Chinese smartphone brand Honor is preparing to come back to the Indian market with a new phone slated for release next month. In a report, the brand has entered into a licensing agreement with the newly established Gurugram-based Honor Tech, which aims to launch three variants of the smartphone.
The Indian division, led by former Realme India CEO Madhav Sheth, is aiming to initiate local manufacturing of its phones by early 2024. While Honor has not yet disclosed the exact launch date of its upcoming smartphone, some details can be anticipated in the upcoming days, particularly following the Ask Madhav YouTube Live session scheduled this week.
The report quoting Sheth notes that all Honor Tech smartphones “will eventually be manufactured in India.” The company, wholly owned by local shareholders, will make, sell and service Honor-branded smartphones in India, the report adds. Sheth also suggests that the Indian unit will work with the government. He adds, “The biggest challenge with the (Indian) government in the past was how can a (Chinese) brand be accountable in India.”
Meanwhile, Honor Tech has announced a collaboration with PSAV Global to expand its “smartphones’ network in India.” The collaboration is aligned with the government’s push towards technological self-sufficiency and marks a significant milestone in that direction.
In a press release, Sheth said, “By combining innovation, local empowerment, and self-reliance into HonorTech, we’ve created a brand that stands as a testament to the potential within every Indian.”
Based on leaks, Honor may introduce Honor 90 at around Rs 35,000 in the country. The phone was launched with Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 1, a 200-megapixel camera, and up to 12GB of RAM in China in May 2023. The phone also supports 66W fast charging. Other key features include 5G, a 5,000mAh battery, a 6.60-inch Full-HD+ display, and Android 13-based custom interface.
Honor Tech expects to capture a 5 per cent share of India’s smartphone market by sales volumes in 2024. As per the latest IDC report, Vivo dominated the Indian smartphone market with 16 per cent in the first half of 2023. Samsung held the second spot with 15.7 per cent share, followed by Realme (12.6 per cent), Oppo (11 per cent), and Xiaomi (11 per cent).
Honor’s decision to introduce a premium mid-budget phone may also stem from India’s shift towards high-end phones. Upasana Joshi, research manager, client devices at IDC India, said in its latest findings that consumers were “opting for premium offerings, driven by easy and affordable financing options.”
