Micromax, Karbonn V Samsung

According to the International Data Corporation’s(IDC) the latest numbers, Indian phone maker Micromax one of the most trusted mobile phone brands,today in the Indian market. Micromax is gaining popularity and is ready to dominate the existing Indian market putting tough competition for big manufacturers.Gaining a 22 % market share, it is poised to challenge the biggie Samsung in the coming years.It has reached up to the level of being viewed as Samsung’s major competitor. However, Samsung has managed to still remain at the top; its market share has gone down alarmingly.

Also Karbonn has captured a 13 % market share after Micromax, though Karbonn has been in the market for 15 years but is still viewed as a new player. In spite of having a variety of brands in the Indian market, including imported Chinese phones; Micromax convincingly appealed to the first time smartphone user. Micromax’s Canvas smartphones were available at Rs.20,000price range reproducing many similar features of the high-priced (available at Rs.40,000) Samsung Galaxy smartphones.

Micromax made its low-priced smartphones appear similar to those of Samsung’s high-end smartphones. Due to low penetration of the market, there is still an untapped substantial population in the market, which Micromax initially targeted and launched its range of low-priced phones. Its well-designed short-term and long-term pricing strategy was not just to sell cheap phones but also to add value to their products. This way it won loyal customers. MicromaxX1 was its first ever product. It was designed for the rural market and was available at Rs.2150. It sold well in the villages. One of its innovative, differentiating features was the launch of 30-day life battery phone targeting users living in villages and having limited access to electricity. There have been assumptions suggesting that if Micromax does not focus on quality products, this brand will run the risk of being viewed as merely a price warrior.

Karbonn continuously updates its product offerings. Its handset range includes a good combination of simple low-end phones to smartphones with high-end specifications, for half the price of competing brands. Karbonn has newly launched a smartphone that hasa5.5-inch high definition screen with a quad-core processor and a 13 MP camera. Titanium S9 is available at Rs.19,990. Samsung Galaxy series having 5.8-inch screens available at approximately Rs.23,000; do not have a full high definition screen and comes with a dual-core processor.

The stigma of the cheap Indian brand is over with the grey market occupying only a miniscule of the market ─ Micromax, Karbonn putting up tough competition to Samsung and are now keen to shed their image of being a cheap option.In the years to come, the Indian mobile phone industry is estimated to reach a record level in sales by 2015.