According to Counterpoint Research, the VoLTE-enabled Jio phone will slow the shift from feature phones to smartphones. However, the change from 2G/3G phones to 4G handsets will not be hampered as consumers of 2G feature phones and 3G smartphones are expected to upgrade to newer 4G compatible models such as the Jio phone. According to the report, there are more than 150 million LTE handsets in India, making it the third-largest country in the world in terms of LTE handsets.
Counterpoint data also said that Chinese smartphone brands dominate the Indian market with more than 50 percent market share. Xiaomi Redmi Note 4, Redmi 4, Samsung Galaxy J2, Oppo A37, and Samsung Galaxy J7 were the top five smartphones in India in terms of sales. According to the same report, Samsung (26.6 percent), Itel (15.7 percent), Micromax (8.6 percent), Lava (7.5 percent), and Intex (6.3 percent) account for the majority of feature phones in the market. They are sold in India. We’d love to see the sales numbers of the Jio phone as soon as it ships. The low price will probably help it to sell in large quantities. While the price tag may seem too tempting to resist, many questions surrounding the JioPhone have yet to be answered. In this week’s episode of the Orbital podcast, we highlight the catch for anyone looking to buy the JioPhone.
While Counterpoint claims India’s mobile phone market grew just 4 percent in the previous quarter, Canalys says the smartphone market has contracted for the first time. Compared to the same quarter a year ago, the Indian smartphone market saw shipments drop 4 percent, with fewer than 27 million units hitting the market. According to the research firm, this dip can be attributed to the confusion surrounding the impending release of GST on July 1. However, it adds that the market will recover quickly and be stronger than before.
So what is Airtel’s plan to destroy the JioPhone? Airtel plans to beat JioPhone, and Vodafone is trying to attract new customers. Gopal Vittal, CEO of Airtel, said in a meeting with investors that the company plans to partner with 4G phone manufacturers and offer bundled data plans. This ties in nicely with the plans to roll out our 4G VoLTE services. Lava is the only brand with a 4G feature phone in the Indian market. Micromax, Intex, and Karbonn are expected to follow soon.
On the other hand, Vodafone is still concentrating on its telecom business and has not said much about the Jio phone yet. For new prepaid customers joining the 4G network, Vodafone has launched an Rs. 244-pack that provides 1 GB of data per day for 70 days. However, this validity is only for the first charge; 70 days top-up is over, and you buy another Rs. 244 pack; the truth is only 35 days. In addition to the daily data limit, consumers can make unlimited local, and STD calls on the Vodafone network. This plan is a direct competitor to the Rs. 399 Jio plan, which offers the same data benefits, unlimited calls to any network, and 84 days of free texting.
WhatsApp has 1 billion daily active users. The WhatsApp juggernaut shows no signs of stopping. The most popular messaging app in the world now has over 1 billion daily active users. That’s not all; the WhatsApp status feature, which was copied from Snapchat Stories and launched four months ago, now has more than 250 million daily active users. Facebook also has over 2 billion monthly active users, which is an impressive number. When Facebook acquired WhatsApp for $19 billion in 2014, many people thought the price was too high, but in retrospect, it seemed like a steal for the world’s most popular messaging service.
Four years after Amazon India entered and doubled its investment to expand its online business in the country, Amazon is exploring the offline space. Amazon India plans to go offline to sell smartphones. The e-commerce giant is in advanced talks with brick-and-mortar stores across the country to sell smartphones and other products from its online partners, people familiar with the matter have told Gadgets 360.
Amazon will help these smartphone companies, many of which do not have significant market share in India, in increasing their brand awareness and doing marketing. The e-commerce company is talking with several offline retail giants about this, and one smartphone seller Amazon has spoken with is Chinese manufacturer Nubia. In a statement to Gadgets 360, an Amazon spokesperson said, “We are working with several brands, including Nubia, on various aspects of their business to create an unparalleled customer experience.”
In other Amazon news, founder and CEO Jeff Bezos has become the richest person in the world thanks to a surge in the company’s stock price. With a fortune of $90.9 billion, Bezos is richer than Bill Gates, who has a net worth of $90.7 billion. However, the order could be reshuffled if Amazon’s stock price falls before the bell rings at 4 p.m. EDT.
The merger between Flipkart and Snapdeal is getting closer after Snapdeal sold Freecharge for mobile wallets to Axis Bank for $60 million (approximately Rs. 385 crores). Axis Bank buys Freecharge for $60 million. This number is much smaller than the amount Snapdeal spent on acquiring Freecharge, estimated at $400-450 million, and the move could indicate that Snapdeal is now ready for sale to Flipkart.
Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Emperor Edition tipped Samsung Galaxy Note 8 may get a variant that wins the specs battle without a doubt. The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Emperor Edition could be that variant, with the rumor mill suggesting that the phone will come with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Other leaks claim that the base variant of Note 8 will have 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. If this rumor is true, you can expect a hefty price tag for the Emperor Edition.
Meizu launches two phones with unusual rear displays. Chinese manufacturer Meizu has expanded its portfolio and launched two new smartphones in China. The Meizu Pro 7 and Meizu Pro 7 Plus smartphones are priced at CNY 2,880 (approximately Rs. 27,400) and CNY 3,580 (roughly Rs. 34,100), respectively. The highlight of these smartphones is the unique second AMOLED display on the back. The Meizu Pro 7 runs on Flyme OS 6 based on Android 7.0 Nougat and supports dual SIM cards. It has a 5.2-inch full-HD Super AMOLED display on the front and a 1.9-inch Super AMOLED secondary display on the back. At the same time, the Meizu Pro 7 Plus has a 5.7-inch QHD SuperAmoled display and the secondary display on the back.
Grand Theft Auto 6, reportedly in development Grand Theft Auto 6 is in effect if we believe an actor’s resume. A new entry in the long-running open-world crime series is expected, though developer Rockstar hasn’t lived up to its prospects. I can’t blame them for looking at how well GTA Online is doing and the hype for Red Dead Redemption 2. Still, stunt and motion capture actor Tim Neff’s resume includes Grand Theft Auto 6. Considering how long it takes GTA games to hit shelves, we shouldn’t be surprised that Rockstar isn’t announcing it officially soon.
Ciao Google Instant Search Google Instant Search is the latest Google product to be discontinued. Instant Search is a feature built into the desktop version of Google that displays search results as you type the search query. Google claims the move is to ensure feature parity between its desktop and mobile search engines, but fans of this feature probably won’t be happy about it.
Ola partners with Zomato to restart the food delivery service. Ola says it’s an exclusive partnership with Zomato. As part of the partnership, Ola Play customers will now see a Zomato micro-app on the in-car infotainment system and order food while on the road. The announcement comes less than a month after Ola’s rival Uber expanded UberEATS to Delhi NCR. Unlike Ola, Uber works directly with restaurants to deliver the food.
