Micromax re-entered the Indian smartphone market in 2020. However, the company launched only a few phones today. Another homegrown brand Lava has been launching phones consistently since the last year. Recently, it announced the AGNI 2 5G which was well received by critics and buyers. Now, Micromax, Lava, and Karbonn are set to make a comeback in the Indian market as reported by ET. 

Indian smartphone brands set to make a comeback in the country

Micromax, Lava, and Karbonn were popular names in the Indian smartphone market when it was in its early stages. They enjoyed a market share of 45 percent during their peak in 2013 and 2014. However, with the entry of Chinese brands like Xiaomi, OPPO, Vivo, the Indian makers soon lost their way in the country. 

As per the latest development, Micromax, Lava, and Karbonn will be targeting the low-budget and mid-range price segments. Due to government pressure Chinese brands have already moved away from the affordable segment and are launching expensive phones above the Rs 10,000 price bracket. Very few smartphones like the Redmi A2 and Infinix Smart 7 are available under Rs 8,000 segment. This provides a solid opportunity for Indian brands to make a comeback and win the trust of consumers as well as some market share. 

The report adds that brands like Micromax, Lava, and Karbonn believe that consumers don’t have any choice in the entry-level price forcing them to buy refurbished phones, on finance schemes, or pause their plan to buy smartphones. Karbonn is planning to launch a smartphone at Rs 4,999 whereas Micromax could announce a new device at Rs 5,999. However, this could be bundled with telecom carriers like Jio and Airtel. Lava is reportedly planning to launch more 5G smartphones at sub-Rs 10,000. 

Related: 

• Lava Agni 2 unboxing & first impressions
• Xiaomi India undergoes reshuffling, major layoffs bring employees down to 1,000
• Samsung Galaxy S23 gets June 2023 super camera update in India

Via

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Indian handset maker Karbonn has quietly launched a new entry-level budget smartphone in the country. This device is called Karbonn X21. It was spotted on Google Play Console before its release in March. Let’s take a look at what this phone offers.

Karbonn X21 Specifications and Features

The newly released Karbonn X21 features a plastic build with a glossy rear panel. The phone measures 147.5 x 71.8 x 9.35mm in dimensions and weighs 160g. It comes in two colors, namely Aqua Green and Midnight Blue.

On the front, the device flaunts a 5.45-inch LCD panel with a resolution of 1440 x 720 pixels (HD+) and 295 PPI. A 5MP selfie camera and an LED flash sit on the forehead above this screen. Whereas, the back of the phone houses an 8MP primary camera accompanied by an LED flash.

Further, the handset is powered by a UNISOC SC9863 chipset coupled with 2GB RAM and 32GB internal storage.  If required, the storage can be expanded up to 128GB via a MicroSD card slot. Being a budget smartphone, the device also comes with a 3.5mm headphone jack.

On the connectivity front, the handset supports dual-SIM, 4G, single-band WiFi, and Bluetooth 4.2. Last but not least, it runs Android 10 Go Edition is backed by a 3,000mAh battery that charges via a MicroUSB port.

Karbonn X21 Price and Availability in India

The Karbonn X21 is priced at ₹4,999 in India. It is already up for sale on Flipkart.

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Karbonn was one of the popular Indian phone brands before the Chinese players entered the country. The company is still in business and sells a few handset models. Now, according to Geekbench and Google Play Console, it may soon launch an entry-level smartphone called Karbonn X21.

According to Geekbench, the upcoming Karbonn X21 will be powered by UNISOC SC9863A SoC with PowerVR GE8322 GPU. This chipset manages to score around 183 points and 483 points in single-core and multi-core tests respectively.

On the software front, it is listed to run Android 10. Since the device will have 2GB RAM, we expect the operating system to be Android 10 Go Edition because it is now mandatory for OEMs to ship smartphones with 2GB or less RAM with Android Go Edition.

Further, the Google Play Console listing reveals the phone to flaunt an HD+ (720 x 1440 pixels) display with 320 DPI. This screen should be an LCD panel, given the other features of the handset.

That said, going by the device’s render (pictured above), it may look like older Samsung Galaxy S flagship smartphones. But most importantly, it will not feature any kind of notch or punch-hole and will house an LED flash on the front.

Lastly, it is not known when Karbonn X21 will be officially announced. But it should go official very soon.

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• Micromax IN Note 1 and IN 1b are now available offline in select states across India
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• Upcoming Smartphones in March 2021: OnePlus, OPPO, Redmi, realme , Samsung, & more!

(Via) 

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Android Go is an initiative from Google to bring a tailored distribution of the latest Android version on low-end devices. The search engine giant has begun this program to release Android Go phones in emerging markets. According to Factor Daily, Google has struck a deal with some of Indian smartphone brands such as Micromax, Intex, Lava, Karbonn and others to release Android Go (Android Oreo edition) phones worth around Rs. 2,000 (~$30) in India starting from this month.

Android Oreo is the most recent version of Google’s operating system for smartphone. The Android Go version of Android Oreo is expected to run on phones with less than 1 GB of RAM. The Android Go phones will come loaded with some Go (lightweight) versions of its apps such as Google Apps, Google Play Store, Maps, YouTube, Gmail, Google Assistant and more.

An unnamed official from Google has claimed that Android Go devices will launch in early 2018. It is speculated that Micromax could become the first brand to launch an Android Go phone in India. It is expected to unveil its Android Go smartphone at some point around the Republic Day (Jan. 26) of the country. Other Indian brands are expected to release their Android Go phones in the weeks later. It is appears that these phones will be enabled with 4G LTE. Since the rumored Nokia 1 is expected to arrive as an Android Go phone, it is likely to cost around Rs. 2,000 (~$30) in India.

Read More: Nokia 1 Is Reportedly A Part Of Android Go Program, Expected To Launch In March

In the recent past, the popularity of Chinese smartphone vendors has increased significantly in India. Xiaomi has recently dethroned Samsung to gain the number one spot in the Indian market. Other brands like OPPO and Vivo are also immensely popular in India. Two years ago, Indian smartphone makers accounted 50 percent of the market share in India. According to a recent IDC survey, the market share of Indian smartphone manufacturers is 15 percent.

When Google CEO Sundar Pichai had come to India in 2017, he had said that $30 phone is the best price point for smartphones in India. The Android Go will certainly allow Indian smartphone vendors to increase their market share in the country.

(source)

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