Tecno’s Glocalization Strategy is Driving Growth in the Smartphone Market

Oğuz Çakır — Fri, 16 Dec 2022 11:59:26 +0000

The competition in the smartphone market is increasing day by day, with a number of established brands vying for market share. Despite this intense competition, consumers are still willing to give new brands a chance, and one such brand that has gained significant popularity in recent years is Tecno.

Tecno: A rising star in the competitive smartphone market

Tecno was founded in 2006 as a subsidiary of Transsion Group, a Chinese multinational company specializing in mobile communication and consumer electronics. It initially focused on producing feature phones and basic mobile phones, but started producing smartphones in 2014. The Spark and CAMON smartphone lines were particularly successful, leading Tecno to open nearly 1,000 stores in Sub-Saharan Africa. In 2017, Tecno began expanding globally, entering markets in India, Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, and Central and Eastern Europe.

Tecno has experienced strong growth in recent years, with double-digit growth in many markets. It has consistently ranked in the top 10 in the global smartphone market since Q4 2020. Tecno’s success is due to its ability to take advantage of growth opportunities, such as the expansion of 4G technology, and its focus on vertical integration, which allows it to offer high-spec smartphones at competitive prices. The company has also implemented a “glocalization” strategy, which involves developing a strong research and development ecosystem to create international smartphone models that can be customized to meet regional needs.

This has helped Tecno deliver smartphones based on local consumer requirements and fulfill emerging markets’ demands faster. Tecno has seen particularly strong growth in emerging markets such as India, Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, and Central and Eastern Europe, and its parent company, Transsion Group, increased its R&D spending by 40% in Q2 2022, indicating a commitment to producing more sophisticated products for higher-value markets.

Tecno customized smartphones for markets and users

Tecno has adopted a strategy called “glocalization,” which involves building a strong R&D ecosystem to deliver international smartphone models that can be customized to meet regional-level needs and demands. This strategy has helped Tecno drive growth in various markets by tailoring its products to the specific needs and preferences of local consumers. For example, Tecno has customized its smartphone cameras to enhance men’s beards in South Asia, and has also customized its smartphones for women in the region by enhancing the appearance of moles.

These localizations allow Tecno to offer a more personalized and targeted product offering, which has helped drive its growth in emerging markets. Tecno has also focused on building strong local partnerships and distribution networks, which has helped it reach a wider customer base and expand its presence in these markets.

Tecno’s push into the premium smartphone market: The Phantom X2 and Beyond

Tecno is actively working to become a premium brand in the smartphone market and has been successfully moving up the price bands. Its PHANTOM and CAMON series are helping the company scale up the price-band ladder and appeal to consumers in the premium segment. This trend of consumers pivoting towards premium products has been aided by a variety of factors, such as low upfront value of the devices, trade-ins, and financial schemes like “buy now, pay later” and EMIs. As a result, Tecno is poised for further market share gains driven by its continuous push in the high-end segment.

Consumers in the premium segment have higher expectations for advanced features like advanced photography and videography, battery life, display, high-speed internet connectivity, and a console-like mobile gaming experience, and Tecno is focusing on these capabilities as it continues to innovate and expand its product offerings. The company is also moving regionally to ride the wave of demand for premium products, and its expansion into more premium products and focus on delivering great cameras has been central to this effort.

One of Tecno’s premium products is the Phantom X2 smartphone, which is part of the company’s PHANTOM series. The Phantom X2 boasts a number of impressive features that make it appealing to consumers in the premium segment. For example, it has a 6.6-inch full HD+ display with a 90Hz refresh rate, which provides a smooth and responsive experience when navigating the device. It is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 1200 processor, which delivers fast and efficient performance, and it has a large 6GB of RAM, which allows for smooth multitasking.

The Phantom X2 also boasts a 64-megapixel triple camera system, which allows for stunning photography and videography. It has a 5,000mAh battery, which provides long-lasting battery life, and it supports fast charging, so you can quickly top up your battery on the go. Overall, the Phantom X2 is a feature-rich smartphone that is well-suited for consumers in the premium segment.

Tecno Spark 6 Air gets a new 3GB+64GB Storage variant in India

Balaji S — Mon, 21 Sep 2020 18:52:27 +0000

Tecno Mobile has launched yet another variant of the Spark 6 Air in India. The new 3GB RAM and 64GB storage variant will retail for ₹8,699 in three color options from September 25th via Amazon India.

The company took to Twitter to confirm the arrival of the new storage variant. Although, formerly, Tecno Mobile launched the budget Spark 6 Air back in July. The device debuted with a single 2GB RAM and 32GB variant. Later, the company added a 3GB RAM and 32GB storage variant in August. Hence, the new 64GB storage marks the third memory upgrade of the Spark 6 Air smartphone.

On the whole, the Tecno Spark Air 6 has three color variants – Cloud white, Comet Black and Ocean Blue. However, at the time of writing this article, the Cloud White color option is not listed on Amazon yet but we will have to wait till Friday to know more.

Editor’s Pick: Tecno Spark Power 2 Air to debut in India on September 14

Tecno Spark Air 6 Specifications

The Tecno Spark Air 6 features a 7-inch HD+ display with a resolution of 1640×720 pixels and a dot-notch screen. Apart from bring a 20.5:9 aspect ratio screen and converting 90.6% screen-body ratio, the display has a maximum brightness of 480 nits.

There is a power button and volume up/down buttons to the right, and micro-USB port and 3.5-mm audio jack at the bottom. At the back, we have a triple-camera setup, an LED flashlight, and a fingerprint sensor. Powering the device is Mediatek Helio A25 SoC.

The camera setup has a 13MP main lens and a 2MP depth sensor. The third sensor according to the company is an AI-sensor, which fills the gap to complete the symmetrical layout. At the front, there is an 8MP sensor for selfies. Tecno says the AI helps in bokeh mode, AR mode, AI HDR, AI Beauty, and more.

Other features include 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and a micro-SD slot for connectivity. All this is backed up by a huge 6,000mAh battery on-board. The Tecno Spark 6 Air runs HIOS based on Android 10. Apart from the 64GB variant, the other two 2GB+32GB and 3GB+32GB variants are priced at ₹7,999 and ₹8,499 respectively.

Up Next: FCC & Geekbench reveal primary specs of TECNO Spark 6