Upping the ante in the fiercely competitive budget segment of the Indian smartphone market, Microsoft is all set to launch its dual-SIM smartphone - the Lumia 630 - that will take head-on likes of Moto G (Review | Pictures), HTC Desire 210 (Pictures) and Samsung Galaxy S Duos 2. Next week will also see the launch of another hotly anticipated device, the Motorola Moto E.
Two weeks into acquiring Nokia's handset division, software giant Microsoft is aggressively targeting the dual-SIM market in India, which it believes is "critically important".
According to press invites sent by Nokia, the new device to be unveiled is "Fast", "Precise" and "Powerful". It further reads "The Power Of Two", hinting that the device could be the Lumia 630, which was announced last month at Microsoft's Build Conference in San Francisco.
Announcing the latest range of Lumia devices, Microsoft Devices Group EVP Stephen Elop had said dual-SIM capability is "critically important" in emerging markets like India and China.
Quoting analysts, Elop noted that in the year 2016 people will buy more than 100 million dual-SIM smartphones.
"The Lumia 630 dual-SIM capability opens up that market to all of us, so I'm really, really excited about that," he had said.
The Lumia 630 was slated for roll out in May, beginning with Asia, India/Middle East, South America and Europe, at $159 (about Rs. 9,500) for the single-SIM variant and $169 (around Rs. 10,100) for the dual-SIM variant before taxes and subsidies.
Powered by Windows Phone 8.1, the Lumia 630 features a 4.5-inch display, 5-megapixel auto focus camera and 8GB of expandable internal storage.
This would put the device in direct competition with devices like Moto G, HTC Desire 210 and Samsung Galaxy S Duos 2, which have done well in the affordable smartphone market in India.
The Lumia 630, which is likely to launch in India on Monday, will have fresh competition from Moto E, which is expected to be unveiled at simultaneous launch events in Delhi and London.
As per IDC, the affordable smartphone segment is driving smartphone adoption in the country, where homegrown firms like Micromax and Karbonn have a strong presence. Last year alone, the market grew three-fold to 44 million devices from 16.2 million units in 2012.
Written with inputs from PTI
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