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).

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

Advertisement

"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.

Advertisement

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.

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.

 

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. Amazon Sale 2025: OnePlus 13s, OnePlus Nord 5 Deals Revealed
  2. Redmi 15R 5G With MediaTek Dimensity 6300 SoC, 6,000mAh Battery Launched
  3. iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max Offers Listed Ahead of Flipkart Sale
  4. CMF Headphone Pro India Launch Set for This Date
  5. OnePlus 13 Gets Big Price Cut at Amazon Great Indian Festival Sale
  6. Xiaomi 15T Specifications Leaked Ahead of Global Launch
  7. Instamart Sale: iPhone 16, OnePlus 13R at Jaw-Dropping Prices
  8. Nothing OS 4.0 Based Android 16 Announced With Extra Dark Mode, AI Dashboard
  9. Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2 Glasses Are Here With a Massive Camera Upgrade
  1. Meta Ray-Ban Display Smart Glasses Launched With a Screen and Meta Neural Band
  2. Oakley Meta Vanguard Smart Glasses With a Centrally-Placed Camera Launched, Aimed at Athletes
  3. Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2 Smart Glasses Launched With 2X Battery Life, 3K Ultra HD Camera
  4. NASA’s Artemis Prepares Crews for Future Mars Missions
  5. JWST Identifies Compact, Metal-Poor Star-Forming Region Tracing Back to Early Universe
  6. Researchers Develop Method to Predict Rare Green Auroral Events on Mars
  7. Kanyakumari Now Streaming on This OTT Platform: Know Everything About This Telugu Romance Drama
  8. Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle OTT Release: Know When and Where to Watch it Online?
  9. Xbox Game Pass Wave 2 Titles for September Include RoadCraft, Frostpunk 2 and Hades
  10. Government Makes Cybersecurity Audits Mandatory for Crypto Exchanges Due to Rising Risks
Gadgets 360 is available in
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2025. All rights reserved.