Foxconn Technology. As the nomenclature explains the Redmi Note Prime is an updated variant of the Redmi Note 4G which sold in India without an updated variant for more than a year.

The Redmi Note Prime will be powered by the Snapdragon 410 as opposed to the Snapdragon 400 in its predecessor and it will be coupled with a 2GB of RAM. The internal memory has however been bumped up from 8GB to 16GB which obviously comes with an expandable microSD card slot. Note Prime comes equipped with a 5.5-inch HD display (Still no FHD), which seems to be borrowed from its predecessor.

On the imaging front the changes are almost non existent, as it features the similar 13-Megapixel primary and 5-Megapixel secondary combo, though it is yet to ascertain if sensors have been upgraded. Xiaomi has not made any changes to the cosmetics of the phone and it looks pretty much like the Redmi Note 4G.

Another much welcomes change is the fact that unlike Redmi Note 4G the Note Prime does come with a dual SIM 4G slot. The device will be backed up by a 3100mAH battery pack and is expected to run Android Lollipop wrapped in MIUI 7. Xiaomi will be flagging off an even called“Very Mi Christmas” wherein it will launch the Redmi Note Prime along with some deals and lucky draws, the typical festival stuff! The Redmi Note Prime Sales registration will start on December 15 at 10am on Amazon.in and as a launch day offer Mi Protect will be made available at a discounted price of Rs 199.

Panasonic Eluga Mark puts the focus on security, now available in India for 11,990

Panasonic India has announced its latest smartphone, the Eluga Mark, positioning it as a security-oriented handset for young professionals and the enterprise segment. A fingerprint sensor at the back allows for an added layer of security, and Android for Work support ensures that the device is compatible on secure corporate networks.

Commenting on the launch, Mr. Pankaj Rana, Business Head – Mobility Division, Panasonic India, said:

"With the growing use of smartphones for a wider range of high-risk activities such as access to cloud data and private information, mobile security is a top priority for users. This control-sensitive device, which achieves complex tasks with the press of a finger or a swipe of the thumb, is personalized for the user and protects the smartphone investment."

Powered by a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 SoC, the Eluga Mark features a 5.5-inch 720p display, 2GB of RAM and 16GB internal memory, which is expandable up to 32GB via microSD card. The 4G LTE smartphone sports a 13MP rear camera optimized by an LED flash, 5MP front-facing camera and a 2,500mAh battery along with Android 5.1 Lollipop. The Eluga Mark comes with the FitHome user interface by Panasonic, which enables single thumb-flick access to applications on the home screen. The fingerprint sensor can also store up to eight fingerprints at a time.

Panasonic has mentioned that it launched 16 devices thus far in the country in 2015, and that it intends to launch a few more before the end of the year. The vendor has stated interest in the "Make in India" initiative for 2016, along with targeting international markets and regions with 4G-enabled devices.

The Panasonic Eluga Mark will be available in Royal Gold or Metallic Grey color variants for ₹11,990 ($180).

Xiaomi unveiled the Mi Pad 2 with Android 5.0 and Windows 10 variants

Xiaomi unleashed the Mi Pad 2 tablet alongside the Redmi Note 3 smartphone. In a welcoming move, Xiaomi has also added the Windows 10 OS to its catalogue.

The Mi Pad 2 will be available in 16GB and 64GB internal storage variants for Android. Both of these models priced at CNY 999 (around Rs. 10,300) and CNY 1,299 (around Rs. 13,500) respectively. The variant running Windows 10 OS will be available in single storage option of 64GB, for a price of CNY 1,299 (around Rs. 13,500). The Android 5.0 Lollipop-based MIUI 7 Mi Pad 2 will go on sale in China from November while the Windows 10 powered variant will be up for sale in December.

Coming on to the specifications, the Xiaomi Mi Pad 2 features a 7.9-inch IPS display with a resolution of 2048×1536 pixels. It is powered by a 64-bit quad-core Intel Atom x5-Z8500 chipset coupled with Intel HD GPU and 2GB of RAM. Interestingly, the Mi Pad 2 is Xiaomi’s first device that comes integrated with an Intel chipset. In the imaging department, the device sports an 8-megapixel primary camera with LED flash and f/2.0 aperture, along with a 5-megapixel wide-angle selfie camera.

The tablet supports connectivity options such as Wi-Fi, USB Type-C, Bluetooth v4.1, and GPS connectivity. Backing the metal-clad device, is a 6,190mAh of battery, which is touted to deliver up to 648.8 hours of standby time. The Mi Pad 2 weighs 322 grams, measures 200×132.6×6.95mm, and will be available in Dark Grey and Champagne Gold colour options. It is almost 18 percent thinner than the Mi Pad.

Xiaomi Mi Pad 2 specifications

• 7.9-inch IPS display with a resolution of 2048×1536 pixels
• 64-bit quad-core Intel Atom x5-Z8500 chipset coupled with Intel HD GPU and 2GB of RAM
• 2GB LPDDR3 RAM, 16GB / 64GB of internal storage
• Android 5.0 Lollipop-based MIUI 7 variants with 16GB / 64GB storage option
• Windows 10 variant with 64GB internal storage
• 8MP primary camera with LED flash, and 5MP front-facing camera
• Wi-Fi, USB Type-C, Bluetooth v4.1, and GPS
• 6,190mAh battery

Xiaomi Unveils The Redmi Note 3, Its First Phone With A Fingerprint Scanner

Increasing the focus on its nascent payment service, China’s Xiaomi has brought a fingerprint scanner to its range of affordable smartphones for the first time after it unveiled the third-generation Redmi Note in Beijing today.

The sensor, which is located on the reverse of the Redmi Note 3, is the most striking feature of the new 5.5-inch phablet, which will retail for 899 RMB ($140) and will initially debut in China. Also of note, the phone comes with a metallic body for the first time while Xiaomi has increased the device’s battery to a whopping 4000mAh capacity.

Under the hood, the phone is powered by a Helio X10 chip from MediaTek. It comes in at 8.65mm thick and, at 164g, is 4g heavier than the previous Redmi Note 2, which was unveiled just three months ago. The Redmi Note 3 also includes the same 13-megapixel front camera and five-megapixel rear camera as its predecessor.

This device is likely to be the first of many from Xiaomi to get a fingerprint scanner, but its unveiling today marks Xiaomi’s step into the payments space in a potentially major way. While the sensor can be used to unlock the phone without a passcode, like those on devices from other companies, that’s just the start.

Back in July, Xiaomi fully released Mi Wallet, a new feature that goes beyond services like Apple Wallet or Apple Pay to allow payments, bank account management and other financial services for Xiaomi device owners. Now, Xiaomi is widening the base for the mobile payment service that could be an important part of Mi Wallet.

The basic Mi Wallet service is available worldwide, but some specific elements — for example mobile payment — are limited to China for now. Given that Xiaomi sold 60 million devices last year, and it is aiming to reach 80 million this year, its entry into mobile payments could be hugely significant.

(Interestingly, just hours before this launch event, sources leaked Apple’s plan to launch Apple Pay in China by February. Coincidence? Just maybe.)

Xiaomi wasn’t quite done there for today, though.

The firm also unveiled its second generation tablet, the Mi Pad 2. Now with a full metallic body, like the Redmi Note 3, Xiaomi said the new Mi Pad is 18 percent thinner and 38g lighter than the previous model. Oh, and it comes in a new “Champagne Gold” color option, too.

In more detail, the Mi Pad has shifted over from its previous Nvidia internals, with the gen-two model powered by an Intel Atom X5-Z8500 processor with an Intel Atom 64-bit CPU. It has a 7.9-inch display, eight- and five-megapixel cameras on the back and front, and a 6190mAh battery. It also supports USB Type-C port.

The Mi Pad 2 is priced at 999 RMB (around $155) or 1,299 RMB (around $200) for 16GB and 64GB models, respectively. Interesting, the larger 64GB version will also be available as a Windows 10 device from next month — making it a fairly inexpensive entry point to Microsoft’s latest operating system.

And finally, because good things come in threes sometimes, Xiaomi announced the second generation of its ‘smart’ air purifier, which first launched in December. Version two is lighter and smaller, the company claimed.

Xiaomi Mi Pad 2 runs Android 5.1 or Windows 10 at $155 and up

It didn’t take a rocket scientist to guess that, because it packed an Intel Atom x5 chip, the Android-runningXiaomi Mi Pad 2 recently benchmarked in pre-release form would also offer a Windows 10 alternative on the software side of things. Especially when you consider how the Chinese manufacturer has been warming up to Microsoft of late.

Earlier today, alongside the mid-range, budget-friendly Redmi Note 3 phone, the Mi Pad 2 was announced, and just as expected, it lets you choose your preferred OS. Once again fairly similar to an iPad mini, the 7.9-incher touts an all-metal body, and delivers 2,048 x 1,536 resolution for a pretty remarkable 326 ppi density.

The Intel x5-Z8500 “Cherry Trail” processor inside is hardly a powerhouse, and in certain tasks, it could even fall behind the OG Nvidia Tegra K1, but so far, it’s only taken care of Windows tablet and convertible business, so at least for productivity purposes, it must be the right choice.

It’s not like you can complain either way, given the 16GB Mi Pad 2 is priced at 999 Yuan ($155), and 64GB models with Android 5.1 Lollipop or Windows 10 are set to cost a measly CNY 1,299 ($200). For that money, you also get 2GB RAM, 8 and 5MP cameras, 6,190 mAh battery juice, Wi-Fi 802.11ac dual-band connectivity, Bluetooth 4.1, and a reversible USB Type-C port.

A beaut in both dark grey and champagne gold, the Xiaomi Mi Pad 2 manages to somehow keep the lights on for up to 12 hours on a single charge despite measuring under 7mm in thickness, and tipping the scales at 322 grams, close to 40 grams less than the 2014 edition. November 27 will see the Android flavor ship to early adopters, while the Windows configuration rolls out sometime in December.

Apple Confirms It Will Open A Retail Store In Singapore, Its First In Southeast Asia

Apple has confirmed that it will open its first retail store in Southeast Asia, located in Singapore, as the U.S. phone maker begins to increase its efforts in the region’s fast-growing smartphone market.

The company quietly began hiring for staff to fill its upcoming Singapore last week — as Tech In Asia first reported — and today Angela Ahrendts, Apple’s Senior Vice President for Retail and Online Stores, confirmed that an Apple Store is indeed coming.

“We have more than 900 incredible employees working in our Singapore contact center and are thrilled to begin hiring the team that will open our first Apple Store in Singapore — an incredible international city and shopping destination,” Ahrendts said in a statement sent to TechCrunch. “We can’t wait to deliver the service, education and entertainment that is loved by Apple customers around the world.”

In addition, Reuters reports that the store, and the company’s entire operations in Singapore, will be powered by renewable energy in a move that mirrors initiatives in the U.S., Europe and, most recently, China.

Apple hasn’t confirmed when the store will launch or where it will be located, although there’s been speculation that the firm has already secured retail space at Knightsbridge, in the city-state’s much-sought-after Orchard Road shopping hotspot. That’s according to a note from the existing tenants who claim they are vacating to make space for Apple’s store.

Apple currently uses a mix of licensed third-party retail partners, carriers and its online store for sales in Southeast Asia. Singapore is a country that is among the first wave of launches for new Apple products and therefore a logical first step for expanding the company’s retail footprint. It isn’t clear whether the company is actively planning to introduce its own stores in other parts of Southeast Asia, which is already a focal point for Samsung and smartphone makers from China, such as Xiaomi and OnePlus.

Analyst firm IDC reported this summer that sales of smartphones across Southeast Asia, which counts a cumulative population of over 500 million, grew by 66 percent year-on-year to reach 24 million units between April and June. While that volume is far below China or the U.S., the regional market in Southeast Asia is far from saturated — unlike China and the West — and that spells opportunity.

Exact marketshare for Apple in Southeast Asia isn’t clear but, despite mid- and low-end devices accounting for the bulk of sales in emerging markets and its lack of an own-retail presence, the U.S. company is largely seen as a premium brand by consumers across the region.