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Tag: feature phones

  • WiFi-enabled device sales expected to grow 8% in 2019: Report

    WiFi-enabled device sales expected to grow 8% in 2019: Report

    MUMBAI: Over 204 million Wifi-enabled consumer devices were sold last year by India and in 2019, an 8 per cent growth is expected to touch 221 million units, according to a report by techArc.

    According to the report, with 65 per cent contribution in the total sales, mobile phones have become the most-used Wifi-enabled devices. 23 per cent is expected to be contributed by feature phones, followed by 4 per cent and less to PCs and others. 

    During the year 2018, all WiFi-enabled devices sold were based on WiFi 4 or WiFi 5 standards. 31.39 per cent of WiFi 5 was sold by the country whereas 68.61 per cent of WiFi 4 standard was sold in the previous year.

    In the future, the country will see WiFi of 6th standard which will be supported by the flagship smartphones. It is expected that with more flagships being launched supporting this standard, the actual enablement would happen only in the first quarter of 2020.

    techARC founder and chief analyst Faisal Kawoosa said, “The future lies in wireless high-speed connectivity and WiFi offers one of the most reliable and affordable alternatives to it. We have seen so far WiFi enablement through legacy IT and communications devices like laptops, routers and smartphones. This is now shifting to other consumer electronics like TVs, lighting, ACs, and refrigerators.”

    The report also added that the Indian market will move towards WiFi 5 in 2019 and it’s expected that the contribution of WiFi 5 devices will more than double by the year end owing to expected growth in Smart TVs including streaming devices as well as other homes automation or smart devices leveraging WiFi connectivity.

  • More than 700 mn smartphone users in India by 2022: Counterpoint report

    More than 700 mn smartphone users in India by 2022: Counterpoint report

    MUMBAI: Counterpoint Research, a market research company has said that India will have more than a billion smartphone users in the next five years. The number of users will exceed 700 million by the year 2022.
    With every passing year, mid-range smartphones (ranging Rs 14,000 – Rs 29,000) are expected to rise. In 2018, the mid-range smartphone segment will see a growth of 20 per cent and by the next five years a humongous rise by almost four times is expected. This will make it one of the most significant segments in the country.
    Counterpoint Research associate director Tarun Pathak said, “Features such as full-screen displays, dual-cameras, biometric security and support for Artificial Intelligence (AI) are beginning to make in-roads to the mid-range. They will become widespread over the next few years”.
    Counterpoint’s report on “India Mid-Tier Smartphone Segment and opportunity for SoC players”, did mention how users were investing on mid range smartphones and moving on from sub ranged (Rs 10,000) smartphones since many features and capabilities seemed to be common among flagship models.
    These advanced features will be enabled with the underlying System-on-Chip (SoCs) and other components. This will help OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturer) to differentiate their offerings in the mid-tier segment at a time when overall smartphone innovation is perceived to have plateaued, explained Pathak.
    After China, India is the second largest smartphone industry in the world with more than 400 million active users.
    Xiaomi, Asus, Nokia HMD and others will look to give tough competition to Samsung, Vivo, Apple, OPPO and Huawei which were the leading brands in the first half of 2018.