If your budget is about Rs 15,000, there aren’t many good options available in the present Indian market for 5G smartphones. In an interview, Himanshu Tandon, Country Head, Poco India, gives industry insights on why businesses struggle to get into the low-cost 5G smartphone market because of the “5G tax.” Watch this in-depth video interview to learn what smartphone manufacturers are thinking about, as well as how Poco, a well-known budget smartphone manufacturer, is preparing for the future.
A few years ago, the under Rs 10,000 and under Rs 15,000 smartphone markets were the hottest price ranges that many major brands attempted to break into. In 2017, if your budget was about Rs 10,000, you could easily find an excellent smartphone to buy. However, it is commonly acknowledged in 2022 that low-cost smartphones are obsolete. Chinese companies like Xiaomi, Redmi, Poco, Vivo, Oppo, Realme, and others have mostly controlled the Indian smartphone market.
Big brands are simply not interested in releasing inexpensive phones and are only present in the under Rs 15,000 range for a show. Among additional factors that have compelled firms to look forward and concentrate on the over Rs 20,000 market in India are rising expenses, fluctuating Rupees, and chip shortages. The entry-level smartphone is no longer practical for business.
The situation has merely become worse with the advent of 5G. Brands can no longer provide a good 5G phone for less than Rs 10,000. In fact, it wouldn’t be shocking if no well-known Chinese company introduced a 5G handset priced under Rs 12,000 in India. The cost has to be the main factor, but it’s also a worry that the government would outlaw Chinese 5G cellphones priced less than Rs. 12,000 in the future to support indigenous businesses.
