Spice to Launch Android One, Firefox OS Budget Smartphones Before Diwali

Advertisement
By Press Trust of India | Updated: 23 July 2014 20:39 IST
Domestic handset maker Spice on Wednesday said it will bring the much-awaited Rs. 1,500-Firefox OS and Rs. 6,000-Android One smartphones to India before Diwali.

Earlier this year, Mozilla (developer of Firefox web browser) had tied up with Indian firms - Intex and Spice - to bring smartphones priced at $25 (about Rs. 1,500) to India.

Similarly, under the Android One initiative, Google has partnered Spice, Micromax and Karbonn from India to deliver a smartphone under $100 (about Rs. 6,000).

Advertisement

Both the handsets are expected to fuel further competition in the world's fastest growing smartphone market.

"We will have the handsets in before Diwali. These phones are designed for driving connectivity at affordable prices. We were chosen for our innovation, we are among the chosen few to work with these global giants to bring these devices to India," Spice Retail CEO Devices T M Ramakrishnan told PTI.

Spice is aiming to grow its revenues in the country by over 40 percent to Rs. 2,000 crore this fiscal, buoyed by the strong growth in its smartphone business.

"Last year, our revenues were Rs. 1,400 crore and this year, we expect it to grow Rs. 2,000 crore (fiscal ending June 2015). We expect to grow our market share to over 4 percent from about 2.2 percent now," he said.

Advertisement

Ramakrishnan added that the numbers could change depending on the response to the new devices coming in.

Smartphone sales in the country grew almost three-fold to over 44 million in 2013, buoyed by affordable devices made by local firms such as Micromax and Karbonn, according to research firm IDC.

Advertisement

In the first quarter of 2014, 17.59 million smartphones were shipped in India compared with 6.14 million in the same period of 2013.

While Samsung is the category leader with a 35 percent market share, Micromax had 15 percent, Karbonn 10 percent, Lava 6 percent and Nokia 4 percent in Q1, IDC said.

Advertisement

Low-cost handsets prices less than Rs. 5,000 and smartphones not costing more than Rs. 7,000 from Asian handset makers including Huawei, ZTE, Micromax and Karbonn have been driving growth in the emerging markets of Asia and Africa.

Spice will also invest Rs. 160 crore during the fiscal (July 2014-June 2015) for various  advertising and marketing campaigns.

"About 85 percent of our portfolio is priced under Rs. 8,000. We are focussed on tier II and III cities and towns.

Though we have higher priced models as well, but we are seeing very high growth rates between 250-300 percent in the smaller markets," he said.

 

Get your daily dose of tech news, reviews, and insights, in under 80 characters on Gadgets 360 Turbo. Connect with fellow tech lovers on our Forum. Follow us on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News for instant updates. Catch all the action on our YouTube channel.

Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. Redmi K100 Could Launch Soon at This Price: See Expected Specifications
  2. Amazon Great Indian Festival 2026: Best Deals on LG Products
  3. These Old Galaxy Flagships Are Getting the Stable One UI 9 Update
  4. Samsung Galaxy S27, Galaxy S27+ Could Miss This Selfie Camera Upgrade
  1. Oppo Reno 17 Design Spotted in Leaked Hands-On Image; Oppo Reno 17 Pro Unlikely to Launch in India
  2. Bitcoin Slips Below $81,000 as Hot US Inflation Revives Fed Rate Concerns
  3. Krafton Renames BGMI Lite to BGMI Air Ahead of Launch in India as Pre-Registrations Cross 10 Million
  4. Samsung Galaxy S27 and Galaxy S27+ to Launch Next Year With the Same Selfie Camera as Galaxy S26: Report
  5. Samsung Galaxy S23 Series, Galaxy Z Fold 5 Start Receiving One UI 9 Update Based on Android 17: Report
  6. Epic Games Releases New 'Vibe Coded' Epic Games Store Launcher in Preview, Faces Backlash Over Bugs
  7. Redmi K100 Launch Price Tipped Online Along With Key Specifications
  8. iPhone 18 Reportedly Set to Enter Production Soon; Apple Anticipating Strong Demand
  9. Google AI to Add More Anti-Scam Protections to Messages and Calls on Android Devices
  10. Tecno Spark 50S 5G India Launch Date Revealed Along With Design, Colour Options
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2026. All rights reserved.