My mobile magazine march 2017 by My Mobile

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Chinese Smartphones

Expanding horizons

for a connected lifestyle

Profile Narendra Bansal CMD, Intex Technologies

Tested

Asus Zenfone 3S Max, Oppo A57, Honor 6X, Samsung Gear S3, Oakter Smart Switches & Sockets and more...

Special Report Mobile Gaming Leads the Way

Editorpage

firstcall

early two-thirds of worldwide shipment of mobile phones now consist of smartphones, but in volume terms feature phones continue to outsell smartphones in India. With new chipset

EDITORIA L

now making it possible for feature phones to offer many

Pankaj Mohindroo |

critical ‘digital’ features which were earlier possible only

Shelley Vishwajeet | Editor

in smartphones coupled with our own peculiar dynamics, India looks set to defy the global trend for some more

Editor-in-Chief

Gagandeep Kaur | Contributing Editor

time. Nonetheless, for now smartphones are the in-thing

Ramesh Kumar Raja | Assistant Editor

and Chinese smartphone brands have caught the fancy of

Haider Ali Khan | Senior Correspondent

Indian consumers catapulting their sales northwards. Our

Vanshika Malhotra | Reporter

lead story tries to highlight that today a consumer doesn’t really look at a phone as Chinese or Indian or Korean but

DE S I G N

simply as a device of utility and statement irrespective of

Ajit Kumar Parashar | Sr. Graphic Designer

its parentage. As long as a handset meets the utility and aspirations of a consumer or consumer segment, it will sell and will have a future! China has long been developing and fostering an eco-system which made them a world leader in mobile manufacturing. We in India are also on the fast-track to develop an equally impressive and globally competitive mobile and component eco-system, the results of which are already visible but will be more evident very soon. We are already making over 70% of the smartphones here but the value addition needs to go up. As the Chairman of the Fast Track Task Force under the aegis of Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY and earlier DeitY), Government of India to re-establish and catalyze significant growth in mobile handset and component manufacturing eco-system in India, I can confidently state that value addition within India is going to shoot up very soon as the right policy framework is now in place and there is now greater incentive to ‘Make in India’. In our newly introduced popular and prestigious ‘Profile

M AR K ETIN G Puja Mohindroo | Manager - Business Apoorv Bhatnagar | Sr. Manager – Marketing Sandeep Kumar | Manager – Marketing

O P ERATION S K. Rajagopalan | Advisor-Legal, Accounts & Administration Deepak Kohli | Manager – Accounts Varun Lama | Sr. Manager – Human Resources B. G. Mathur | Manager- Production

CIRC U L ATION Bhupender Singh Bisht | Manager – Circulation

AD V I S OR Y B OARD Bejon Misra Rajan Mathews S.D. Saxena

Series’, this time we are featuring Narendra Bansal, the

Subhash Chandra

charming Founder Chairman of Intex Technologies Pvt Ltd.

Sunil Dutt

and a dear friend and industry colleague, who by dint of

Sonu Bhasin

far-sightedness and sheer tenacity dared to dream big and

Uvaraj Natarajan

made it big. Gaming and accessories are becoming big businesses in India. In this issue, we have gone in-depth exploring

G ET IN TO U CH

these sectors. And as is our USP, nobody covers mobiles

Editorial : shelley@mymobile.co.in

like we do. So you will keep finding many interesting items

Marketing : apoorv@mymobile.co.in

related to them. Keep Reading, Happy Reading! n

Circulation : bhupender@mymobile.co.in Phone : 011—46206161 Fax : 011—41520637 Edited, published, printed and owned by Pankaj Mohindroo, Published from Flat No. 25, First Floor, Shankar Market, Connaught Place, New Delhi – 110001. Printed at HT Media Ltd. B-2, Sector 63, Noida.

Pankaj Mohindroo editor-in-chief

04 | march 2017

The publishers regret that they cannot accept liability for errors and omissions contained in this publication, however caused. The opinions and the views contained in this publication are not necessarily those of the publishers. Readers are advised to seek specialist advice before acting on information contained in this publication, which is provided for general use and may not be appropriate for the reader’s particular circumstances. The ownership of trademarks is acknowledged.

Volume XII, Issue II, march 2017

MYMOBILE

contents

48 Style Notes

32 spotlight

54 CHIEF SPEAK

10 letters

The Jio Juggernaut

Faisal Siddiqui – President,

12 mobile Doctor 13 CELL SPEAK 14 NEWS 18 big NEWS 65 Rumor Mill 117 My Guide

South Asia, HTC – Healthy

CONSUMER INSIGHT 34 Cisco VNI Forecasts – The On coming Data Traffic Explosion

VOD Space – The Coming

Disruptions

Mobile World Congress 2017 –

Everybody

INDUSTRY INSIGHTS 58 Global LTE Smartphone Shipments Crosses One Billion Units

40 LEAD STORY Chinese Smartphones – The

24 IN FOCUS

Competition is always Good for

Internet of Things – The Boom

Phase

Rising Stars

The Much Awaited Mobile

PROFILE

Launches

Narendra Bansal – CMD,

66 SPECIAL FEATURE Mobile Accessories – The Rising Market

Intex Technologies – Son of the

26 just in We take a close look at all new Panasonic Toughpad FZ-F1 &

soil who dared to dream big, achieved big!

70 oPpo A57

FZ-N1, HTC U Ultra & U Play,

53 PERSONALITY

Intex Aqua Crystal & Aqua 4.0,

Things you didn’t know about

Intex Aqua Supreme+, Zen

Riccardo Zacconi, CEO, King

Cinemax 4G and LG K10

Digital Entertainment

06 | march 2017

Burn Tests 72 Asus Zenfone 3S Max 74 samsung gear S3 76 honor 6x

MYMOBILE

What's Inside

contents 78

SNAPSHOT

84 BAZaAR BARGAIN

138 add ons

Vivo V5 Plus – A Pure Selfie

Four phones which are smart

Amkette TruBeat Smart

King At The Moment

buy today

Speaker, Evidson B2 Audiowear, Samsung LC24FG70, Oakter

FACE TO FACE 80 Atul Rai, CEO & Co-Founder,

88 BY invitation E-distribution Platforms to Make

Staqu

Cashless India a Reality

Sameer Agarwal, Founder,

102 Kanishk Agarwal, Founder,

90 SPECIAL REPORT Mobile to Lead India’s Gaming

CRITAXCORP

Industry’s March

82 OFF BEAT How bots and algorithms are

98 SMART APPS

helping you to get financed

to: Bundle News, Mimicker

VOIZD

The New Apps to Look forward

Smart Switches & Sockets and more…

146 VANTAGE POINT Peter Chang, Regional Head – South Asia & Country Manager – ASUS India

Alarm, Polaris Office, Snapseed and more…

104 BOREDOM BUSTERS Most popular games in India and more…

117 08 | march 2016

Total number of pages = 148

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Nubia N1, Gionee P7, Coolpad Cool 1, Lenovo Yoga Book, and more...

PHONE OF THE MONTH ONEPLUS 3T

Profile Sunil Dutt

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ream in a d ellpho c y e t k u o o st zy ab ew lines? an als n the late e a r c c d u n f o u hav o a Are y al to pen a for news our hands u think yo o y ti se poten have a no rave to lay t them? If y CV to r u le, c u Do yo e? Do you world abo . Rush you My Mobi in e in ou headl and tell th king for y your name o s o e o l to se gizm u, we are .co.in ine. o e y l i n b i o it az mym e mag team@ best mobil India’s

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Q&A

MobileDoctor

I am using Redmi Note 3 at the moment, would you guide me to the best phone in the price segment of 12000 to 15000. I would be looking for a better processor and much bigger RAM to go with. There are lots of phones available in the market, please advice the best buy for me? —Ankit Sharma, New Delhi. Coolpad note 5 is good option with 4Gb ram and 13+8 camera and snapdragon 6xx processor.. Dear Mobile Doctor, can you please tell us which is the best processor in town is right now? There have been so many talks about each processor and the companies claiming the best they have got. Over a period of time they tend to slow down. What can we do to avoid the sluggishness as a normal user? Prashant —Saini, Haryana As of now latest high end processor is Qualcomm 835 series processor based on 10 nanometer technology, Samsung has also come up with eynox 8900 series. These are the topmost processor that will be seen in flagship devices soon. Qualcomm would be seen in many brands

12 | march 2017

whereas eynox can be seen in Samsung phones. To keep your phone fast would be keep phone updated with latest security patches, most of good brands would provide monthly patches. Samsung is quite good on that. Other is formatting your device periodically. Remember before format to backup your data. We have seen a huge drop in the prices of Apple phones. Is it the right time

to buy one or it would drop further once the iPhone 8 will hit the market? —Simran, Ludhiana Price drop can be seen when ever brand losses sales, and ofcourse when iPhone 8 comes older model price would go down certainly. You can buy one now but keep in mind prices would always drop

with time and competition in market. Can you please suggest me a dual camera phones which are dominating the markets? I have heard a lot about Vivo and Honor, which one would be a good buy? Do we get any advantage of using a dual camera phone? —Rajat Ray, Kolkata Honour 8 is good option in dula camera , the image quality is better compared to single camera in some

prospectives. The major benefit is multifocus , like one you take a picture of object and focus on that and later you want to see any nearby object that is in picture but was not focused , you can focus it in image later. Which smartwatch would you suggest me to buy

under 30K? Which are options available for me as I want to take it along during my trekking? Please suggest? —Neeraj Singh, New Delhi In smart watches there are 2 major options available Samsung gear 3 and Apple watch 2. These are best options you can choose as per your style. I want to buy a new phone with two SIM slots. Can I opt for hybrid SIM slot option? What are the challenges or advantages associated with these smartphones? Budget is not an issue for me… —Naina, Rajasthan Yes if you looking for dual SIM samsung has many models for that. Hybrid SIM is ok, if you not looking for extended memory, as in this case you have to select between 2nd SIM or memory card. Few models support 2 SIM and memory card together. But high end sleek handsets will certainly with hybrid SIM option. C9pro and s7 are best among the phones with these features. Both have hybrid SIM. n

Is your mobile phone acting strange? Email your queries at team@mymobile.co.in and our mobile doctor Arshdeep Singh will suggest remedies for your ailing device. Disclaimer: The views expressed by Arshdeep Singh are his own and do not necessarily coincide with those of My Mobile.

MYMOBILE

“The government will allocate Rs10,000 crore for expanding the BharatNet project in FY18. By 2017-18-end high speed broadband will reach more than 150,000 gram panchayats via Wifi hotspots,” — Finance Minister Arun Jaitley while presenting the Union Budget for 2017-18.

“The dependence on smartphones in today’s fast-paced world has increased multi-fold. Their role has moved beyond being simple communication devices to being the preferred medium for entertainment, internet browsing, shopping, travel and accessing social media. An extended battery life is extremely crucial to support the users’ 24/7 smartphone usage,” — Peter Chang, Region Head, South Asia and Country Manager for ASUS India said on the Zenfone 3S Max launch.

“The move by the government to impose 2% customs duty on import of printed circuit boards for manufacture of mobile phones might initially result in a hike in the cost of smartphones. However, in the long run it will give a boost to governments’ efforts in pushing the Make in India campaign. Over the course of time, we can expect complete manufacturing of smartphones in the country by major players in India,” — Vivek Zhang, CMO of Vivo India on 2 percent duty hike on PCB (Printed Circuit Boards) in the Union Budget. www.mymobileindia.com

Quotes

cellspeak

“India is a very important market for BlackBerry, so we are delighted our latest licensing partnership will extend the BlackBerry software experience to more customers and support the Indian government’s ‘Make In India’ agenda. This is an important milestone in our strategy to put ‘the smart in the phone’, providing stateof-the-art security and device software on a platform relevant to mobile customers, with more localization,” — Alex Thurber, Senior Vice President, General Manager, Mobility Solutions at BlackBerry said on licensing partnership with Optiemus Infracom Ltd. march 2017 | 13

What’s Up

newsbits Lava launches India’s first VoLTE feature phone

Home-grown handset manufacturer Lava recently launched the very first 4G VoLTE smart feature phone in India – Lava 4G Connect M1. The phone combines the experience of a smartphone and the durability, affordability and battery back-up of a feature phone. Apart from 4G, the feature phone supports 2G voice calling and EDGE connectivity. It is powered by 1.2 GHz Quad core processor with 512 MB RAM, and comes pre-loaded with Facebook Lite and messaging applications. Having a 1750 mAh battery, the new device comes with features like Wireless FM, Box speaker and K class amplifier for loud and clear sound, and VGA camera. Optiemus to manufacture BlackBerry handsets in India

Canadian smartphone maker BlackBerry has sealed a deal with Indian telecom enterprise Optiemus Infracom for the production of BlackBerry Android handsets

14 | march 2017

in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh. The exclusive, long-term licensing agreement between both the companies follows BlackBerry’s recent global licensing agreement with TCL Communication and PT BlackBerry Merah Putih in Indonesia. With this latest regional deal, BlackBerry has now achieved full global coverage for licensees in all markets to manufacture BlackBerry-branded devices, proving the company is delivering on its licensing strategy and accelerating its transition to become a leading security software and services company. As per the agreement, BlackBerry will license its security software and services suite, as well as related brand assets to Optiemus. The partner will design, manufacture, sell, promote and provide customer support for BlackBerry-branded mobile devices that offer a complete BlackBerry experience. Ericsson bags Vodafone’s Rs 2,040 crore 4G contract

Vodafone India has awarded a 4G deployment contract worth $300 million (about Rs 2,040 crore) to Swedish gear maker Ericsson for UP West, Rajasthan, Odisha, North East and Assam telecom zones. According to reports quoting people familiar with the matter, “The deployment of 4G LTE network is expected to be completed by the third quarter of 2017. Ericsson, under this contract, is deploying its full radio system portfolio that offers 50% improved energy efficiency.” Vodafone India, the domestic arm of the British telecom firm, which is expediting its network expansion and ramping up capacities to counter bigger rival Bharti Airtel and the 4G entrant Reliance Jio, is currently in talks with Aditya Birla Group-owned Idea Cellular for a potential equal merger. Xiaomi takes No 2 spot in India smartphone space Chinese handset maker Xiaomi sold more

than 3 million units of its low cost Redmi 3S series in the last six months, which was partly responsible for pushing the company to the No 2 position in the segment. According to International Data Corporation, Xiaomi’s share grew three-fold to 10.7% in

the quarter ended December 2016, compared to 3.3% in the same period last year. Sequential growth was 15.3% while Xiaomi expanded its retail presence with the launch of an exclusive model for offline channels. The unprecedented success of the Redmi 3S series contributed majorly to Xiaomi’s growth this quarter. Continuing its online dominance, Xiaomi retained the top position in the online smartphone market in fourth quarter 2016, as per the IDC. Xiaomi, which trails market leader Samsung, entered India in July 2014 and has since disrupted the smartphone industry with high-quality yet affordable devices. Apple reports record quarter results Reclaiming the mantle as the world’s top smartphone maker in the October-December quarter, Apple Inc. has posted all-time record quarterly revenue of $78.4 billion and all-time record quarterly earnings per

diluted share of $3.36. These results compare to revenue of $75.9 billion and earnings per diluted share of $3.28 in the

MYMOBILE

year-ago quarter. The international sales of the California-based company accounted for 64% of the quarter’s revenue. “We are thrilled to report that our holiday quarter results generated Apple’s highest quarterly revenue ever, and broke multiple records along the way. We sold more iPhones than ever before and set all-time revenue records for iPhone, Services, Mac and Apple Watch,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “Revenue from Services grew strongly over last year, led by record customer activity on the App Store, and we are very excited about the products in our pipeline.” Nokia launches world’s first digital assistant for telecos

Finnish telecommunications firm Nokia has created a customised digital assistant “MIKA” that will improve telecom operators’ efficiency by providing engineers faster access to critical information. MIKA stands for ‘Multi-purpose Intuitive Knowledge Assistant’. It is the first digital assistant trained specifically for the telecom industry, designed to provide automated assistance that saves time and frees highly skilled workers to focus on critical tasks. “MIKA taps into the power of the Nokia AVA platform to provide quick and accurate answers, avoiding time wasted on fruitless searches. MIKA combines augmented intelligence with automated learning to provide access to an extensive range of tools, documents and data sources. These include the Nokia AVA knowledge library, a repository of best practices gathered from Nokia projects around the world. Samsung Pay coming to India soon South Korean electronics major Samsung is planning to launch its mobile payment wallet in India in the first half of 2017. According to a report in Mashable India, to bring Samsung Pay in India, the company

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said Sudhin Mathur, Executive Director, Lenovo MBG India. The company has maintained its leadership in the online channel by 23 per cent in volume and 23.5 per cent in value market share in current year 2016. Airtel tops the chart in internet speed

has partnered with American Express and is mulling over exploring opportunities with giants such as Visa and MasterCard as well. Samsung began testing the service in India in December last year. Recently, the tech giant rolled out an update to the Galaxy Note5 smartphone in India which included the Samsung Pay app. Samsung Pay supports MST (Magnetic Secure Transmission), which allows a user to send a magnetic signal from smartphone to the payment terminal’s card reader. Interestingly, Samsung has over 2.5 million Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge, Galaxy S6 Edge Plus, Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 Edge, and Galaxy Note5 (the smartphones that support Pay) customers in India. Lenovo emerges as India’s No 2 favourite smartphone brand in terms of value

What’s Up

newsbits

Bharti Airtel has emerged as the fastest internet service provider with 2.25 Mbps speed in Netflix’s ISP Speed Index in January, surpassing Spectranet, the previous leader, which has now moved to the second spot with 2.10 Mbps speeds. Airtel, which is the country’s leading telecom service provider by subscribers, offers broadband services via cable, DSL, wireless and fiber. Spectranet just provides its broadband services through fiber. 7 Star Digital Network, a provider of cable TV, digital Media, broadband and entertainment services, emerged as the third fastest internet service provider with 2.06 mbps speed, moving up fourth spots. Interestingly, Reliance Communications stood at eight spot with 1.81 Mbps speed, witnessing an increase in its internet speed from 1.71 Mbbs. Idea Cellular launches digital services

Lenovo, which also owns Motorola, has emerged as the number two smartphone brand in India with 8.9 per cent and 9.8 per cent market share by volume and value, respectively. According to ‘Smartphone Market Report’ released by the global research firm IDC, Lenovo Mobile Business Group has registered a 14.8 per cent (yearon-year) growth in 2016. “We have emerged as the number one challenger brand in the Indian smartphone market, owing to our customer centric approach and the drive towards real innovation, ensuring that needs across the market segments are catered to,”

India’s number three telecom operator Idea Cellular recently announced its foray into digital services with ‘Digital Idea’ and the launch of three Idea apps -- Music Lounge,

march 2017 | 15

What’s Up

newsbits you follow, top live videos from around the world, and recommended videos based on your interests. “Users can also catch up on videos saved to watch later, as well as revisit watched videos. We look forward to seeing how people use the app to enjoy Facebook videos in a new way,” said Facebook.

Movie Club and Game Spark. The digital content applications aim to serve as a onestop entertainment destination initially for Idea subscribers to provide popular content. The telco aims to venture aggressively into entertainment, VoIP and IP based calling and cloud and storage solutions in 2017. Idea’s 4G services are currently available across 11 circles. In 2017, the telco will expand its 4G services to nine more circles. The move is aimed to counter newest entrant Reliance Jio that has disrupted the market by offering its users free voice and data services and a bouquet of Jio applications. Alibaba plans telco partnerships to offer free Internet

China-based online giant Alibaba is planning to offer free Internet services in partnership with telecom service providers in India, according to reports. The company’s search and software arm UCWeb, acquired in 2014, earlier said that it was looking at newer opportunities in India while adding that last-mile access would be a big challenge. The reports quoted Jack Huang, President of Overseas Business, Alibaba Mobile Business as saying, “We are trying to offer lower cost data to users and better connectivity, even free of cost connectivity. Wi-Fi providers and other players can be potentials and we are in talk.” UCWeb has recently committed an investment of Rs 120 crore in the digital space in India. Alibaba’s mobile division plans to compete with US-headquartered Internet major such as Google and Facebook, and has recently launched compensation-backed plan for users contributing digital content to its platform. BHIM app comes to iPhones After its successful launch on Android

16 | march 2017

BSNL awards Wi-Fi contract to L&T-led consortium

platform, the Bharat Interface for Money, or BHIM, an app developed by the government to further its cashless push, has been finally launched on Apple app store. The app on iOS platform is equipped with features such as pay to Aadhaar number, customer redressal mechanism with drop down menu. With its debut on iOS, it is currently supporting over 35 banks such as State Bank of India, Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, IDBI Bank, Union Bank of India and Kotak Mahindra Bank. The app is currently available in Hindi and English unlike the Android version which supports other regional languages as well such as Bengali, Odiya, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu. Facebook launches new TV video app

Social media giant Facebook recently announced a new app for TV, in a bid to give users more options as to how and where they can watch videos. The app will be rolled out soon to app stores for Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Samsung Smart TV, with more platforms to come, said the company in a blog post. With the app, you can watch videos shared by friends or Pages

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. has awarded a contract worth Rs 1,000 crore to a Larsen & Toubro-led consortium to set up more than 35,000 public Wi-Fi hotspots by March next year. The contract was awarded through a recent open tendering process. The State-run company aims to offer data services through these hotspots at speeds faster than those offered over fourthgeneration (4G) technology. L&T together with UTStarcom, Elitecore and Cisco will provide hardware solutions. The company set up 4,500 Wi-Fi hotspots in the first phase of the programme through a revenuesharing model with local partners and systems integrators. The Wi-Fi programme is one of BSNL’s major thrust areas as it seeks to take steps to digitally transform the country to allow 1.3 billion Indians with affordable internet access. Tax payment through your phone The Central Board of Direct Taxes is working on a procedure that will allow taxpayers to get a permanent account number in a matter of minutes. Also part of the government’s drive is to enable payment of income taxes through your smartphone. According to a report, the CBDT is working

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disasters. The service will later be expanded to other areas and operate on the Okamura Model. The model suggests use of low-cost optical cable for high-speed internet. The initiative comes after Nepal’s Tourism industry was hit due to several avalanches triggered by earthquakes. Climbers at the on issuing PAN on a real-time basis using Aadhaar’s e-KYC facility, which allows an individual to verify his or her details such as address using biometric identification features like thumb impressions. The tax department is also developing an app that will help in the online payment of taxes. The app will also have facilities to allow a host of other services such as apply for PAN or track your returns. All mobile numbers to be linked to Aadhaar

The Supreme Court recently directed the Central government to link all mobile numbers to Aadhaar within a period of one year. The apex court urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi led government to frame policies regarding rules and regulations to ensure the fact that the SIM is not misused by anyone. The SC order came after a public interest litigation (PIL) expressed concerns over the non-existence of a mechanism to identify the owner of a SIM card in case it was misused by someone. The court also asked the Centre to devise a plan for prepaid SIM card users so that each person will have to fill and deposit a form whenever he or she recharges. Free Wi-Fi at Everest base camp soon The Nepal government recently said free Wi-Fi zones would be set up on the LuklaEverest Base Camp and the Annapurna Base Camp, in order to promote tourism and provide easy flow of information during

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Mount Everest base camp and others usually get trapped on the slopes. Midnight curfew on online games in China likely China is planning to ban online games for children from midnight till 8 am, in order to tackle growing internet addiction among them. According to reports, a draft regulation on the protection of minors was issued by the Office of the Central Leading Group for Cyberspace Affairs on January 6 which stated that all people under the age of 18 will not be allowed to use online game services from midnight to 8 am. Experts believe that it is a good measure to prevent minors’ internet addiction. But the successful implementation of this policy

will require not just users’ registration information but also a reliable system of verification and recognition for minors. This has put a question mark on the practicality of the draft regulation. Paytm to invest Rs 600 cr to expand its QR code based payment network Online mobile wallet Paytm will invest over Rs 600 crore to enable merchants across

India for acceptance of digital payments using its QR code based payment solution. The company is investing in scaling up manpower, technology, and merchant education so they can transact digitally for the first time and become a part of the formal economy. Paytm’s QR code based payment solution is currently powering more than five million merchants and is used by consumers to pay in their everyday lives at kirana stores, tolls, food courts, hospitals and large retail outlets among others. The company is acquiring almost a million merchants a month and aiming for over 10 million merchants in 650 districts of the country.

What’s Up

newsbits

Google, Microsoft agree for piracy crackdown

Global tech giants Google and Microsoft have agreed to tighten up their search engines as part of a crackdown on piracy sites illegally streaming events and films. Google and Bing, Microsoft’s search engine, have signed up to a voluntary code of practice and will ensure offending websites are demoted in their search results. The entertainment industry reached the agreement with the tech giants after talks brokered by the UK government. The initiative will run in parallel with existing anti-piracy measures. As per reports, the code, which is said to be the first of its kind in the world, is expected to be in operation by the middle of this year. n team@mymobile.co.in

march 2017 | 17

What’s Up

bignews

Half of organizations in the US and Europe lag in IoT adoption A

ccording to a recent study, almost half of the organizations in US and Europe are still to ride the IoT bandwagon. The study was conducted by the leading global IT company, HCL Technologies (HCL), in what is being said to be the first-of-its-kind global CXO survey with early adopters of the technology. Study revealed that 50% of respondents said their organizations are already behind the curve on IoT, whilst 43% said their customers will suffer from their organization’s failure to utilise IoT fully. Nearly half of respondents (49%) said an uncoordinated, siloed approach to IoT is holding them back from moving beyond pilots into revenue generating opportunities. 65% said the primary drivers for adopting IoT are improving business process efficiency and better customer satisfaction. Approximately four in ten (38%) organizations are using IoT and a further 57% plan to use it in the future. 82% agreed that organizations embracing IoT are likely to be in a stronger position in the marketplace. These findings indicate that many businesses are still in the early stages of IoT adoption, where its use is limited to a single business function, rather than being committed to a formal business–wide program. “Many companies have made inroads into the IoT, but when you peel away the layers, very few have embarked on truly transformative programs,” said Sukamal Banerjee, CVP and Global Head of IoT WoRKSTM, HCL Technologies. “Success depends on an enterprise-wide IoT strategy that centralizes a significant portion of the data from connected assets onto a single platform, where it can be used to generate revenues and new opportunities. It is only by doing so that they will reach the ultimate goals of IoT: organizational efficiency, more profitable business models and competitive edge. For example, manufacturers can use sensor data to charge customers based on hours of equipment in operation, or lab equipment providers can detect and automatically replenish supplies.” The research findings are unique and indicate that the solution to the challenges that are holding businesses back from committing more

fully to the IoT, are dependent on selecting the right IoT platform. Perhaps in response to these challenges and to avoid falling behind, almost three-quarters (73%) of respondents said they plan to enlist the support of a specialist IoT service provider. These findings are discussed further in report: “IoT Strategy: Insights From Early Adopters”. “With a lot of aggressive technology selling going on in the name of IoT, it’s extremely difficult for businesses to see a clear and rapid path to realize full value, but this is no time to sit on the sidelines,” continued Sukamal Banerjee. “In capital intensive industries, the digital economy will force the gap between innovators and followers to the ability to create intelligent insights from a full range of IoT assets. This process can be incredibly daunting, so next-generation service offerings will play a crucial role in guiding organizations and helping them discover new types of value and a new, more effective way to compete.” Commissioned by IoT WoRKSTM, the IoT business unit of HCL Technologies and conducted by independent technology market research company Vanson Bourne, the survey was completed by 263 senior IT and business decision-makers at large enterprises in a cross-section of vertical markets in the US, the UK, Germany and the Nordics. A rigorous multi-level screening process ensured that only those enterprises that felt IoT was relevant – Sukamal Banerjee, to their organization were given the opportunity to Global Head of IoT WoRKSTM, HCL Technologies participate. n

“Many companies have made inroads into the IoT, but when you peel away the layers, very few have embarked on truly transformative programs,”

18 | march 2017

MYMOBILE

What’s Up

bignews Budget to encourage actual mobile manufacturing

his budget has been used strategically by the Finmin to push actual manufacturing within the country rather than just assembling. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his budget speech had said that the focus is on creating an ecosystem to make India a global hub for electronics manufacturing. Over 250 proposals envisaging investment of Rs1.26 lakh crore for electronics manufacturing have been received in the last two years, he said. “A number of global leaders and mobile manufacturers have set up production facilities in India. I have, therefore, exponentially increased the allocation for incentive schemes like Modified Special Incentive Package Scheme (M-SIPS) and Electronics Development Fund (EDF) to Rs745 crore in 2017-18. This is an all-time high.” As per the industry, the budget will push handsets makers to move from local assembly to actual manufacturing. Indian Cellular Association National President Pankaj Mohindroo is of the view that phased manufacturing is at the heart of development of mobile ecosystem to achieve target of 500 million handset production by 2019 and export target of 120 million mobile phones by 2019-20. According to Micromax co-founder Rajesh Agarwal, ‘Make in India’ is a great opportunity, given India has attracted huge investments in local manufacturing lately not only benefitting the economic growth but also creating increased employment. n

Government IT spending in India to grow 9.5% in 2017

he government in India is forecast to spend $7.8 billion on IT this year, an increase of 9.5 per cent over 2016, according to Gartner, Inc. This forecast includes spending on internal services, software, IT services, data center systems, devices and telecom services. Government comprises state and local governments and national government. The software segment includes enterprise resource planning (ERP), supply chain management (SCM), customer resource management (CRM), desktop, infrastructure, vertical specific software and other application tools. The software segment is expected to grow 15.7 per cent in 2017 to reach $1 billion. Desktop will be the fastest growing segment with 16 per cent growth in this category. IT services (which includes consulting, software support, business process outsourcing, IT outsourcing, implementation, and hardware support) is expected to grow 14.6 per cent in 2017 to reach $2 billion, making it the largest segment within the IT spending category. “Government spending on IT services will total $2,093 million in 2017, a 15 per cent increase from 2016,” said Moutusi Sau, principal research analyst at Gartner. “The IT services market is led by growth in business process outsourcing.” Devices spending will grow 12.7 per cent in 2017 to reach $917 million. Devices refer to printers, copiers, MFPs, mobile devices, PCs and tablets. Further information on government sector IT spending is available in the Gartner report, Forecast: Enterprise IT Spending for

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the Government and Education Markets, Worldwide, 2014-2020, 4Q16 Update. The forecasts provide total enterprise IT spending, including internal spending and multiple lines of detail for spending on hardware, software, IT services, and telecommunications for vertical industries and 43 countries within seven geographies. n

march 2017 | 19

What’s Up

bignews Stage set for iPhone production in Bengaluru

ndia is on the verge of becoming the third country globally to assemble iPhones, which is evident from a release issued by the Government of Karnataka recently that welcomes Apple Inc.’s proposal to commence initial manufacturing operations in Bengaluru, the state’s capital. Apple’s intentions to manufacture in Bengaluru will foster cutting edge technology ecosystem and supply chain development in the state, which are critical for India to compete globally. The release, signed by state IT minister Priyank Kharge, said a state delegation had met with several senior Apple executives. The production is expected to commence in June. Wistron, a Taiwanese company which is the original equipment manufacturer for Apple, will make the iPhones out of its facility in Bengaluru’s industrial hub of Peenya. In December last year, the California-based company had published job openings on its portal for several positions at its OEM in Bengaluru,

including the position of an iPhone operations program manager, as well. According to reports, the state government is said to be pushing for manufacture of some phone components too, so as to create a manufacturing ecosystem in the city. In May last year, the iconic smartphone maker had announced a design and development accelerator in the city to grow the iOS developer community and also guide Indian developers to leverage Apple’s programming language Swift and build apps for Apple TV and Apple Watch. Apple Inc. uses a fairly complex supply chain. The parts for the iPhone, iPad, iPod and Mac are manufactured, mostly by third parties, across 28 countries. It has 766 suppliers, of which 346 are based in China, 126 in Japan, and 69 in the US. There is one in India, a unit of Flextronics in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu. Gujarat, Maharashtra and Telangana too were competing for the Apple facility. n

GSM base incorporates 5.15 million subscribers in January

he Cellular Operator Association of India (COAI) recently released the mobile subscribers report for the month of January 2017. As per the report, the Indian telecom industry added 5.15 million mobile subscribers in January, which was lower than the 8.18 million subscribers added in December. The total number of G S M

20 | march 2017

subscribers in the country stood at 815.15 million in January, the report said. The figure includes the subscriber additions by COAI members companies like Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, Idea Cellular but excludes the subscriber numbers of newcomer Reliance Jio. Amongst the telecom companies, Bharti Airtel continued to hold the pole position in January, adding another 3.55 million subscribers during the month taking its total subscriber base to 269.40 million. Airtel is closely followed by Vodafone with 206.44 million subscribers and Idea Cellular with 192.06 million subscribers. At 33.05 per cent, Bharti Airtel continues to own the maximum market share in the industry. COAI Director General Rajan Mathews said, “The industry continues to provide good service and connectivity across the country and develop mobile infrastructure in farflung regions, despite extremely trying times and poor financial health of the sector.” He expressed hope that the industry will receive support in its endeavors to empower consumers and citizens through timely regulatory and policy interventions. The circle of UP East added the maximum number of subscribers (74.35 million) in January, with Maharashtra next in line with 70.17 million mobile subscribers, and Bihar close on the heels at 69.41 million subscribers. Maharashtra led in terms of the number of new additions with 0.92 million new subscribers during the month. As per the last update by Reliance Jio, its subscriber base stood at 72.4 million as on December 31, 2016. n

MYMOBILE

Online gaming industry attracts big investment

ith mobile game publisher Nazara Games committing to invest Rs 136 crore in its eSports venture and serial entrepreneur Ronnie Screwvala earmarking Rs 80-100 crore for setting up a tournament, the online gaming industry is becoming a big business in the country. According to a report by the Economic Times, Nazara Games eSports league will enable gamers hooked on online games such as Dota 2 and League of Legends to participate in tournaments, catch live webtv programs and chat on forums. The company’s investment in the venture will be spread over five years. The report said eSports is slowly picking up in India as a growing number of casual gamers are turning professionals, with nearly 2,000 Indian online gaming teams being sponsored by brands and wealthy individuals. The numbers of tournaments and cash prize pools are steadily increasing. Domestic gaming startups including Nova Gaming Ventures, Nodwin Gaming, eGamers Arena and leading international players such as ESL are making investments in setting up national-level tournaments every other month, a stark contrast from what the situation was like a few years ago. At present, three to four online and offline tournaments take place once a week in India, compared to two years ago when a

tournament would take place once every few months. Most recently, eGamers Arena exclusively partnered with World Cyber Arena (WCA), one of the largest gaming championships worldwide, to host the national qualifiers in India for a championship that will be held in China at the end of this year. At stake is a $28-million jackpot that winners of online games like Counter Strike and Overwatch get to take home. In May 2016, ESL, one of the world’s largest eSports companies, partnered with Indian eSports gaming company Nodwin to announce a domestic gaming tournament with Rs 42 lakh in cash prize pool. American gaming company Valve has also partnered with Indian gaming companies during tournaments. n

What’s Up

bignews

Rs 13,000 crore to rollout BharatNet

he Government of India has allocated Rs 13,000 crore to the Department of Telecom (DoT) to roll out broadband network across gram panchayats and building alternate communications network for Defence. It was revealed in the Output-Outcome Framework for Schemes 2017 issued recently. The government has allocated Rs 10,000 crore for rolling out optical fibre-based broadband network across “one lakh fifty thousand cumulative

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GPs” in 2017-18. The government has set a target to provide high speed broadband connectivity across one lakh gram panchayats (GPs) by March 2017 and in rest of the 1.5 lakh panchayats by 2018. As on January 29 this year, optical fibre has been laid to connect 76,089 GPs, out of which 16,355 GPs have been provided broadband connectivity. Government has also allocated Rs 3,000 crore for laying of OFC and Procurement of equipment for the Network For Spectrum (NFS) project in 2017-18. The Cabinet, in July 2012, had approved an outlay of Rs 13,334 crore for the project, which includes OFCbased network for Army, Navy and Tri-services backbone. The Defence Ministry and the DoT had signed an agreement under which the former had agreed to vacate 25 megahertz (MHz) of 3G spectrum and 20 MHz of 2G in phases. In return, the DoT had committed to set up an exclusive defence band and defence interest zone for the armed forces. n

march 2017 | 21

What’s Up

bignews SkillTrain App to train India’s unskilled workforce

ligned with the government’s Digital India and Skill India programs, SkillTrain, a mobile app was recently launched to disrupt the massive unskilled workforce in the country. The mobile app a brainchild of IT services and solutions provider Mphasis and social enterprise incubator Villgro, uses a blended model of video content and practical training to enable rural and urban youth to become employable or self-employed. SkillTrain app will be available on all Android-based smartphones and offer courses in segments such as electronics, tailoring, plumbing, electrical repair and several other skill areas. It will initially have five free courses in Hindi language and plans to add at least 10 new courses over the next six months. While the video content and quizzes are free, the fee per practical session ranges between Rs 30 and Rs 100 making it one of the most affordable models currently available. The app also enables the learner to pace their learning as per their learning styles and needs thereby helping them master the skill better.

“We believe that only a blend of technology in vocational training can help India achieve the dream of becoming a skilled nation,” said B. Ganesh, Founder and CEO of SkillTrain. Given that 38% of India’s rural users access the Internet through their mobile phones, a custom-made mobile app addressing the country’s requirements will be a big thrust to India’s skilling challenges. The mobile app is especially relevant in reaching a much wider target audience, particularly students from low-income backgrounds in urban and rural communities. Online, SkillTrain’s dedicated learning channel provides video content for more than 12 courses and has more than 70,000 subscribers from across the world with more than 8.9 million views. Offline, SkillTrain has blended learning centres operational in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra. Through the mobile app, SkillTrain hopes to train more than 2500 students and place many of the successful candidates in jobs across the country. n

Facebook the biggest gainer of data battle in India

ndia emerged as the fastest growing market for social networking major Facebook in the three months that ended December, thanks to the war between telecom companies to win customers by offering free mobile data. While Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio, which was launched in September last year, kicked off a war with its offer of six months of free mobile data, the country’s largest service provider,

22 | march 2017

Airtel, rose to the occasion with its own offers on free and subsidised mobile data in order to conserve its customer base. In a call with investors and analysts recently, Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said, “In the fourth quarter, one of the callouts that we’ve seen (is) an increase in third-party promotional free data plans in places like India. So that clearly is having an impact in APAC and India was our strongest growth market.” While global internet giants such as Facebook are reaping the benefits of increased data usage in India, spurred by freebies, the Indian telecom sector has plunged into turmoil. In the quarter ended December, Bharti Airtel reported a 5.3 per cent drop in revenues and 9.5 per cent drop in profits. Facebook reported that it had a user base of 142 million in India as of March 2016, with 133 million of them accessing the service through mobile devices. India is the world’s fastest growing smartphone market with over 250 million data subscribers and 300 million smartphones. Idea Cellular, the country’s third largest telecom service provider, is currently exploring a merger with larger rival Vodafone, largely believed to have been pushed by falling margins in the Indian telecom sector due to Jio. Operators now are bracing themselves for a winter in the sector, with earnings expected to remain subdued for the next few quarters. n

MYMOBILE

bignews

What’s Up

Google pips Apple as the world’s most valuable brand

oogle has taken the top spot as the most valuable brand in the world, breaking Apple’s five- year record. In the latest Brand Finance Global 500 report, Apple comes in second, followed by Amazon, AT&T, Microsoft, Samsung, Verizon, Walmart, Facebook, and ICBC. As per the report, Apple has “overexploited the goodwill of its customers” and has “repeatedly disillusioned its advocates with tweaks when material changes were expected.” The report talks about the minimal changes introduced on iPhone devices year after year. “Apple’s loss has been Google’s gain,” the report says, adding that how the snaking queues of early adopters have shrunk almost to the point of invisibility. “Apple has failed to generate significant revenues from newer products such as the Apple Watch and cannot demonstrate that genuinely innovative technologies desired by consumers are in the pipeline. Its brand has lost its lustre and must now compete on an increasingly level playing field not just with traditional rival Samsung, but a slew of Chinese brands such as Huawei and OnePlus in the smartphone market, Apple’s key source of profitability,” the report says.

Google held the world’s most valuable brand title in 2011, and has now regained it back. Most of the credit is gone to its Search business, which largely remains unchallenged, and is the mainstay of its advertising income. The report states that the “ad revenues were up 20 per cent in 2016, despite a fall in cost per click, as ad budgets are increasingly directed online. Desktop advertising remains far more lucrative than mobile, despite its prematurely diagnosed decline. Furthermore, 2016 marks Google’s foray into the mainstream smartphone market as well - with the launch of the Google Pixel and Pixel XL, which according to the report have received great sales figures. n

Rs 500 cr allocated for India Post Payments Bank

he Centre has allocated Rs 500 crore to India Post Payments Bank for financial year 2017-18 as it gears up to set up 650 branches across country by September 2017. According to OutputOutcome Framework for Schemes 2017-18 for the Department of Posts released recently, the government has allocated Rs 125 crore as “capital infusion into corporate entity for India Post Payments Bank” and Rs 375 crore as “grant in aid to India Post Payments Bank (IPPB). India Posts is the second entity to roll out payments bank -- though on a pilot basis -- in Raipur and Ranchi, after Airtel that has earmarked Rs 3,000 crore as initial investment for panIndia operations with an interest rate of 7.25 per cent on deposits. Besides, Airtel is offering free money transfer from Airtel to Airtel numbers within Airtel Bank, money transfer to any bank account in the country. The IPPB will offer an interest rate of 4.5 per cent on deposits up to Rs 25,000; 5 per cent on deposits of Rs 25,000-50,000 and 5.5 per cent on Rs 50,000-1,00,000. The total paid up equity of the new bank IPPB is Rs 800 crore, of which the government has already infused Rs 275 crore. Payments banks can accept deposits up to Rs 1 lakh per account from individuals and small businesses. The new model of banking allows mobile firms, super market chains and others to cater to banking requirements of individuals and small businesses. The allocation to IPPB is part of Rs 1,034.13 crore earmarked for the Department of Posts. The second big chunk of

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the total allocation, Rs 279.6 crore, has been allocated for providing IT hardware and software in identified rural areas for improved access to services and customer satisfaction, resulting in increase in customer transactions, traffic and revenue. n

march 2017 | 23

Spotlight

in focus

The Much Awaited Launches 2017

LG G6

Huawei P10

24 | march 2017

The mega tech event is going to witness the best from the mobile manufacturers around the globe getting us a sneakpeek into the future of mobility. We can predict the tentative launches at MWC 2017, what it beholds for us.

Spotlight

in focus

ne of the much awaited tech gatherings of the world, the Mobile World Congress or MWC is going to commence

from February 27 to March 2, 2017 in Barcelona, Spain. With mobile makers and technology companies from around the globe arriving in Barcelona to showcase their latest smartphones,

Motorola G5 & G5 Plus

tablets and wearable gadgets, we offer you a glimpse into our digital future. This year, big brands including Sony, LG and Huawei are expected to unveil their new flagship smartphones, while other companies may show

Nokia 3310 & P1

off innovations in areas such as artificial intelligence, robotics and virtual reality. More than 2,200 companies will showcase their innovations at MWC 2017. Huawei P10 - Huawei is planning to unveil its camera-centric handset P10 handset - a successor to the P9 with a Leica dual camera system. Rumored specifications include a 5.5-inch curved QHD display, a Kirin 960 octa-core chipset, 6GB of RAM, 256GB of internal storage and a dual-lens camera. LG G6 - LG is expected to unveil the G6 smartphone, which is rumored to feature a display with an 18:9 aspect ratio and a bezel-free edge-to-edge display. The phone is rumored to have a new 5.7-inch QHD LCD 18:9 LCD display, a Snapdragon 821 quad-core processor, an Adreno 530 GPU, 6GB of RAM, 64/128GB of expandable internal storage (up to 256GB), a 16MP dual-lens rear-facing camera and a 12MP selfie shooter. Nokia 3310 & P1: Nokia is reportedly set to unveil its biggest product ever at MWC 2017, which is going to be a new tablet with an 18.4-inch screen, powered by Android Nougat and might also bring out several smartphones as well. Nokia is widely expected to debut the Android-powered Nokia P1 with a Snapdragon 835 chip, a QHD display, and support for Googleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Daydream platform.The world is also waiting to see the launch of iconic Nokia 3310 phone in Spain. Motorola G5 & G5 Plus: Lenovo-owned Motorola is also set to launch the Moto G5 series at MWC 2017. The leaks indicate that Moto G5 and Moto G5 Plus will sport metal bodies and will be tattooed with Lenovo branding on the side panels. team@mymobile.co.in

The images of phones are representational

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march 2017 | 25

First Look

justin Intex Aqua Crystal & Aqua 4.0 Set to complement your stylish looks

ndia’s leading handset manufacturer Intex has come up with two new smartphones called Aqua Crystal

and Aqua 4.0. Both the smartphones are 4G Volte compatible and run on Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Designed with high definition IPS display, the

Aqua Crystal has a display size of 5-inch to offer a high resolution experience. Powered by a 1.25 GHz quad-core processor, the device is equipped with 1GB RAM and 8GB ROM with an expandable memory up to 128 GB. It’s powered by a 2000mAh battery that’s rated to deliver up to 6 hours of talk time and 200 hours of standby time. It also comes equipped with value added services and features allowing its users an access to wide range of apps such as LFTY- a left screen concept of using content and utility services, Tap & Buy – a simplified way of online shopping by the use of artificial intelligence. MiFon Security and Vistoso are two other new apps which have been integrated in the device to avail complete device protection and neural graphics for artwork. On the other hand, the Aqua 4.0 4G is loaded with great features and rich visuals which is engineered with 4-inch Amoled display that has the power of 16.7 million colours. With the advanced display technology, users can now experience all possible content details and visuals at large. Powered by a 1.3 GHz quad-core

22 | january 2017

processor, the device has a 4GB ROM and an expandable memory of 64GB. It’s powered by a 1500mAh battery that’s rated to deliver up to 6 hours of talk time and 150 hours of standby time. Aqua Crystal is available in black and white colours, whereas Aqua 4.0 4G is available in champagne, black and blue colours. Aqua 4.0 and Aqua Crystal are competitively priced at Rs 4,199 and Rs 6,990 respectively. n

MYMOBILE

Intex Aqua Supreme+ Multilingual 4G Volte smartphone for regional users

ntex recently introduced Aqua Supreme+ as its first multilingual smartphone in association with Indus OS. Built with big battery

and great camera, the Aqua Supreme+ is said to be an ideal device for creating memories. This 4G VoLTE enabled smartphone comes with a spectacular

world’s first OS with integrated balance and usage analytics. Priced at Rs 9,490, the Aqua Supreme+ is available at Intex retail stores in champagne and black colour variants. n

First Look

justin

screen size of 5 inch HD IPS onCell display powered with 16.7 mn display colours for perfect viewing experience. The device powered by a 1.3 GHz quad-core processor with a 2GB RAM, 16GB ROM for seamless multitasking also comes with 128 GB expandable memory. The phone runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow and weighs just 133 gms. It is powered by a 3000 mAh Li–poly battery which allows users to talk up to 6 hours with a standby time up to 300 hours. Optics include a 13MP rear camera with flash, apart from a 5MP front camera for selfies. This device also comes equipped with other value added services and features allowing its users an access to wide range of apps such as Tap & Buy – a simplified way of online shopping by the use of artificial intelligence, MiFon Security for comprehensive mobile security and Vistoso for neural graphics for artwork. It has some other interesting features such as Indus Reader (text-tospeech) and Recharge 2.0 on Indus Dialer which makes it the

www.mymobileindia.com

january 2017 | 25

First Look

justin Zen Cinemax 4G Boasts high end features

ndian handset maker Zen Mobile recently introduced Cinemax 4G to its popular ZENERATION series. The company claims the smartphone offers

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;superior performanceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; at an affordable price. Speaking of the technical specifications, the Cinemax 4G offers a range of stylish features. Powered by quad core processor and Android Marshmallow

operating system, the newly-launched device allows users to effortlessly multitask by offering 2GB RAM, 16GB internal memory which is expandable up to 32GB. It boasts a 5.5-inch FWVGA display. The device is powered by 2900 mAh battery which gives users uninterrupted fun with up to 30 hours standby. On the camera front, the newly-launched phone features a 5MP rear camera and 5MP front shooter for selfies. Keeping the diversity in mind, the phone is packed with Swalekh keyboard, and connectivity options like- 4G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The Swalekh keyboard offers a fresh new look with ergonomically structured keys for ease of typing and aesthetic looks. It comes pre-installed with 22 different Indian languages including Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu, Gujrati, Tamil, Telugu and Marathi to name a few. It offers a language lock feature which allows the user to choose the language right from the main screen. It is bundled with JIO Happy New Year offer so the customers can enjoy unlimited calling and data, which is now extended till March 31. Priced at Rs 6,390, the Cinemax 4G will initially be available in champagne and rose gold colours. n

28 | march 2017

MYMOBILE

LG K10 2017 First phone with SOS Button from LG

he South-Korean FMEG maker LG has unveiled its K10 smartphone in India with the unique feature of SOS button

which will dial the emergency number 112, when pressed thrice. The company is also giving an access to download free audio and

First Look

justin

video from Hungama app for 45 days with the new phone. LG has become the first company to adhere to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) recommendation to do so. The company will also be completing its 20 years of operations in the country. The LG K10 features a 5.3-inch HD In-cell display and runs Android 7.0 Nougat. The K10 has a pebble design with 2.5D Arc screen, a fingerprint scanner on the back. The phone is powered by an Octa-core processor clocked at 1.5GHz coupled with 2GB RAM and 16GB internal memory (expandable up to 2TB). The mid-segment phone has a 5MP front camera with 120-degree wideangle selfie lens and a 13MP rear camera on the back. The phone is backed by a 2,800mAh battery and comes with OTG support. The dimensions of K10 are 148.7Ă&#x2014;75.3Ă&#x2014;7.9mm and it weighs 142 grams. In terms of connectivity, it supports 4G LTE, 3G,2G, WiFi, Bluetooth 4.2, USB 2.0 and NFC. The smartphone also supports 9 regional languages. The smartphone is priced at Rs 13,990 n

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march 2017 | 29

First Look

justin

HTC U Ultra and U Play Focusing Artificial Intelligence

aiwanese mobile maker HTC Corporation, has unveiled its two smartphones; the HTC U Ultra and HTC U Play smartphones in the Indian market, focusing mainly on design, quality, HD adaptive audio and

Artificial Intelligence (AI) integration for the discerning customer looking for a premium product with a global appeal. The smartphones come with 3D contoured, liquid surface, adaptive HTC U sonic technology for personalized hearing and a combination of MegaPixel and UltraPixel camera technology on the front to provide vivid light, color and detail, the company claims. The HTC U Ultra comes with the dual display, HTC Sense Companion, U Sonic and Voice recognition. The device has BoomSound Hi-Fi edition speakers and camera with 16MP and UltraPixel in the front and 12MP UltraPixel main camera. The U Ultra has a glass-metal design and includes a 5.7-inch with 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 coating on top. The smartphone is powered a Snapdragon 821 processor coupled with 4GB RAM. The internal memory is expandable by up to 2TB using a microSD card slot. The device has a 12-megapixel camera with laser autofocus and optical image stabilisation. The front camera has a 16MP capacity with UltraPixel mode and 1080p video. Meanwhile, HTC U Play comes with 5.2-inch full HD display, with Gorilla Glass coating. It is powered by MediaTekHelio 64-bit octa-core processor with 4GB RAM. The memory is expandable up to 2TB via microSD card. While the U Ultra is priced at Rs 59,999, the U Play is at Rs 39,999. n

30 | march 2017

MYMOBILE

Panasonic FZ-F1, FZ-N1 Toughpad smartphones

anasonic has launched two handsets - FZ-F1, FZ-N1

markets like transportation and logistics, manufacturing,

smartphones - in its rugged Toughpad series. The

retail and healthcare. According to company officials, the

FZ-F1 and the N1 are 4.7-inch devices with angular

rugged handheld devices is designed to give companies

1D and 2D barcode reader. F1 comes with Windows 10,

an up-to-date, powerful, flexible and purpose-built

while the N1 comes with Android Lollipop. The

solution, an excellent option that will improve efficiency,

Toughpad FZ-F1 and FZ-N1 are the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lightest, fully

productivity and bottom-line performance for years to

rugged 4.7â&#x20AC;? handheld tablets with angular 1D / 2D

come.

bar code reader, Android and Windows devices that feature a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor built for

First Look

justin

Prices for FZ-N1 starts at Rs. 99,000, while the Fz-F1 starts at Rs. 1,09,000. n team@mymobile.co.in

www.mymobileindia.com

march 2017 | 31

In Focus

Spotlight

The Jio Juggernaut Truecaller’s latest analysis of mobile usage reveals that Jio has completely shaken up the mobile landscape in India!

s per latest data from TRAI,

of customers in their first months and

India’s telecom subscriber

even picked up the pace of acquisition

base grew to over 1.12

towards the end of the year. So where are

billion at end-November

Jio’s customers coming from?

Jio grew faster than Facebook, WhatsApp and Skype during initial months of launch

2016. The large number of additions

The study broke down usage by top ten

was credited to Reliance Jio Infocomm

regions and Delhi led the way. Airtel and

Ltd. Reliance Jio alone added over 16.2

Jio have an even share of usage across all

million in month of November taking its

the regions. Standing out was Vodafone’s

Jio users make the shortest calls (less

total subscriber base to 51.87 million

dominance in Delhi and Mumbai as well

than 30 seconds).

within three months of launching its

as Idea’s strength in Maharashtra.

services. The disruption is visible, consolidation in progress and customers are the most benefited.

Jio on the move

Jio users keep it short and sweet

While Jio was growing faster than Facebook, WhatsApp and Skype during initial months as the company stated, it is surprising to see the shorter call duration

To get a sense of how customers are

since there is generally little difference

using the mobile plans we dug into the

between operators.

Jio has already launched itself into second

volume of calls made and the length of

As for the overall general calling

place in terms of users, capturing more

calls across operators. There were some

patterns in the country, there are some

than 23% of the market. Investigating the

interesting findings.

marked differences across regions with

last six months of usage, analysis found

Looking at call duration by operator,

Kolkata users having the longest median

that Jio grew aggressively towards the end

it seems like Vodafone users make the

call duration (42.17 seconds) and

of the summer. Jio racked up millions

longest calls (around 41 seconds), and

Jammu and Kashmir with shortest call

32 | march 2017

MYMOBILE

“Jio users are also making the most calls per user out of any of the operators. If overlaid with the average call duration, it does seem like the data points to some unintended usage patterns, such as Jio sims primarily being used for data or an increased amount of dropped calls and hence redials on the Jio network”

duration (28.63 seconds).

highlights that 42% of all Indians having

Jio users are also making the most

4G handsets are using Jio as the primary

calls per user out of any of the operators.

source for data connection. Only 17.54%

If overlaid with the average call duration,

of 4G users are using Airtel as primary

it does seem like the data points to some

data connection source, while Vodafone

unintended usage patterns, such as Jio

has a market share of at 12.26% and Idea

sims primarily being used for data or an

has 11.50% share. The research has found

increased amount of dropped calls and

that average data consumption of Jio users

hence redials on the Jio network.

is three times more than other telecom

Jio’s data consumption The study analyzed TRAI’s data for this. TRAI data reveals that in the month

In Focus

spotlight

operators. From the analysis, it’s clear that Jio has already shaken up the mobile landscape in India. Mobile internet usage

of November alone, Jio was

is expected to grow to over

leading in mobile broadband

500 million customers

“42% of all segment followed by Idea Indians having 4G Cellular Ltd with net handsets are using addition of 2.52 million new customers. Bharti Jio as the primary Airtel and Vodafone source for data added 1.08 million and 890,794 subscribers connection”

by the end of 2017 with a large portion of those picking Jio. As a result there’s already consolidation discussions among operators in India due to

r e s p e c t i v e l y. T h i s i s

the increased competitive

almostcertainlyduetocallsand

pressures. One can expect

data being free for these users over this

2017 to be an eventful year for the Indian

period. Further, a recent industry report

telecom industry. n

TrueInsights (Truecaller’s Market Analysis) Truecaller is one of the leading mobile communication applications in the world with services in caller ID, spam detection and dialer functionalities. Its market trend study ‘TrueInsights’ analyses the customer behaviour and reaction to the developments in the telecom world. TrueInsights aims to provide relevant and data-driven reports about market trends. The insights come from a mix of engineers, data scientists and marketers who put their heads together to tell data stories in an interesting and informative way. For the present analysis, the data was aggregated anonymously from incoming and outgoing calls tagged by their mobile operator in India during the period of July 1, 2016 to December 31, 2016. These insights are purely based on Truecaller’s internal data and does not reflect the entire usage of any of the services and Truecaller does not warrant the accuracy or completeness of such data. team@mymobile.co.in

www.mymobileindia.com

march 2017 | 33

Trendz

Consumer insight

11th Cisco VNI forecasts

The Oncoming Data Traffic Explosion The report highlighted that 5G will account for 1.5% of total mobile data traffic by 2021, and will generate 4.7 times more traffic than the average 4G connection with the proliferation of IoT, live mobile video, augmented and virtual reality applications

By Ramesh Kumar Raja

36 | february 2017

MYMOBILE

lobal mobile data traffic will shoot up seven-fold by 2021 and by this time

Projections n

Mobile data traffic to represent 20 per cent of total IP traffic—up from just 8 per cent of total IP traffic in 2016.

1.5 mobile devices per capita. Nearly 12 billion mobileconnected devices (up from 8 billion and 1.1 per capita in 2016), including M2M modules.

Mobile network connection speeds will increase three-fold from 6.8 Mbps in 2016 to 20.4 Mbps by 2021.

Machine-to-machine (M2M) connections will represent 29 per cent (3.3 billion) of total mobile connections—up from 5 per cent (780 million) in 2016. M2M will be the fastest growing mobile connection type as global Internet of Things (IoT) applications continue to gain traction in consumer and business environments.

4G will support 58 per cent of total mobile connections by 2021—up from 26 per cent in 2016 and will account for 79 per cent of total mobile data traffic.

The total number of smartphones (including phablets) will be over 50 per cent of global devices and connections (6.2 billion)—up from 3.6 billion in 2016.

more people on our planet

will be using mobile phones (5.5 billion) than bank accounts (5.4 billion), having access to running water (5.3 billion) or landlines (2.9 billion), according to the 11th annual Cisco Visual Networking Index (VNI) Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast (2016 to 2021). Strong growth in mobile users, smartphones and Internet of Things (IoT) connections as well as network speed improvements and mobile video consumption are projected to increase mobile data traffic seven-fold over the next five years. The explosion of mobile applications and adoption of mobile connectivity by end users is fueling the growth of 4G, soon to be followed by 5G growth. Cisco and industry experts anticipate largescale deployments of 5G infrastructures to begin by 2020. Mobile carriers will need the innovative speed, low latency, and dynamic provisioning capabilities that 5G networks are expected to deliver to address not just increasing subscriber demands but also new services trends across mobile, residential, and business

Trendz

consumer insight

markets. Cisco forecasts that 5G will

“With the proliferation of IoT, live mobile video, augmented and virtual reality applications, and more innovative experiences for consumer and business users alike, 5G technology will have significant relevance not just for mobility but rather for networking as a whole” – Doug Webster, Vice President, Service Provider Marketing, Cisco

www.mymobileindia.com

account for 1.5 per cent of total mobile data traffic by 2021, and will generate 4.7 times more traffic than the average 4G connection and 10.7 times more traffic than the average 3G connection. “With the proliferation of IoT, live mobile video, augmented and virtual reality applications, and more innovative experiences for consumer and business users alike, 5G technology will have significant relevance not just for mobility but rather for networking as a whole,” said Doug Webster, vice president of service provider marketing. “As a result, broader and more extensive architectural transformations involving programmability

march 2017 | 35

Trendz

Consumer insight and automation will also be needed to

from last year and, by 2021 consumer

generated 251 megabytes of mobile data

support the capabilities 5G enables, and

mobile traffic will grow 7.4-fold at a CAGR

traffic per month in 2016, up 67 per

to address not just today’s demands but

of 49 per cent Y-o-Y. Much of this growth will

cent from 151 megabytes per month in

also the extensive possibilities on the

be fueled by massive consumer adoption

2015. The average smartphone generated

horizon.”

of smartphones, IoT, smart devices and

559 megabytes of mobile data traffic per

According to Sanjay Kaul, Managing

use of machine-to-machine connections

month in 2016, up from 430 megabytes

Director, Service Provider Business, Cisco

with an estimated 1,380 million mobile-

per month in 2015. The average PC

India & SAARC, “As India leaps towards a

connected devices by 2021. As the

generated 2,166 megabytes of mobile

digital economy, 2016 alone saw a huge

Internet of Everything gains momentum,

data traffic per month in 2016, up from

growth in mobile traffic – by 76 per cent

we are clearly headed towards a new era

1,665 megabytes per month in 2015. The

in Internet communications, with M2M

average tablet generated 2,228 megabytes

connections predicted to increase 17-

of mobile data traffic per month in 2016,

fold at a CAGR of 76 percent y-o-y. The

up from 1,671 megabytes per month in

way we use connectivity in devices today

2015.

will change businesses, government,

The study projected that mobile data

healthcare, agriculture, manufacturing,

traffic will grow seven-fold from 2016 to

retail, transportation and other key

2021, a compound annual growth rate of

industries.”

49 per cent, in India. It will grow two times

Some Important India findings

“Much of this growth will be fueled by massive consumer adoption of smartphones, IoT, smart devices and use of machine-to-machine connections with an estimated 1,380 million mobile-connected devices by 2021” – Sanjay Kaul, Managing Director, Service Provider Business, Cisco India & SAARC

36 | march 2017

faster than fixed IP traffic from 2016 to 2021. The mobile data traffic will account for 29 per cent of Indian fixed and mobile

The study found that in India, mobile

data traffic by 2021, up from 15 per cent

data traffic grew 2.2 times faster than the

in 2016. While 60 per cent of mobile

country’s fixed IP traffic in 2016. The

connections will be ‘smart’ connections

average mobile-connected end-user device

by 2021, up from 19 per cent in 2016,

“The average smartphone generated 559 megabytes of mobile data traffic per month in 2016, up from 430 megabytes per month in 2015. The average PC generated 2,166 megabytes of mobile data traffic per month in 2016, up from 1,665 megabytes per month in 2015.”

MYMOBILE

Trendz

consumer insight 93 per cent of mobile data traffic will be ‘smart’ traffic by 2021, up from 62 per cent in 2016. The report pointed out that in 2016, India’s consumer mobile data traffic grew 1.8-fold, or 76 per cent. The consumer mobile traffic will grow 7.4-fold from 2016 to 2021, a compound annual growth rate of 49 per cent. Interestingly, consumers will account for 90 per cent of India’s mobile data traffic by 2021, compared to 89 per cent at the end of 2016. In India, business mobile traffic will grow 7.1-fold from 2016 to 2021, a compound annual growth rate of 48 per cent. The business will account for 10 per cent of India’s mobile data traffic by 2021, compared to 11 per cent at the end of 2016. As per the study, the mobile video traffic will grow 11.5-fold from 2016 to 2021 in India, a compound annual growth rate of 63 per cent. The number of video capable devices and connections will grow 2.2fold between 2016 and 2021, reaching 814 million in number. The study said video will be 75 per cent of India’s mobile data traffic by 2021, compared to 49 per cent at the end of 2016. Video reached

The cloud applications will account for 91 per cent of total mobile data traffic by 2021, compared to 80 per cent at the end of 2016. The mobile cloud traffic will grow 8.4-fold from 2016 to 2021, a compound annual growth rate of 53 per cent.

half of India’s mobile data traffic by yearend 2017. The cloud applications will account for

connections surpass 2G connections by

The number of wearable devices with

91 per cent of total mobile data traffic

2019. In India, 2G connections will be

embedded cellular connections will reach

by 2021, compared to 80 percent at the

19.1 per cent of total mobile connections

0.8 million in number by 2021, up from

end of 2016. The mobile cloud traffic

by 2021, compared to 75.5 per cent in

0.1 million in 2016, a compound annual

will grow 8.4-fold from 2016 to 2021, a

2016. The number of smart devices will

growth rate of 45 per cent.

compound annual growth rate of 53 per

grow 4.2-fold between 2016 and 2021,

The report further estimated that M2M

cent.

reaching 823 million in number. The

traffic will grow 17-fold from 2016 to

smart devices will be 59.6 per cent of total

2021, a compound annual growth rate of

It must be noted that 59.6 million net

mobile connections by 2021, compared

76 per cent. The M2M traffic will reach

new devices and connections were added

to 18.5 per cent in 2016. The number of

44.7 Petabytes per month by 2021 and

to the mobile network in 2016. There

smartphones will grow 2.2-fold between

will account for 2 per cent of total mobile

will be 1,380 million mobile-connected

2016 and 2021, reaching 781 million

data traffic by 2021, compared to 1 per

devices by 2021, approximately 1.0 per

in number.

cent at the end of 2016. The number of

capita for this region/country. In India,

The number of wearable devices will

mobile-connected M2M modules will

4G connections will grow five-fold from

reach 6.8 million in number by 2021, up

grow 6.2-fold between 2016 and 2021,

2016 to 2021, a compound annual

from 2.5 million in 2016, a compound

reaching 91 million in number. n

growth rate of 38 per cent. India’s 3G

annual growth rate of 23 per cent.

www.mymobileindia.com

ramesh@mymobile.co.in

march 2017 | 37

Trendz

Consumer insight

VOD Space

The Coming Disruptions By Rajiv Vaidya

n the last year, Indian OverTheTop (OTT) video content providers have gained considerable market share due to the boom in mobile data and

broadband. The growth of 4G will only accelerate customersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ability to receive and enjoy such video content. There is a steady growth in adoption of digital viewing not just globally but also in India. Entry of global players in Indian market will further boost the sector and get more people into a habit of paying to watch content online. According to IAMAI, India has more than 460 million Internet users with access to the cheapest data. The report emphasizes on the fact that 52% of internet users from rural areas access the internet for the prime purpose of entertainment, followed by 39% for social media and 37% for communication. Furthermore, an increase in the number of Internet users, cheaper data and large-screen smartphones will fuel consumption of video

38 | march 2017

2016, driven predominantly by advertising

“With mobile phones fast becoming primary screens for entertainment consumption, the digitally-oriented consumer base is migrating from televisions board, possessing to smartphones for catching up the right wherewithal on its preferred entertainment to opt for OTT viewership. solutions spewing a trend of With mobile phones cord-cutting” fast becoming primary

content on the go, or at home, primarily through streaming on VOD platforms and the trend is likely to continue next year. As per the Frost & Sullivan report, OTT video market was nearly USD 210 million in

Trendz

consumer insight

and the market is likely to grow at a CAGR

screens for entertainment

of over 80 per cent till 2020. Currently, the

consumption in the country, the

challenge is technological infrastructure

digitally-oriented consumer base is

like broadband speeds which in India, are

migrating from televisions to smartphones

digital-first nation where the adoption levels

not enough to offer a smooth HD

the OTT players. India quickly becoming a towards new trends are much higher.

video streaming experience.

Consumer attention these

However, with the likes of

days is rapidly shifting and

Reliance Jio and 4G coming in,

new, lucrative routes towards

consumption of video content

using digital are building up.

is expected to go up from 3.5

In times like these where

hours per session to 5 hours per session, per day. 2016 was an interesting year for online video in India – both in terms of number of players arriving in this space as well as the user base and their time spent on digital video. India would easily be the fastest growing major market on digital video consumption today – especially given the growth in the last three months. With active OTT users crossing 66 million and the industry

for catching up on

accruing over 1.3 million subscribers,

its preferred entertainment

OTT players were successful in carving a

solutions spewing a trend of cord-cutting.

digital success are in abundance, the need

niche for themselves in 2016. The user

Active OTT and VOD subscribers are going

to constantly evolve or provide value has

base of OTT viewers is on a rise internet

to increase to 105 million by 2020. Even

become vital for VOD players. n

is now set to reach millions of households

though the infrastructure promises to

in rural India. India currently has around

grow in times to come, one cannot deny

340 million smartphones and is expected

the existing challenges posed by the same.

to touch more than 600 million by 2020.

Hence, it has fallen upon the OTT players

In fact, post demonetization, there is now

to invest in technology to make the content

an increased emphasis on digital literacy,

delivery smoother and seamless.

which would further bring new users on-

www.mymobileindia.com

Content will decide the success of

opportunities for

The author is CEO, Spuul India. Spuul offers an OTT service across Web, mobile/ tablets, smart TVs, and Chromecast to stream and download feature-length movies, short films, and TV shows in various Indian languages. The service is available worldwide.

march 2017 | 39

Limelight

lead story

Chinese SmartphonesThe Coming of Age What electronic goods did for Japan in the 50s & 60s, smartphones appear to be doing the same for brand China, even as Chinese smartphone makers appear to be mastering the fine art of branding and perception management too!

By Haider Ali Khan

40 | march 2017

MYMOBILE

lead story

Come 2016 end and the Chinese handset makers are not only making waves by the volume they are garnering but also how they have gained acceptability bordering on respectability the world over. It’s quite a turnaround in brand perception. In India too, in the last quarter of 2016, Chinese handset makers managed to garner nearly 46% market share in smartphone category. As per recently released IDC’s OctoberDecember (CYQ4) 2016 figures, out of the

total smartphone of 25.58 million, Korean

Limelight

ften, the leader in the consumer market is the one who wins the perception battle. But in a highly competitive global market, this is easier said than done. And going by the popular perception not long back, Chinese mobile handsets suffered from low equity and their handset didn’t really carry any brand value. If anything, Chinese phones were an absolute no-no in the hands of even slightly well to do and upwardly mobile.

giant Samsung continued to be the leader by having 25.1 shipment market share but the next four spots were bagged by Chinese handset makers namely Xiaomi (10.7%), Lenovo (9.9%), Oppo (8.6 %) and Vivo (7.6 %) respectively. Even itel which has just completed its third quarter in Indian market is having a great run. November 2016 was the sterling month for Chinese brands as their share reached an all-time high of 51% of the total smartphone market. Contrast this to their share of 10% end 2014 and 22% end 2015 (IDC). And it’s not that Chinese manufacturers are only fighting with brands from other countries such as Korea and India but also engaged in a fierce battle among themselves. Meanwhile, online smartphone volume also saw jump by 10 per cent with Xiaomi and Lenovo taking the lead in this segment amounting to more than half of total shipment volume done online.

The Paradigm Shift Many still believe that why Chinese smartphone

“It will be unfair to take credit from Chinese players that continue to expand their presence throughout India, riding on aggressive portfolio strategies and substantial marketing spends” – Tarun Pathak, Associate Director, Counterpoint Research

brands are a hit mostly due

www.mymobileindia.com

to low-pricepoint offerings –

have taken the task of understanding

feature for feature. But that

local consumer preferences, perception

is changing and many even

management quite seriously, forging

in mature markets such as

brand association with top sportsmen,

Europe are no longer looking

sports categories, & Bollywood stars to gain

down upon Chinese brands.

high eyeballs and retain top-of-the brand-

Yiannis Papadopoulos, from

recall.

Thessaloniki, Greece writes

“We believe the product itself is the best

in Quora that “Yes they

marketing. So based on the study of Indian

are cheaper .. but they are

consumers, we believe to provide the best

powerful.. A lot of us prefer

product that truly meets their demand and

quality/power/features to

also give them the best services which

trendiness.” Perception about

in turn reflect our growth and scale that

Chinese brands changed

naturally follow,” says Will Yang, Brand

in Europe and Africa. And

Director, OPPO Mobiles.

this is happening in India

Vivek Zhang, CMO, Vivo India stresses

too, at least in the branded

that, “the old perception of Chinese

smartphone segment. And

Smartphone makers as producing low-

Chinese companies

quality products is no longer valid in fact

themselves

today, user perception is quite the opposite.

march 2017 | 41

Limelight

lead story We broke down negative ideas by offering products of the best technology and quality.

India Smartphone Shipments Market Share

2016Q4

Ultimately, this has enabled the end users to

Samsung

24%

enjoy technology at an affordable price. That

Vivo

10%

is what Vivo has achieved.”

Xiaomi

Agrees Tarun Pathak of Counterpoint

Lenovo

Research! “It will be unfair to take credit

Oppo

from Chinese players that continue to

Others

40%

expand their presence throughout India, riding on aggressive portfolio strategies and

Total

100.0% Source : Counterpoint

substantial marketing spends.” A senior management official of The Mobile Store too

started local manufacturing in India with

“It is irrelevant whether the device was made in India or China, the user today is more technically sound and is well exposed to make a reasonable choice, especially when they have a bouquet of options available in the market”

nods in agreement. “They have learnt the art

Honor Holly 3 and Honor 6X, we are opening

of image management. And they have turned

over 245 service centers (both exclusive as

around the general perception.”

well as authorized), and expanding offline

– Syed Tajuddin, CEO, Coolpad India

player who was one of the first ones to set

In addition, Chinese companies

distribution that has increased accessibility

themselves have also understood the

of our smartphones across the markets,”

significance of investing in research,

points out Allen Wangguodong, Director

product synchronization and localizing their

Product Center, Huawei India.

production to gain a strong foothold in local

“As the world’s top international patent

market, unlike their previous business model

filer, our core strength is innovation and it

of just being an exporter to the foreign market.

is through our innovation expertise that we

The best thing is that they have started

bring value to the demands of the market,”

seeing the local government and policies as

points out Allen.

a facilitator rather than a stumbling block in their progress.

Today, Chinese success is being attributed to a variety of factors including

“The change has been because of the

strong marketing and channel push, as well

paradigm shift in how we look at our phone.

as better access to components that were

The whole genesis and growth of smartphones,

in limited supply which has helped them

propelled by the GoI initiatives has led

capture a strong market share here as is the

to this growth. For us, as an international

case the world over.

up roots in India dating back 17 years ago,

In Sync with Global Trend

we have revamped our sales and marketing

The rising prominence of Chinese smartphone

initiatives and focused on localization. We

makers in India is almost a mirror image of

The core of OPPO’s cooperation cultural is ‘Benfen’. It has several level of meanings and it gives us the criterion that we should do the right thing. In OPPO, we believe the right thing we should do is to provide our consumers the best product. We believe the product itself is the best marketing. So based on the study of Indian consumers, we believe to provide the best product that truly meets their demand and also give them the best services which in turn reflect our growth and scale that naturally follow. The success of Selfie Expert F1, F1 Plus and F1s indicates this. We were the first to provide selfie-focus devices and led this trend. As a camera phone brand, we are focused on giving our consumers high level of camera experience, on which we have been investing a lot of efforts for over several years now, to give users’ that perfect photos that captures every beautiful moment easily. This is our biggest differentiator. As a brand our vision has always been to be an energetic and long-term brand for our consumers since OPPO’s inception. Thus, we will continue to focus on our product and provide better user experience, especially when it comes to photography and the selfie experience, which cater to our young consumers’ real demands.

42 | march 2017

MYMOBILE

“India is at the cusp of a phenomenal smartphone growth and we believe that there is a market opportunity for all players” India was supposed to be the litmus test for Chinese branded handset

segments at least. What has led to this change? The change has been

makers. And going by the latest sales data, they are doing extremely

because of the paradigm shift in how we look at our phone. The

well now. What do you think has been the reasons for their super

whole genesis and growth of smartphones, propelled by the GoI

success in India market? Huawei has been present in India for the

initiatives has led to this growth. For us, as an international player

last 17 years and we were the first to realize the massive potential

who was one of the first ones to set up roots in India dating back

in India. As part of our India focus, we have been consistently

17 years ago, we have revamped our sales and marketing initiatives

expanding our footprint by investing in the country. Our R&D center,

and focused on localization. We started local manufacturing in

which we revamped recently with spend of up to 170 Million and

India with Honor Holly 3 and Honor 6X, we are opening over

the recent set up of our own manufacturing unit for Consumer BG

245 service centers (both exclusive as well as authorized), and

highlights our commitment to the India operations.

expanding offline distribution that has increased accessibility of

We were one of the first players to show commitment to the India

Limelight

lead story

our smartphones across the markets.

market and our success is a testament to how we have adapted to the demands of the market. As the world’s top international patent

In terms of design, technology, value for money, are Chinese

filer, our core strength is innovation and it is through our innovation

companies offering real value for the buck? While Huawei/Honor

expertise that we bring value to the demands of the market. Our

doesn’t believe in participating in a price war, we always want

people who have been working across markets understand the

to provide the best for our customers. Our year on year growth in

demographic needs and together with the technology innovations,

terms of device sales is a testament to our consumers, who trust

we have an edge over other competitors.

in our products and are intelligent in ascertaining our products’ value themselves. Despite a challenging industry environment,

Chinese companies were traditionally not savvy in terms of brand and

Huawei continued to maintain strong growth in 2016 and i shipped

image building but now they have become quite savvy and aggressive

139 million devices in 2016, up 29% from 2015. This is a

and challenging the best of the global brands in certain product

testament of the value we bring to our consumers across categories and markets. What has been your company’s USP to cater to India market? What are the lessons which can be learnt or emulated by domestic handset manufacturers? India is at the cusp of a phenomenal smartphone growth and we believe that there is a market opportunity for all players. We have created a mark for ourselves in the Indian smartphone market with its powerful, specs-heavy yet compellingly priced devices. We will continue to focus on consumer experience, constantly enhance our investment in consumer research and innovation, and leverage our in-house hardware, software, and application services to become the brand preferred and trusted by consumers. Rankings are results only, not our goals. Our goals are to focus on consumers, not competitors. As long as we make sure that our products are well received by consumers and create value for them. It is absolutely essential to put consumer needs first and develop a strategy focused on channel, retail, brand, marketing and services, to strengthen the business base and streamline operations and customer service. In the meantime, consumers

Allen Wangguodong Director, Product Center, Huawei India?

www.mymobileindia.com

will continue to be attracted towards brands that provide value for money and breakthroughs in technology innovation.n

march 2017 | 43

Limelight

lead story what is happening in the global mobile market, albeit the pecking order is different. According to the latest Counterpoint Research, while global smartphone shipments crossed 1.5 billion units in CY 2016, the shipment by leading Chinese manufacturers -Huawei, Oppo and Vivo – alone crossed 300 million units.

“Today customer is the device is made

China is also leading in terms of LTE subscriptions share globally by contributing to almost half of the total worldwide LTE subscriptions of 1 billion units. Further, the smartphone growth has been driven by Chinese manufactures while leaders Samsung and Apple saw a decline in shipment in CY2016. In contrast, the three major Chinese brands - Huawei, Oppo and Vivo combined grew by a healthy 57% YoY. Furthermore, Chinese brands continued to expand into newer geographies beyond China even as Tecno & iTel rule in Africa. Huawei has also gained a foothold in the premium market with the successful release of P9 and Mate 8 and will continue to put more emphasis in the premium market going forward challenging Apple. Oppo R9 rose to the best-selling smartphone in China in 2016 breaking Apple’s iPhone dominance streak as the best-seller for the first time since 2012. The Chinese e-commerce players such as Alibaba has also been instrumental in driving up Chinese smartphone sales. The year 2017 will be an exciting year and will be a close race between these top three brands which together controls almost half of the Chinese smartphone market as they try to out-innovate and out-market each other.

Conclusion Chinese mobile brands have gained the most lately in the Indian market. It also signals the maturing of Indian consumers, who have largely ignored the narrow jingoistic calls for in deciding their choice of handsets. It also reflects that the homeland of a brand is no deterrent to the fortune of a good product. As Syed Tajuddin, CEO, Coolpad India points out, “Value for money, affordability, durability, easy buying options and a robust after sales service are the key words customers are looking for. It is irrelevant whether the device was made in India or China, the user today is more technically sound and is well exposed to make a reasonable choice, especially when they have a bouquet of options available in the market.” Yes, there is no doubt Chinese brands have come of age, matching competition in spec for spec, build quality or innovation. Today, it is simply not easy to dismiss a

Syed Tajuddin, CEO, Coolpad India India was supposed to be the litmus test for Chinese branded handset makers. And going by the latest sales data, they are doing extremely well now. What do you think has been the reasons for their super success in India market? According to me it has been the increase in connectivity, affordable data access, coming of 4G and of course internet penetration to Tier 3 and 4 markets. All the above reasons have increased exposure among the India audience. They now have access to information, this information further leads to discussions and experience of other users that are currently experiencing the product. The success of Chinese products is simple because there are no alternatives present at that particular price points. They practically have no competition and also now have a foot hold in the offline market. Another advantage is that they offer a whole range of products starting below 5K and going right above 40K, so they are catering to multiple segments and creating more options in the market. Does success of Chinese brands in India also signifies the maturing of Indian consumers who refuse to play by narrow jingoism? Narrow jingoism has not had impact on Chinese smartphone sales; the YoY growth of Chinese handsets sales are proof enough. Old school beliefs such as treating homegrown brands as ‘one of our own’, is practically nonexistent or not large enough to be treated as impactful. Value for money, affordability, durability, easy buying options and a robust after sales service are the key words customers are looking for. It is irrelevant whether the device was

Chinese smartphone for just being Chinese! n

44 | march 2017

MYMOBILE

enlightened; it is irrelevant whether in India or China” “There is so much at stake that even naming of the product is not that simple anymore. This change has been brought about how people communicate with each other and how they behave on popular social channels”

of smartphones had a fingerprint sensor in their devices. We took the competition to a whole new level when we launched the Note 3 Lite which was a device with a 3GB Ram and a fingerprint sensor. Both these devices revolutionized the Indian

Limelight

lead story

market and continue to be a bench mark for competition. We recently launched the Cool 1; the first smartphone in India with a dual camera setup to be priced below 15k. That is our mission to create superior technology for the masses. Our handsets are both value for money and technologically sound. What are the lessons that can be learnt or adopted by Indian handset manufacturers from Chinese manufacturers/brands? Indian manufactures always had an upper hand by manufacturing locally specially with respect to handset industry however this awakening has come late and the opportunity was missed.

made in India or China, the user today is more

Earlier local handset manufacturers were actually buying

technically sound and is well exposed to make

handsets from ODM’s and repackaging under their respective

a reasonable choice, especially when they have

brand names, this is true for almost all domestic brands that

a bouquet of options available in the market.

assemble SKD parts shipped from China. This worked in their favor for a short time, with the onslaught of Chinese brands

Chinese companies were traditionally not savvy in terms of brand

entering India under their own brand names took the smartphone

and image building but now they have become quite savvy and

market pie by storm. The aggressive price against specs strategy

aggressive and challenging the best of the global brands in certain

forced domestic brands to look homeward that do not have

product segments at least. What has led to this change? This is true

the expertise or investments to manufacture PCBS’s locally

and there are many lessons to be learnt with the launch of each

or have an SMT line. Homegrown manufacturers who initially

device. A lot of market study goes in to ascertain how a product

commanded the market with Chinese products struggled to

will be positioned in the market. There is so much at stake that

compete in this price war turf.

even naming of the product is not that simple anymore. This

However it remains to be seen which Indian manufacturers

change has been brought about how people communicate with

will struggle to survive this onslaught. Chinese players have a

each other and how they behave on popular social channels. All

long term vision for India and they will continue to take losses

this put in a pot helps us stir the right emotions in the people,

by subsidizing devices for the customers till the entire feature

a brand’s interaction with its customer is of utmost importance

phone market has been replaced by smart devices. Chinese

namely; how they expose them to product, how they create a

companies also have the highest market share in terms of online

community of loyalists, how they curate a community and most

sales on various leading ecommerce platforms, the spending

importantly how well they service them after a sale is made.

on marketing and branding have reached new heights as they plan to topple top smartphone brands in India, we are already

In terms of design, technology, value for money, are Chinese

seeing the No 1 position gap close as Chinese brands eye the

companies offering real value for the buck? We launched the first

top spot. The market is being bombarded with Chinese devices

finger print enabled phone with 3GB below 10 K and started

and slowly becoming the preferred smartphone device for Indian

a revolution. The companies before Coolpad Note 3 sold

users. Indian manufacturers have to up their investments in

finger print sensor enabled phone over three times the value.

manufacturing and R &D if they want to be in this game. n

Other companies soon followed suit and an entire generation

www.mymobileindia.com

shelley@mymobile.co.in

march 2017 | 45

Limelight

lead story

“India has an untapped customer base across platforms” India was supposed to be the litmus test for Chinese branded handset

segments at least. What has led to this change? Back in 2011,

makers. And going by the latest sales data, they are doing extremely

China was an emerging economy and marketers often felt they

well now. What do you think has been the reasons for their super

didn’t have the research needed to target new consumers. Today

success in Indian market? India is a large market, with an extensive

however, Chinese companies are focused on brand awareness

customer base. This market offers massive opportunities for

as a key marketing goal, scaling up and increasing sales, and

Smartphone Makers. Today the customer wants innovation in a

expanding outside of China. Technology has played a major role

Smartphone at every step. The millennial, who are the largest base

in bringing about this change, as the advertising and marketing

of subscribers use Smartphone’s for almost everything they may

landscape has changed in China, also the number of internet

require on a daily basis. To attain a sizeable market base, scaling up

users have increased manifold. Chinese brands have been quick

was evident by placing products at MBOs (Multi-branded Outlets)

in understanding customer demands and adapting to changing

as per customer demands. Besides, using the offline distribution

consumer trends.

channels helps in a competitive market scenario. This channel is In terms of design, technology, value for money, are Chinese companies offering real value for the buck? India is one of the strongest markets for us. It has an untapped customer base across platforms. These customers have different demands for a specific product in terms of its design, value and quality. Therefore, it was important for us to delve into these segments and explore the best combination

Vivek Zhang CMO, Vivo India

we can offer to create a strong impact of our brand in customers’ minds. Since our foray into the Indian Smartphone market, we have followed a pragmatic approach and have been consistent in our efforts. We believe that we can connect better with our customers by providing a realistic first-hand experience of our products. Our aggressive offline distribution channel has helped us in creating that connect by offering our customers the latest technology at a competitive price. This is a reflection of our commitment towards the changing dynamics of customers. We see a huge potential in the ever-evolving Indian Smartphone market, while we look forward to strengthening our operations and set a benchmark with our offerings in the future.

aggressive and instantly reaches out to a wide range of customers.

Does success of Chinese brands in India also signifies the maturing

Including this, it is imperative to remain dynamic. These market

of Indian consumers who refuse to play by narrow jingoism? The

placement measures have helped us capture the fledging Indian

Indian customer in recent times has preferred new and innovative

Smartphone market.

products with high-end technology and speed. It has been a

In the last few years, we have consistently offered a unique

historic experience of sizing up the needs of India’s Smartphone

top of the line experience. We have continued to capture the

users, and we have successfully overcome the challenges placed

imagination of Smartphone users and offer them devices that are

before us. The old perception of Chinese Smartphone makers as

a perfect blend of innovative technology, immaculate design and

producing low-quality products is no longer valid in fact today, user

breakthrough innovation.

perception is quite the opposite. We broke down negative ideas by offering products of the best technology and quality. Ultimately,

Chinese companies were traditionally not savvy in terms of brand and

this has enabled the end users to enjoy technology at an affordable

image building but now they have become quite savvy and aggressive

price. That is what Vivo has achieved. n

and challenging the best of the global brands in certain product

46 | march 2017

haider@mymobile.co.in

MYMOBILE

In focus

profile

Narendra Bansal Son of the soil who dared to dream big, achieved big! From selling audio cassettes in Palika Bazar in New Delhi to establishing a Rs 6,400 crore company, Chairman and Managing Director of Intex Technologies Pvt Ltd, Narendra Bansalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life is a study in how tenacious pursuit of goals coupled with a strong belief in oneself eventually does lead to success.

By Gagandeep Kaur

50 | february 2017

MYMOBILE

arendra Bansal has many achievements to his credit but he is best known for near complete domination

of the company in the feature phones and entry-level smartphones segment in India. Bansal’s uncanny ability to gauge demand and supply gap in the market along with his enormous risk taking capabilities have ensured that Intex has today emerged as a

“My biggest asset is that I can identify a gap in the supply chain and I can identify a supplier” – Narendra Bansal

leading Indian mobile brand. Going against

would appeal to my customers, so instead of making a request, they would go by my recommendations,” recalls Bansal. “Since my High School, I have ensured that I am never in a position to take any money from my parents,” he adds. As the eldest of five children, Bansal took responsibility of his siblings very early in

In focus

profile

his life. Right from getting his siblings admitted in a convent school to attending parent-teacher meeting on behalf of his

the conventional wisdom, he decided to

Even during his school days, he started

focus on the feature phones and entry-

a number of initiatives to earn his living.

level smartphones. This strategy paid off

From selling audio cassettes in Delhi’s

Even after his graduation from

rich dividends and helped the company to

Palika Bazar to renting video cassettes

Swami Shraddhanand College of Delhi

create its own niche in a highly competitive

and VCR to clicking pictures of visitors at

University, Bansal continued his journey

parents, he played an important role in the lives of his siblings.

market. Today mobile business accounts for nearly 75-80% of Intex’s revenue. But he has not stopped at mega success in the feature phone segment or mobile handsets for that matter. Today, Intext Technologies is a company with verticals such as mobile, accessories, IT peripherals and consumer durables. So what started as just one product journey in 1996 now covers as many as 16 product categories, and there seems no looking back!

Humble Beginnings Bansal was born in a small town called Tehsil Bhadra in Rajasthan, about 60 kms from Hisar. His early education, till class V, took place in local Panchayat School. For the next five years, he moved to Kathmandu to live with his uncle but here too his education was in a Government school only. In 1980 he came back to

Narendra Bansal (seen with his wife) receiving Distinguished Entrepreneur Award, PHDCC 2016

India to be with his parents, who had

Birla Mandir, Bansal had a unique knack

as an entrepreneur. For a while, he started

moved to New Delhi by then.

of sensing an opportunity and finding a

a business of repairing cordless phones.

supplier to meet the gap.

Here also, Bansal innovated by offering

Bansal’s desire to follow his own path is evident from very stages of his life. He

“My biggest asset is that I can identify

free pick-up and drop facility, which was

decided to become an entrepreneur when

a gap in the supply chain and I can identify

unheard of in those days. During this

it was hardly fashionable to be one, and

a supplier. For instance, renting of video

time he opened a shop in Naya Bazar and

there was no startup ecosystem in the

cassettes and VCR was very popular when

started assembling computers. His younger

country. Though he belongs to a Marwari

I was in college. Most of the vendors rented

brother Sunil used to help in assembling

business family, Bansal decided not to join

for 24 hours only but I differentiated myself

computers. Both his brothers, Sunil and

the family’s grain trading business in Naya

from them by allowing clients to rent it for

Sanjay, are part of senior management of

Bazar in Old Delhi as it just didn’t excite

three-to-four days. Being from the same

Intex today.

him.

age group, I knew what kind of movies

However, his first big break came when

march 2017 | 49

In focus

profile he started dealing in floppy diskettes. This venture marked his entry into the IT business. “It was a wholesale business, so margins were splendid. My friend in Hong Kong used to supply me on credit, and I used to sell in cash. This ensured that earnings from this venture were great,” says Bansal. Besides floppy diskettes, Bansal also got into the sale of Sealed Maintenance Free Battery. Assembling of computers meant that Bansal had to visit Nehru Place, the

“His love and vision for his country has made Intex as one of the foremost companies to start ‘Make in India’ journey long back” – Nidhi Markanday, Director & Business Head, Intex Technologies

country’s largest marketplace for computer accessories and parts, regularly. He finally

computers. I just joined three letters from

faced many challenges at the beginning of

decided to rent out space in Nehru Place

the first name and last two of the second

this venture. Not many people were ready

and later bought an office space in this

name to form Intex…the name stuck,”

to join him, and then the distributors were

market.

says Bansal.

reluctant to stock Intex’s supplies because

Finally, the success of the floppy venture

The first product to be sold under Intex

it was a new brand with no market presence.

propelled him to start his firm, and Intex

brand was Ethernet card. Compex had a

Lastly, Bansal insisted on proper bill and

was formally formed in 1996. “At that

monopoly in this product line at the time.

payment processes, which was another

time, I used to drive second hand Bajaj

Bansal

hurdle since most of the traders indulged

scooter. My friends used to laugh at me

“There are many companies under one big umbrella company. There is an owner of every product line, and there is no interference between the two product lines. It ensures a smooth functioning of all the business units”

in underhand dealings. He managed to

when I told them that I was going to form my own company and my own brand,” recalls Bansal. There is an interesting story behind the coinage of the company’s name as well. “We had a small firm called International Impex which was created when we started selling

make inroads by offering huge margins to the shopkeepers and regular visits by his staff gave confidence to the traders that it was a no fly-by-night venture. This experience of making inroads and breaking the monopoly of an established player provided invaluable business insights to Bansal and was going to help him later when Intex decided to make inroads into the burgeoning mobile devices segment. Soon Bansal had established Intex as a brand of repute in the computer accessories business, from speakers to UPS to mouse.

52 | february 2017

MYMOBILE

In focus Today the company is present in a range of

years back and the company has since

to develop a professional organization run

consumer durable items like refrigerators,

made huge progress. In business processes,

by talent and automated systems. His love

televisions, washing machines, air purifiers

in communication and mindset, Intex is a

and vision for his country has made Intex

and more.

B2C company. It hired Farhan Akhtar as

as one of the foremost companies to start

brand ambassador, bought cricket team

Make in India journey long back,” says

(Gujarat Lions) to push the brand in the

Markanday about her long association

end consumer’s mind space.

with Intex.

The Mobile Surge Success in computer accessories business pushed him to scout for more business

Commenting on how the company

“We tend to underestimate the people

opportunities. With the country recording

manages so many different products,

around us, but I tend to find a solution

tremendous growth in the telecom space,

Bansal says, “There are many companies

through people around me. It is the

Bansal ventured into the handset business

under one big umbrella company. There is

management’s belief in its employees,

in 2007. This was not surprising since

an owner of every product line, and there

which makes all the difference. It empowers

many distributors of computer accessories

is no interference between the two product

them to take ownership and perform to the

also ventured into selling mobile devices

lines. It ensures a smooth functioning of all

best of their abilities. I believe in working as

as well.

the business units.”

a team with my people. That’s why people

However, the company didn’t experience

He is an entirely people’s person and

success initially and lost money. The

believes in trusting them implicitly. It is for

Though today Bansal is heading the

problem was in the approach. “Computer

this reason that several of his employees

Rs 6,400 crore company, he continues

accessories is a B2B business, but devices

have chosen to stick with him through last

to follow an incredibly simple lifestyle.

segment is different. In IT accessories

his ups and downs over the last 10 to 15

He doesn’t wear a watch and drives

market, we just had to keep the distributor

years. This is practically unheard of in the

a second-hand Jaguar, which his son Keshav used to drive till some time

stick with Intex,” says Bansal.

happy. But in the mobile business, we

corporate environment. For instance, Nidhi

have to inform the end-consumer about

Markanday, Director and Business Head

back. “A higher turnover, a higher profit has

our product and then only the distributor

at Intex had joined the company about 15

never given me a high and a lower turnover

would be able to sell. In the initial stages

years back as his Secretary.

has never given me a low. I can travel by

of our mobile business, we were treating

“For me, he has been my true mentor

auto today if need be. My requirements

it like our accessories business, but we

in not only shaping my career but have

are very basic. What excites me is what I

had to approach it differently. The brand’s

learnt everything from him. Since initial

can do for my people. When I started this

connect with the end consumer was

days he has the quality of doing different

company, I started for myself, but today

missing,” says Bansal.

kinds of work himself so he can understand

I don’t work for myself, I work for all of

things completely but his vision has been

them,” says Bansal.

This shift in mindset came about four

www.mymobileindia.com

march 2017 | 51

In focus

profile Possibly, Bansal’s big achievement is that he has created more than 11,000 jobs in the country. Intex operates five manufacturing units in Jammu, Baddi (Himachal Pradesh) and Noida. The company plans to build one of the country’s largest manufacturing facility at Kasna, Greater Noida of around 20 lakh square feet in size to cater to both domestic and international market. “Intex has created jobs for so many people and this gives me a huge satisfaction. Besides, we were able to bring the devices price down for the Indian consumer by

Even as Intex gets ready to make its

forcing the multinational companies to

presence felt on the world stage, it has to

reduce pricing,” says Bansal.

fight stiff competition from the Chinese

The Road Ahead

companies have almost 50% marketshare

prominent Indian devices brand. It has

in the Indian devices market. Unfortunately,

been growing at the rate of 100% for the

this growth has been at the cost of the

last four years. From around Rs1,000 crore

Indian device manufacturers.

crore in financial year 2015-16.

– Pankaj Mohindroo, Founder & National President, Indian Cellular Association

52 | march 2017

the Indian market as well. Today, Chinese

Today Intex has firmly established as a

revenue in 2012-13, it recorded Rs 6,400

“Narendra Bansal’s commitment to value generation, not just for his company but also for the growth of manufacturing in India, is immense and has played a key role in the emergence of Intex as a prominent national level Indian device manufacturer”

players (mainly Xiaomi, Vivo and Oppo) in

However, Bansal is confident that Intex will be able to cover the lost ground.

“Narendra Bansal’s commitment

“Chinese players have a huge advantage

to value generation, not just for his

in terms of manufacturing in China. It

company but also for the growth of

has taken us some time to recalibrate our

manufacturing in India, is immense and

strategy. Whatever gaps we have, be it in

has played a key role in the emergence of

distribution, in products or in after-sales

Intex as a prominent national level Indian

services, we have to correct them. All this

device manufacturer. With his astute

should happen in the next few months,”

understanding of the Indian consumer and

elaborates Bansal.

his vision of taking Intex to global scale,

Bansal is pragmatic enough to realize

I am sure Intex will go places in times to

that it is going to be a test for Intex and

come,” says Pankaj Mohindroo, Founder

other domestic device manufacturers. He

& National President, Indian Cellular

doesn’t mince words when he says that “if

Association, who has keenly witnessed the

Chinese companies have market share of

rise of Intex.

50% today it does show that the Indian

Intex is now gearing up for the next phase of growth and hopes to replicate

companies are not so efficient when faced with a challenge.”

its domestic success in the international

Bansal believes that one skill, which has

market as well. “We want to create a

really helped him in his journey, is listening

global Indian brand like Korea’s Samsung

to his employees. As he gears up to fight

or like Infosys. We have proven others

the next battle with the Chinese players,

wrong earlier also. When we entered the

he would be doing a lot more of this. His

mobile business, other Indian brands were

street-smartness and business acumen is

way ahead of us but we made a place for

further going to help the company put up

ourselves. We can do it on the global scene

a strong fight. n

as well,” says Bansal.

Gagandeep@mymobile.co.in

MYMOBILE

Ten Facts You May Not Know About Riccardo Zacconi, CEO, King Digital Entertainment (Candy Crush Saga)

Riccardo Zacconi, the CEO of King Digital Entertainment,

Born in 1968, Rome, Italy, Zacconi received degree in

which developed one of the most popular mobile gaming apps worldwide, Candy Crush Saga, founded this venture in 2003.

Zacconi is a leading figure in the UK tech industry and is a proponent of the UK government’s efforts to establish a tech city in East London. He was reportedly identified as the poster-boy of Europe’s mobile gaming sector.

Business Administration from LUISS University, Rome (Italy) and also holds a BA in Economics from the same university. After leaving university, Zacconi worked as a consultant.

One of his roles during this time included a six-year period as project manager at Boston Consulting Group, between 1993 and 1999. His first career role was as a consultant during a two year long stint at LEK consulting, between 1991 and 1993.

At the start of the dotcom boom in 1999, Zacconi joined the Swedish online messaging startup Spray before it was purchased by Lycos Europe in 2000.

7 8 9 10

He was knighted by the Italian President in December 2016 with the title of ‘Commendatore dell Ordine della Stella d’Italia.’ Zacconi co-founded Midasplayer.com in 2003 and serves as its Chief Executive Officer. He has more than 14 years of experience in the online and consumer industry. Riccardo Zacconi’s game app Candy Crush Saga has already made him a mega-millionaire. In a 2012 interview with Forbes, Zacconi said, tablets will have a major impact on the games business. n

In 2001, he left Spray and moved to the UK to become

vice president of European sales and marketing at uDate. He left this company shortly after its merger with Match.com and in March 2003, he cofounded King Digital Entertainment, becoming its CEO.

www.mymobileindia.com

*Disclaimer : The information has been collected from public domain and not from an interview with Riccardo Zacconi.

Profile

personality

In Conversation

chiefspeak

“Healthy Competition is always Good for Everybody”

50 | december 2016

MYMOBILE

HTC smartphones from the stable of Taiwan-based mobile manufacturer HTC Corporation have carved a niche for itself when it comes to premium looks with a global appeal. HTC has also maintained a good run worldwide despite growing competition from rising Chinese brands and established South Korean brands. HTC has maintained its focus across categories such as design, quality and UI integration while being price competitive. The company’s strategy for the important Indian market is to introduce exciting marquee products high on innovation, camera and audio. Faisal Siddiqui, President, South Asia at HTC, spoke to My Mobile’s Haider Ali Khan Elaborating on India strategy including the future road map for the company here and how it plans to respond to growing competition, endorsing a healthy competition, on the road-ahead for the company and how it’s going to compete with the stiffening competition in the smartphone segment. Excerpts...

In Conversation

chief speak

smartphones embody everything that is brilliant, a reflection of How has been the last financial year for HTC? Did the company have

everything that is beautiful, sophisticated and unique. Both the

been able to meet the targets? India was among one of the top

smartphones come with beautifully 3D contoured, liquid surface

performing markets for HTC in 2016. The year 2016 was a year of

adaptive sound for personal hearing and UltraPixel cameras on the

planned growth for HTC in India focused on expanding our service

front to provide vivid light, colour and detail. The HTC U Ultra also

center network, expanding existing centers as well as opening new

comes equipped with the dual display, HTC Sense Companion, U

service centers.

Sonic and Voice recognition. The HTC U Ultra has BoomSound

This included added focus on providing world-class customer

Hi-Fi edition speakers and dual camera with 16MP and UltraPixel

service, performance and quality measurement, understanding

in the front and 12MP UltraPixel main camera to deliver less blur,

requirements and proactive communication to address any query

faster focus, better photos at night. HTC U Ultra comes in two

or call for support for the customers. Currently HTC has more

variants with memory of 64GB and 128 GB. The 128GB version

than 200 service centers covering more than 175 cities in India.

has premium, ultra-hard, sapphire glass. The HTC U Play with

With trained experts; the aim is to deliver best in class after-sales service exclusively for all HTC

a 5.2-inch perfectly symmetric thin design takes brilliant selfies with 16MP rear and UltraPixel

front camera. “Healthy Our other offering launched some competition is always What would be your latest offerings to time back is the HTC Desire 10 pro the Indian market and it’s USP in terms which delivers the best camera good for everybody. However of specifications? We are targeting experiences around by delivering we do not directly compete with many exciting launches in India features normally reserved for this year. The recently launched phones and provides any Chinese players in the market. flagship HTC ‘U’ series include the HTC extraordinary detail in every shot. U Ultra and the HTC U Play. The Pro-like features are included, Our focus across categories is series is inspired by ‘You and with DSLR-like control over on design, quality and UI Made for You’. Both these flagship Integration” customers.

www.mymobileindia.com

march 2017 | 55

In Conversation

chief speak your photos and handy preset options such as sport mode and night mode that let you quickly re-adjust the camera settings on the go. HTC has always kept its prices intact, do we see it changing or fluctuating anytime soon? Our phones are one of the best in quality and design. Price wise we are pretty competitive in the segment that we play in which targets the discerning customer looking for a premium product with a global appeal. How do you position yourself among the Chinese mobile makers and with the price and product range, which they have to offer in the Indian market? Healthy competition is always good for everybody. However we do not directly compete with any Chinese players in the market. Our focus across categories is on design, quality and UI Integration. India is currently one of our top priority markets and globally among the top 3 for HTC. We have a strong portfolio and legacy and we will continue to bring exciting marquee products to the consumer focused on design, innovation camera and audio. Please tell us about your association

“The current competitive scenario, onthis season? HTC was the principal sponsor of for going reforms, 4G services the third consecutive year as principal and the easing of FDI norms sponsor of Bollywood has made the mobile industry actor, producer John Abraham’s football one of the fastest growing franchise North East United FC (NEUFC) and in India today” with IPL and Kings XI Punjab? Would you like to take it further

also the principal sponsor of Indian Premier League (IPL) Punjab Franchise Kings XI Punjab.

in domestic demand have provided a boost for companies to manufacture in India and many companies are setting up their local manufacturing units catering to the phone-

manufacturing ecosystem. HTC currently has its own assembling unit in India and we are

Currently we are in the midst of finalizing our go-to market

already assembling most of the phones in India. GST simplifies

strategy, channel engagement, campaigns and associations both

the business model for us and is also beneficial for the consumer,

online and offline for 2017.

absolutely a positive for HTC and its future investments in India. This coupled with the ‘Make in India’ initiative will also boost

How is HTC going to contribute to ‘Make in India’ initiative?

the domestic component ecosystem as players who procure

A Counterpoint research stated that the ‘Make in India’

more components locally stand to benefit more from the new tax

initiative post its coming into action created more than 48,000

structure that will be effective from July 2017.

jobs in the mobile phone manufacturing industry in 2016 and it is also estimated that this number will more than triple in the

What has been the response of your new product HTC 10 Pro? We

next five years.

have received very good response for the HTC 10 pro especially.

The current competitive scenario, on-going reforms,

The device has received a lot of commendations and positive

4G services and the easing of Foreign Direct Investment

reviews for delivering great camera experience, and comprises

(FDI) norms has made the mobile industry one of the fastest

of features reserved for flagship phones. Pro-like features, with

growing in India today. These initiatives as well as the rise

DSLR-like control over photos and handy pre-set options such

56 | march 2017

MYMOBILE

as sport mode and night mode that let you quickly re-adjust the camera settings on the go. The device is powered with HTC BoomSound audio profile and comes equipped with a blazing octa-core processor along with a 3,000mAh battery. What was your expectation from the Union Budget 2017? What it has for you as a mobile maker? The Union Budget 2017 brought in a lot of relief for the common man – from reduction in personal income tax to sops for affordable housing along with other various measures to benefit the weaker sections of the society. On the corporate side, abolition of FIPB is a bold step towards liberalization of FDI policy. This will attract more foreign investment and assist in creating an ecosystem to make India a global hub for electronics manufacturing. There have been talks that HTC is venturing into smart watch segment. Is it true? We do not plan to foray into Android watch segment.

“The year 2016 was the year of the camera for the smartphones, which will continue to sustain in 2017. However, audio capabilities and niche technologies embedded in phones will witness an increase in demand”

In Conversation

chief speak

What would be your focus area for days to come, is it mobile phones or virtual reality? The year 2016 was the year of the camera for the smartphones, which will continue to sustain in 2017. However, audio capabilities and niche technologies embedded in phones will witness an increase in demand, for example, HTC launched BoomSound adaptive audio in HTC Evo. The technology tailors sound to your ears unique structure for a personalized audio experience. We are pioneers in dual camera and ultra-pixel technology and the first to use them effectively across our product categories. At HTC we currently have two business units one is the smartphones and second is virtual reality and both the units are important to us in terms of design and innovation. We recently announced new accessories and new services for HTC Vive at CES 2017. The two new devices the ViveTracker and the ViveDeluxe Audio Strap will allow developers to transform a broad range of physical objects into VR experience controllers. n haider@mymobile.co.in

www.mymobileindia.com

march 2017 | 57

Internet of Things

Industry insight

Global Mobile Handsets Market

Global LTE Smartphone Shipments Crossed One Billion Units in CY 2016

ccording to the latest research

leading in terms of LTE subscriptions share

300 million units globally. Furthermore,

from Counterpoint’s Market

globally by contributing to almost half of

Chinese brands continued to expand into

Monitor service, the global

the total worldwide LTE subscriptions.

newer geographies beyond China. As a

smartphone shipments grew

Going forward we estimate LTE to be a

result, most of the leading Chinese brands registered a healthy growth in 2016.” n

3% annually in CY 2016. However, in Q4

dominant technology for mass market

2016 smartphone shipments reached the

adoption with Gigabit LTE to start providing

record 440 million units with a YoY growth

the foundation next year for premium high

of 9% as a result of strong holiday sales

speed mobile broadband before the 5G

thereby lifting up the full year shipment

rollout takes over by 2022.”

growth.

Commenting on vendor performance

Commenting on the findings, Tarun

during the year, Research Analyst Shobhit

Pathak, Associate Director at Counterpoint

Srivastava noted, “The global smartphone

Research said, “2016 was the inflection

market grew by a modest 3% YoY in CY

point for LTE as a technology as it scaled

2016 with major brands such as Apple

down to lower price points (sub – USD 75).

and Samsung seeing an annual decline in

LTE adoption was much faster compared

growth. However, the bulk of the growth

to any other previous cellular technologies

was driven by three major Chinese brands

as the total LTE smartphone demand

- Huawei, Oppo and vivo which combined

crossed a billion units in 2016. China is

grew a healthy 57% YoY shipping more than

“LTE adoption was much faster compared to any other previous cellular technologies as the total LTE smartphone demand crossed a billion units in 2016” – Tarun Pathak, Associate Director, Counterpoint Research

58 | march 2017

MYMOBILE

Internet of Things

Industry insight n Apple

registered a record Q4 2016 surpassing Samsung in Global Smartphone volumes but Samsung led the market for the full year 2016.

n Overall

Smartphone shipments reached an all-time high crossing 1.5 billion units in CY 2016.

n Huawei,

Oppo and Vivo crossed 300 million units shipments combined in CY 2016.

n China

smartphone shipments reached an all-time high of 465 million units in 2016, contributing to almost a third of the global smartphone shipments.

“The bulk of the growth was driven by three major Chinese brands -Huawei, Oppo and Vivo which shipped more than 300 million units globally” – Shobhit Srivastava, Research Analyst, Counterpoint Research

www.mymobileindia.com

march 2017 | 59

Internet of Things

Industry insight Market Summary n Smartphone

shipments

reached 1512 million units in CY 2016 with 4 out 5

OEM Performance Insights n Samsung

smartphones shipped was

registering 310 million units during the year.

LTE enabled. In Q4 2016 alone, 440 million units of smartphones were

80% of the mobile

phones shipped are now

smartphone market share. n

10 brands contribute

being challenged by Oppo and vivo in China. Demand for Huawei

smartphone volumes in CY

smartphones remain healthy in China and Europe but needs to

2016.

expand in other growing Asian markets and important North American region.

10 countries contribute

to more than two-thirds of the total smartphone

USA, China and India alone contributed to almost 50%

emphasis in the premium market going forward challenging Apple.

shipments. brands had a

reached an all-time high

to strong omnipresent distribution channels from tier-1 to tier-4

these brands have been

cities across China.

successful in expanding n

Xiaomi, the most talked about vendor last year, slipped to seventh

majority of the volume,

spot globally during the year as the demand for its smartphones

capturing a combined

declined 16% annually. The key reason for this decline was its

58% of the total Chinese

rivals racing ahead with key features, innovation, bigger marketing

smartphone market in 2016

budgets and wider online and offline distribution channel during

n The

the year and inability to ramp up international presence other than

other key brands

India where it is performing well.

which drove growth during the year were Tecno & iTel in Africa,QMobile

top 10 is still significant.

in Bangladesh, Wiko in Europe, Innjoo in Middle East and so forth.

LG, Alcatel and Lenovo declined YoY but still remains among top 10 smartphone brands globally as gap between other brands outside

in Pakistan, Symphony

60 | march 2017

As both the brands continue to expand internationally a target of 100 million units looks very realistic in CY 2017.

Huawei, vivo, Meizu

and Gionee drove the

Oppo & vivo were the fastest growing brands and in second half of 2016 we have seen phenomenal growth for both the brands owing

in 2016. Moreover, most of

overseas in 2016.

Oppo and vivo grew 112% and 78% YoY reaching 93 and 72 million units in CY 2016.

record 2016 as China smartphone shipments

Huawei has gained a foothold in the premium market with the successful release of P9 and Mate 8 and will continue to put more

of the total smartphone

n Chinese

Huaweiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s smartphone market share surpassed 10% in Q4 2016 for the first time ever.

shipments in CY 2016 with

n Oppo,

Huawei shipments reached record 139 million units with 28% YoY growth in CY2016. However,in past couple of quarters it is

to almost 75% of the

n Top

Apple iPhone ASP hit an all-time high of $695, driven mostly by strong sales of iPhone 7 Plus.

smartphones. n Top

Apple had a record quarter shipping 78.3 million iPhones in all important holiday season, surpassing Samsung in overall

shipped. n Almost

led the smartphone market by volume with a market

share of 21% in CY 2016. Its smartphone shipments declined 4% YoY

ZTE grew 5% YoY reaching 62 million shipments in CY 2016 as it expands in European and other emerging markets. n

MYMOBILE

Internet of Things

Industry insight

Global Smartphone Shipments Volume Share (%)

Source: Counterpoint Research : Quarterly Market Monitor Q4 2016

team@mymobile.co.in

www.mymobileindia.com

march 2017 | 61

Internet of Things

Industry insight

The IoT Boom

Total spending on IoT related endpoints and services forecasted to touch a whopping $2 trillion in 2017!

artner Inc., the world’s

and commercial security cameras will be

systems) will take the lead as connectivity

leading

information

most in use by businesses,” says Peter

is driven into higher-volume, lower cost

technology research and

Middleton, Research Director at Gartner.

devices. In 2020, cross-industry devices

advisory company, has

In addition to smart meters,

will reach 4.4 billion units, while vertical-

forecasted that 8.4 billion connected

applications tailored to specific industry

specific devices will amount to 3.2 billion

things will be in use worldwide in 2017,

verticals (including manufacturing field

units.

up 31 percent from 2016, and will reach

devices, process sensors for electrical

20.4 billion by 2020. Total spending on

generating plants and real-time location

endpoints and services will reach almost

devices for healthcare) will drive the use

$2 trillion in 2017!

of connected things among businesses

Regionally, Greater China, North America and Western Europe are driving the use of connected things and the three regions together will represent 67 percent

IoT Units Installed Base by Category (Millions of Units) 2016

2017

2018

2020

Consumer

3,963.0

5,244.3

7,036.3

12,863.0

Business: Cross-Industry

1,102.1

1,501.0

2,132.6

4,381.4

Business: Vertical-Specific

1,316.6

1,635.4

2,027.7

3,171.0

Grand Total

6,381.8

8,380.6

11,196.6

20,415.4

of the overall Internet of Things (IoT)

Category

pace. Consumer IoT services are newer and growing off a small base. Similarly, connectivity services are growing robustly as costs drop, and new applications

Source: Gartner (January 2017)

64 | march 2017

and consumer services will grow at a faster

emerge.” n team@mymobile.co.in

MYMOBILE

Rumour Mill

Talk

Samsung Galaxy users could soon unlock Windows 10 PCs

Speculations are rife that Samsung Galaxy smartphone users may soon be able to unlock non-Samsung Windows 10 devices with an easier method. For now, Galaxy users can unlock only Windows 10-based Galaxy TabPro S using the feature. The feature comes as a part of the Samsung Flow app. The company has said that the app (including the feature) will soon expand to all the Windows 10 PCs. The confirmation was made in the form of a reply to a user’s query on the Samsung Flow app on Google Play store. The response by the company suggests that Samsung Flow app will be hitting all Windows 10 devices after the next major Windows 10 update. The app was introduced alongside the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge smartphones. It also allows users to check and reply to smartphone notifications via PC, transfer content and more.

EY, Deloitte roped in to www.mymobileindia.com

in Tech Corners

conduct due diligence for proposed VodafoneIdea merger

Amid the talks of the India’s largest telecom consolidation, Vodafone Group Plc and the Idea Cellular are said to have appointed consultancy firms EY and Deloitte, respectively, to conduct due diligence for the proposed merger of India’s second and third ranked telcos. According to media reports, ‎Prashant Singhal, global telecommunications leader at EY, has created a team of 25 to carry out due diligence on Idea Cellular for Vodafone. Rajeev Memani, chairman at EY India, is believed to be directly involved with the process. Deloitte has also put together a 25-member team — spearheaded by Uday Bhansali, president-financial advisory, and Vipul Jhaveri, managing partner, tax and regulatory at Deloitte in India — to conduct financial due diligence on Vodafone for Idea Cellular. Meanwhile, Kumar Mangalam Birla, the chairman of Aditya Birla group who owns the Idea Cellular is likely to be the unanimous choice for

chairman in the event of the merger. The new entity is likely to have a 12-member board, as per reports.

Google working on cheaper Pixel 2 smartphones

Google has just launched its flagship device, the Pixel smartphone and rumours have already started doing the rounds about the next device, reportedly called Pixel 2. According to some reports, the tech giant will start working on a smartphone with better camera features, and better features for dim light photography. The Pixel 2 smartphone could be getting waterproofing features and better processors. The smartphone will also come with a higher price tag, according to reports. The same report said that Google has been testing lowcost Pixel smartphones as well which will have lower end features and might come at lower prices. The smartphone, as of now, is being called Pixel 2B and is said to come with a faster processor.n

team@mymobile.co.in

march 2017 | 65

In Focus

spotlight

Mobile AccessoriesThe Rising Star From being optional and fashionable add-ons to becoming must-have, this segment has not only gained in prominence but becoming a huge market in itself!

By Ramesh Kumar Raja

66 | march 2017

MYMOBILE

said Amit Jain, owner of A-One Infocom, a mobile retail shop in Delhi’s Yamuna Vihar who also sells accessories. “While memory According to Kenichiro Hibi, the Sony India Managing Director, “this market will grow as much as mobile phones.” The accessories market can easily be

twice or even thrice that of smartphones ccessories are those little things that mean a lot to mobile phones. They not only beautify handsets but

also give protection to them besides making things easier for users to connect

(in number terms) since a customer would typically buy at least two for a phone. We spoke to some mobile retailers, who also deal with the accessories segment, and they said that there is a better margin in accessories in comparison to the

mobile phone industry. The major factor that boosts market growth is the increase in adoption of smartphones in urban as well as rural areas due to effective connectivity to the digital world. While the global mobile phone accessories market is expected to reach $107.3 billion by 2022, according to alliedmarketresearch.com; the industry experts peg the Indian mobile accessories segment at over USD 1.5 billion, which is set to grow 20-25 per cent year-on-year.

www.mymobileindia.com

between Rs 150 and Rs 1000. Simple covers and cases are priced between Rs 300 and Rs 700, whereas the covers made

the mobile phone accessories market, many

versatility in terms of personalization.

which is predominantly dependent on the

and brand, while chargers cost anywhere

Taking into account the lucrativeness of

accessories can offer you some sense of

segment has swelled into a big sub-industry

Rs 5,000, depending on storage size

charging capacity.

secured from unwanted attempts. The

chic devices catching up that the entire

It must be noted that the price of memory cards range from Rs 250 to about

5,000, depending on the brand and

never before. Furthermore, they make you

Such is the craze of these little yet

Kamla Nagar.

priced from Rs 500 a piece to about Rs

a long way and redefined our lifestyle like

these so-called supplements.

a mobile and accessories shop in Delhi’s

becoming necessity for many people, are

to repel radiation, accessories have come

smartphone looks incomplete without

per cent,” said Manish Wadhwa who owns

more. Power banks, which are increasingly

banks, selfie sticks and chips that claim

of these and many such reasons that a

and Rs 500, depending on the size of the handest give us the profit margin up to 50

1000 which go up to Rs 5000 and even

mobile covers to enhancers such as power

occasion, wardrobe or more. It is because

protectors of price range between Rs 100

charging capability, are priced over Rs

on the go. From screen protectors and

depending on your mood, lifestyle,

per cent margin in our business, screen

of leather, wood or metal, or those having

with people and enjoy music and videos

You can adjust your phone’s appearance,

cards and chargers offer about 20-30

Trendz

specialfeature

“Mobile accessory market will grow as much as mobile phones” – Kenichiro Hibi, Managing Director, Sony India

mobile manufacturers have made a foray in it following the footsteps of traditional accessories makers such as SanDisk Corporation, Capdase International Limited and Kingston Technology Corporation. Companies such as Capdase International Limited and Moshi by Aevoe Group are known for manufacturing protective cases, cables and screen protectors, while memory cards and flash drives from SanDisk Corp. and Kingston Technology Corporation are widely prominent in India. Sony Corp.,

phones. The profit margin, they said, varies

Skullcandy Inc., and JBL Incorporated

from 25 per cent to 50 per cent and even

(Harman International Industries,

beyond that in some cases depending on

Incorporated) are leading manufacturers

the accessory and brand, whereas phones

of audio accessories for mobile phones in

normally offer nearly 10 per cent. “Screen

India. Global electronics majors such as

protectors, mobile covers and cases,

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Apple Inc.,

memory cards, earphones, chargers and

Microsoft Corporation and LG Corporation

power banks are major contributors to

are also recognized as key players in India’s

profits for us in the accessories segment,”

mobile phone accessories market.

march 2017 | 67

Trendz

specialfeature In addition to aforementioned global technology giants, even the home-grown companies such as Intex Technologies, Micromax Informatics and Lava International Ltd. are also into the business of accessories to get a pie of this highly lucrative market. However, most of these companies deal with enhancers such as batteries, chargers, power banks, hands-free devices and cables, among others. Intex, which entered the mobile accessories vertical in 2011, reportedly aims to touch the Rs 100 crore mark in this segment by March 2017 while gearing up to play a key role in the batteries segment. Similarly, Karbonn Mobiles Pvt. Ltd., which diversified into the accessories’ segment in 2015 with power banks and screen guards, are highly optimistic about the growth of their accessories vertical.

Market Insights As per a recent study conducted by research firm Future Market Insights, it has been predicted that India will be one of the largest consumer base for mobile phones and accessories, not just in Asia-Pacific region but across the globe. According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), more than one billion mobile phones were being used in India by the end of September 2016. Such staggering statistical figures attest that India serves as one of the most lucrative countries in the world when it comes to the global mobile phone accessories market revenue growth. Along with China, India will continue to predominantly contribute to the development of the mobile phone accessories

Key trends in India’s mobile phone accessories market, as per the FMI report: Irregular electricity and power distribution infrastructure in India serves as a catalyst for consumption of power banks. In some cases, mobile phone users in India lack proximity to suitable power source, which further necessitates the use of accessories such as power banks. Buying power banks that can charge multiple devices in a go is also trending in India’s mobile phone accessories market. By 2026-end, sales of power banks in India are estimated to account for more than $ 350 million in revenues. n The demand for modular smartphones and mobile phones is also likely to increase in the country, providing an opportune scope for mobile phone accessories that are limited to compatibility with specific device connectors. Furthermore, various products sold as mobile phone accessories in India have been able to attain compatibility with computers and laptops and vice-a-versa, furthering the scope of end-use among consumers. n Technological advancements are openhandedly welcomed by Indian consumers, triggering a money-spinning opportunity for sales of other mobile phone accessories such as keyboard attachments, camera dongles, selfie sticks, thermal imaging cameras, VR headsets, protective screens and wireless ear buds, among others. According to the report, after segmenting the revenues of the India mobile phone accessories market on the basis of “other” types of products as such, more than USD 150 million revenues are being estimated to be amassed between 2016 and 2026. n Multi-brand stores are trending as the most-preferred distribution channel for buying mobile phone accessories in India. North India will continue to dominate by accounting for more than 30% of the market revenues, while South Indian states and West Indian states will collectively account for half of India’s mobile phone accessories revenues by the end of 2026. n

market in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. The report says that more than $ 32 billion revenues have been amassed from sales of mobile phone

68 | march 2017

MYMOBILE

“Technological advancements are openhandedly welcomed by Indian consumers, headphones and earphones will continue to be toptriggering a money-spinning opportunity selling mobile phone for sales of other mobile phone accessories accessories in India, collectively accounting such as keyboard attachments, camera accessories across the APAC for more than one-third region in 2016, with India dongles, selfie sticks, thermal imaging of the gross market accounting for a substantial revenues throughout the cameras, VR headsets, protective share. forecast period. Portable The FMI report titled, “Mobile speakers and batteries are also screens and wireless ear buds, Phone Accessories Market: India expected to gain traction in India’s among others” Industry Analysis & Opportunity mobile phone accessories market Assessment, 2016-2026,”

by showcasing a combined incremental

estimates that sales of mobile phone accessories in India reaped USD 1.2

USD 3.55 billion, registering expansion at

billion revenues in 2015. By the end of

a stellar CAGR of 10.4 per cent. Products

2026, the mobile phone accessories market

such as protective cases for mobile phones

in India is anticipated to reach a value of

and smartphones, and audio gear such as

India mobile phone accessories market trends by product type Demand for fancy and stylish protective cases have gained popularity as fashion accessories in urban parts of India. Companies are focusing on manufacturing trendy protective cases to cater to demands from a growing number of fashion conscious consumers in India. As a result of the increasing demand for stylish protective cases, various fashion brands in India have started designing and selling fancy protective mobile cases. n Growing consumer preference for music-on-the-go has led to the popularity of headphones and earphones. Recent trends in the headphone/earphone segment include the introduction of wireless technology and IoT, which are expected to witness rapid adoption during the assessment period. n Batteries are the most essential component of mobile devices; however, they have a limited life span after which they need to be replaced. Consumers willingly spend on replacing their existing batteries with new ones as it improves the performance of their mobile devices without spending a considerable amount. Hence, batteries with a longer life are fast gaining popularity amongst consumers in India. n

www.mymobileindia.com

Trendz

specialfeature

opportunity of nearly $ 450 million by 2026. According to the report, mobile phone or smartphone users in India have been actively increasing their exposure to the Internet by availing broadband or Ethernet connections. As a result, the consumption of mobile phone accessories will remain higher since consumers will presumably opt for mobile phones, smartphones or tablets as a device for entertainment, leisure and other activities, compared to televisions, laptops, and computers. However, what worries this emerging market in India is the counterfeit production of branded accessories. Pirated products are offered at a fraction of the price of that of original products, resulting in a major chunk of consumers opting for these products in the country. Pricing is becoming a key aspect for manufacturers in a bid to safeguard market prominence of their flagship products. Amid all this, one thing is crystal clear - the accessories market has come onto its own and will enter boom phase soon! n ramesh@mymobile.co.in

march 2017 | 69

Tried & Tested

burntest

Oppo A57

A decent all rounder that clicks perfect selfies!

wathed in white colour, the Oppo A57 is not designed to snatch your attention instantly.

However, the A57 spills serenity from each of its curvy corners, and you are bound to be charmed by its composure. Its simple and elegant design may remind users of its elder â&#x20AC;&#x153;selfie expertâ&#x20AC;? siblings - the Oppo F1 Plus and Oppo F1s.

Makes an (Understated) Style Statement On can clearly combine dots and find (a lot of) common lines between the design proformas of the A57 and F1 Plus as well as F1s. The A57 is typically a petite version of the latter two, hosting a 5.2-inch display against the 5.5-inch displays on the previous two famous selfie expert phones. Oppo has paid due attention to a neat and minimal finish on this handset. The front is the foundation for a 5.2-inch LCD screen with an HD resolution, and manages to negotiate space for a fingerprint sensor in the chin while the primary earpiece, and ambient and proximity sensors sit above the display. Beside the earpiece is a hefty 16-megapixel

70 | march 2017

MYMOBILE

the A57 is loaded with gracefully-designed apps such as compass, calculator, the storage is expandable via microSD card upto 256GB. The processor specifications of the sensors are akin to the previously release F1 Plus and F1s. Oppo A57 is one of the limited number of handsets which

verdict Looks

Lightweight, polished and tidy

Cameras

09 /10

different slots for SIMs and memory card. While the F1 Plus hosted a Hybrid SIM tray,

09 /10

Impressive selfies with passable rear snaps

perceive the importance of two

and F1s had dual SIM support but non-expandable memory, the A57 seems to unify

Performance

Fails to please gaming enthusiasts

Battery

Lasts well over a day

Value For Money

For selfie enthusiasts and basic users

OVERALL

08 /10

comfort of both and features a support for dual Nano SIMs and a microSD card - all three,

09 /10 08 /10

together. The gold-coloured rear panel is carved out of metal while the upper and lower bands are made of

86%

plastic. The golden frame which surrounds the phone appears to be moulded from metal, but there’s no clear

PROS 4G with VoLTE, snappy fingerprint

Cons Inferior processor compared to peers

(For detailed specifications, please refer to My Guide)

inkling from the company.

Performance that Should Suffice for Most Users Inside, the A57’s metabolism receives its fodder from a 2900mAh battery, which

f/2.0 snapper. The fingerprint

can suffice for an entire day

sensor also doubles as the

as the 5.2-inch HD screen

home button, while capacitive

juices less power than phones

keys for back and multitasking,

with FullHD resolution or

placed on either side of

5.5-inch screens. The devices

the home button, are not

is powered by a Qualcomm

illuminated.

Snapdragon 435 octa-core

The rear shooter is

processor with 3GB of RAM

capacitated to capture 13-

and 32GB of in-built capacity.

megapixel snapshots and

As mentioned previously,

www.mymobileindia.com

maintains its sang-froid while using most apps, especially ones for graphics processing but you cannot expect exceptional performance while playing graphics-intensive games. A feature that deserves clear and elaborate mention is the fingerprint scanner on the Oppo A57. It is one of the zippiest, unlocking your phone even before your brain consciously acknowledge it, seeming to be even faster than Apple’s TouchID.

Vibrant, Swift and Loaded Software The A57 runs a custom UI known as ColorOS 3.0 atop Android Marshmallow 6.0. As the name suggests, the interface is rife with variety of hues, and appears to be strikingly be inspired by Apple’s iOS. Fascinating is the fact that the UI from our initial interaction with the phone seems to be nearly as deftly optimized as its bellwether and fruity counterpart, the iOS. Like a lot of Chinese phones, the launcher on A57 does not facilitate an App Drawer and newly installed apps merely pile up on the looming home screens. This can be cured using a third-party launcher such as Nova Launcher or Google Now Launcher from the Google Play Store. Additionally,

weather app, security and many more which remind you of other Chinese ROMs. There is no bloatware and this feeling is divine.

A (Selfie) Shooting Star The smartphone, predominantly targets those who take more number of selfies than breaths throughout the day and it strives to fulfill all expectations of the

Tried & Tested

burntest

self-image. The front-facing camera is capable of seizing high quality mugshots, and even accommodate a bus full of people in its Selfie panorama. The camera app is stuffed with several filters and users can place real-time patterns to add vector flavours to images. Oppo, being a camera-centric company, offers Expert Mode for users adept with technicalities of manual camera controls. Users can shoot FullHD videos using both the cameras. Overall, a stunning camera phone, the A57 doesn’t feel gasping for air until put to test under extensive gaming condition. Overall, the UI animations are extremely fluid and on-board 3GB RAM is sufficient to run multiple applications without any seizure or shuttering. The selfie camera is cannot be described using any word short of “remarkable” and thus completely vindicates Oppo’s tagline. n tushar@mymobile.co.in

march 2017 | 71

Tried & Tested

burntest

ASUS ZenFone 3S Max Has only one string to its bow

Having

devices I reviewed. Is the new

feel of the ZenFone 3S Max is

rounded corners, all add to the

reviewed or

shiny metal armour the only

nothing less than impressive.

aesthetics of the phone. The

used almost all

upgrade the ZenFone 3s Max

The device doesn’t lack

the ZenFone

boasts of over some of its older

in visual appeal either. While

Max models, along with

siblings, or is there more to it?

ASUS had got rid of its old

playing with a bunch of

Read on to find out.

bulkier design approach with

magnet to fingerprints and

the ZenFone 3 Max, the 3S

smudges. Additionally, the

other ZenFones, I can say

port and button placement remains standard. However, the rear is a

ASUS likes shuffling specs

Design and Display

Max is still an equally pleasant

ZenFone 3S Max houses a

and coming up with a new

Hitting the sweet spot, the

surprise. The only remnant

biometric authentication

smartphone every now and

ASUS ZenFone 3S Max

of the old ASUS ZenFone

scanner (doubles as a home

then. This is an in-depth

is built around a 5.2-inch

design on the new handset

button) below the display

take on the newly launched

display panel. The smartphone

are the concentric circles

without any supporting

ASUS ZenFone 3S Max, and

fits in the hands snugly, and is

etched on the power button.

navigation keys, for it utilises

it comes across as a huge

not even remotely slippery. It’s

The amalgamation of glass

software navigation buttons.

improvement over the first

only 8.8mm thick, making it

and metal has never failed to

Hence, the device essentially

battery beast in the ZenFone

extremely hard to believe that

please, which is the case with

has two home buttons.

series— the ASUS ZenFone

it houses a giant 5,000mAh

the ZenFone 3S Max as well.

While capacitive keys on

Max with 2GB of RAM, which

battery inside. The build feels

Matte finish on the rear, 2.5D

either sides of the fingerprint

happens to be one of the first

solid, and the overall in hand

arc glass, curved back and

reader wouldn’t have been a bad idea, I’d have preferred gesture support on the scanner instead of the soft keys, which only take up space on the screen, unnecessarily. The ASUS ZenFone 3S Max sports HD resolution, and the screen is sufficiently sharp. Not the sharpest I’ve come across lately, but it does the deal. Moreover, inclusion of an HD display on the ASUS ZenFone 3S Max instead of a full HD one has more to do with extending the battery life of the smartphone than cutting corners. The colours looked vivid, but the viewing angles were average. While the whites remained to be so when I looked at the display directly, slight tilting of the phone gives rise to yellow tints. Viewing through extreme angles, there were evident tones of blue and purple. The screen brightness is more than adequate,

72 | march 2017

MYMOBILE

verdict Looks

Stylish to look at, sturdy in hands

Cameras

Not up to the mark

Performance

Should suffice for basic users

08 /10 06 /10 07 /10 09 /10

Value For Money

08 /10

A great batterycentric device, not an all rounder.

OVERALL

PROS

device does not support quick

The Night Mode in the camera

said, a basic user in need for

charging and easily takes

app does well to help click in

long battery life should not

around two and a half hours

dimly lit surroundings, and the

experience much problem.

to charge completely using

images look rather

the bundled charger. The

good at first but you soon

the ASUS ZenFone 3S Max

smartphone can also double as

realise that the final output

isn’t the most accurate and

a powerbank for other devices.

has only been smoothened

The fingerprint scanner on

precise. It simply refused to

Battery

Simply stellar

as I’d have liked it to be. That

76%

Cons

A compact No fast device with a charging huge battery support (For detailed specifications, please refer to My Guide)

and I didn’t encounter many sunlight legibility issues.

Performance and Battery

thus compromising on details

occasions, and when it did, it

Software and Cameras

wasn’t lightening fast, which

ZenUI 3.0 is based on Android

and quite honestly, the only

is probably why the company’s

Nougat. While the software

thing the ZenFone 3S Max has

official site does not make

is disturbingly bloated, as

got going for it in the shooting

any claims of recognising

it has always been with

department, is the shutter

fingerprints in a certain

ASUS’ ZenUI, features that

speed and close to natural

duration of time. You can

accompany Android 7.0 save

colour reproduction.

store up to five fingerprints;

the 3S Max. The multi-window

however, the device only allows

support was great, and you

gets a stylish, sturdy build and

picking up calls using the

get enhanced notification

is a battery beast. However,

scanner, apart from unlocking.

shade with an option to

with its average performance

I expected shutter functionality

attend each notification

and cameras, along with

at the very least.

separately. Unfortunately, the

the bloated software, it does

accept my fingerprint on some

even more. The front camera clicks disappointing selfies,

The ASUS ZenFone 3S Max

classic ZenUI remains just as

not make for the best all-

had no issues with network

gimmicky with its bold and

rounder you can get your

reception and the call quality

colourful icons, themes, and

hands on for the price of

was satisfactory. The speaker

unnecessary preloaded first

Rs 14,999. In terms of

output was loud but I could

party and third party apps.

competition, the ASUS

hear distortion.

The phone ships with 32GB of

ZenFone 3S Max stands

built-in storage, out of which,

right against the likes of the

the highlight of the ZenFone

you get around 23.5GB for

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 and the

3S Max. The phone lasts a

your personal use.

Honor 6x, both of which are

Among other things, I

The 5,000mAh battery is

couple of days easily with

The ASUS ZenFone 3S

impressive all-rounders with

The ASUS ZenFone 3S Max

moderate usage, which in my

Max is equipped with a 13MP

decently long battery lives.

is powered by a MediaTek

case included using WhatsApp

PixelMaster primary camera

The Lenovo Z2 Plus, with

MT6750 processor, which

and Instagram, streaming

assisted by a dual tone LED

its 5-inch display, is another

is an octa-core chip, clocked

some music on Wynk, and

flash module. The front

great option for the price, if

at 1.5 GHz. The chip comes

browsing some shopping

shooter utilises 8 megapixels

you prefer smaller screens. In

aided by 3GB of RAM.

website. Watching videos on

to click self-portraits. While on

a nutshell, if you’re hunting

There’s an integrated Mali-

YouTube and enjoying some

paper the camera specs sound

for a compact, classy looking

T860 MP2 GPU as well. The

games reduced the run time to

decent, the output wasn’t as

device with outstanding

processor has had a history of

full day. Both ways, the ASUS

impressive. The camera takes

battery life, and nothing else,

delivering good overall basic

ZenFone 3S Max manages to

time focus, especially in low

the ZenFone 3S Max might

performance while hiccuping

outrun its competitors in this

light conditions. Apart from the

just be the smartphone for

through heavy usage, which

department. There are as many

macro shots clicked in broad

you. However, if you don’t

remains true in the case of

as five power modes as well,

daylight, the images lacked

wish to compromise in other

the ASUS ZenFone 3S Max

should you need to extract

detail. Zooming in leads to

departments, you might want

as well. Multitasking wasn’t

more juice out of the battery.

muddy textures! Low-light and

the best, and overall, the

However, despite housing

night shots were worse, with

to consider the aforementioned alternatives. n

smartphone isn’t as snappy

such a massive battery, the

a lot of noise in the pictures.

deeksha@mymobile.co.in

www.mymobileindia.com

Tried & Tested

burntest

march 2017 | 73

Tried & Tested

burntest

Samsung Gear S3 Good time to change your gear

outh Korean

The Gear S3 has two menu

This feature we won’t get it

electronic major

buttons on the right of the

on Apple watches. It has the

Samsung started

frame. The top button awakes

rotating bezel which helps

off the New Year

the watchface if the S3 goes

with the launch of Gear S3

verdict Looks

Masculine but stylish

09 /10

very easy navigation on the

to sleep mode and the lower

smartwatch for a much better

Performance

smartwatch in India with

one manages between the

experience. It also helps in

08 /10

new improved design and

home screen, apps and setting

getting a perfect grip around

ruggedness. Available in two

menu.

the watch.

Display

Battery

paired over Bluetooth with

more refined version of its

The smartwatch has a brilliant

most Android phones and now

Can track you for two to three days

07 /10

the smartwatch is much predecessor Gear S2.Priced

crisp screen which seems to

it even works with iPhones,

Value For Money

08 /10

at Rs 28,500, the Gear S3

be the USP of this amazing

with slight glitches. It has

can be flaunted in social

product as per our review.

built-in GPS for people who

circles at the same time it can

It has a 1.3-inch AMOLED

like to run outdoors and can

also accompany you to your

touchscreen display, which

also make calls, thanks to a

adventurous trips. We have got

makes it bright and vivid

speaker and microphone on

the Frontier model to review

having great sharpness.

board.

for you.

We hardly face any trouble

variants; Classic and Frontier,

The smartwatch can be

viewing the watch in bright

Battery Life

sunlight or at night, which is

Samsung has installed a

The Samsung Gear S3

a great feat as those are some

380mAh battery which can

Frontier smartwatch looks

of the more common struggles

make the Frontier last 3 to 4

and feels big when you wear

we face with wearables

days of regular use given the

it on your wrist because of

today. Samsung also carved

kind of crisp display it has but

its 46mm frame, which is

Corning’s Gorilla GlassSR

there’s always a chance for

being made to accommodate

display into this beautifully

improvements. The Frontier

a much bigger battery than

designed smartwatch, which

also has an altimeter and a

its previous version of S2 as

is scratch resistant.

speedometer which makes

Unboxing

the company claims.The big

it a perfect fitness device in

and bold look gives it a much

the race. The ability to make

more rugged appeal which you

Platform

can take it to outdoor rides as

The Samsung Gear S3 runs on

smartwatch also demands a

well.The Frontier model has a

company’s ownTizen operating

bigger battery since making

silicone band, which makes it

system that works in sync

perfect for the outdoor use.

with both Android and iOS.

74 | march 2017

phone calls straight from the

With rotating bezel a very good overall roadshow

A good upgrade if you can afford

OVERALL

80%

PROS

Cons

Very crisp and brilliant screen

Battery could have been even better

long calls can cost you a lot of drainage of battery. You can even stream music to your watch over Wi-Fi, which again consumes enough battery.

Performance The Gear S3 Frontier is rough as it is IP68 certified that makes it much more durable for adventurous trips where

MYMOBILE

Tried & Tested

burntest

you might get a chance to

the heart rate sensor, which

manage apps like Facebook,

which make it a good buy with

splash in water as its water-

is similar to any other fitness

WhatsApp and Twitter as

and with newly added features,

resistant.You might face some

tracker. It can track your steps

well. It can even track the

apps, and functionality like

difficulty operating

and heart rate continuously

weather where you can set

the rotating bezel, it clearly

the touchscreen until it has

while you exercise.

your current location and get

emerges as the winner in

regular updates. You can even

this category at the moment.

dried up. On the left side of the body, a speaker has been

Functionality

use voice to text functionality

The battery life could have

tucked away, which allows

The Gear S3 Frontier helps

in case you do not want to type

been more to support all the

you to make phone calls and

you manage notifications that

out the reply from your phone.

features it has though it varies

even listen to music. At the

appear on your phone straight

The Gear S3 also has Samsung

on the kind of usage you might

back of the watch, you will find

on your smartwatch. You can

S Health that can track your

have. It also scores few more

various fitness activities like

brownie points over its rivals

gym, cycling, running and

when it comes to operating

many others like these.

platformwhere syncing your

Conclusion

smartphone could be a

The Samsung Gear S3 is

problem but not the case with

loaded with all the features a

Gear S3. n

smartwatch must have today

www.mymobileindia.com

haider@mymobile.co.in

march 2017 | 75

Tried & Tested

burntest

Honor 6X A good duet in mid-segment

iding on a success spree of

during sunlight. On the right side, there

on Android 6.0 Marshmallow

does no miracles while

with Huawei’s EMUI 4.1

clicking photos but it is able

last year’s mid-

is a volume rockers placed

customization and has plenty

to bring up the details and

range flagship

above the power button. On

of storage onboard with 32GB

shadow and preserve the color

Honor 8, Huawei’s sub

left, Honor 6x features a

which can be expanded by up

information most of the times.

brand Honor has launched

hybrid SIM-tray, giving users

to 128GB using a microSD

The overall quality of photos

an impressive budget

the choice between dual-SIM

card. The hardware of Honor

we have taken from the Honor

smartphone Honor 6X with

capabilities or expandable

6X translates into smooth

6x is good in both in light

a dual camera set up. The

storage. At the bottom, there

performance with no lags

and low-light conditions. The

gorgeous, all-metal phone

is a Micro-USB charging port

at all during our review. The

camera quality drops only if

comes with a reasonably

and bottom-firing speaker.

swag phone, as Honor calls

the light condition dwindles

powerful processor and solid

Circular fingerprint scanner,

it, handles gaming sessions

to poor. There are pre-loaded

camera in three variants. The

which is very responsive and

without frame drops or lags.

capture modes available

device, which is successor to

quickly unlocks the phone,

the Honor 5X, has been priced

sits below the dual-camera

of the device by playing

food, monochrome, HDR,

at Rs 12,999 for the 3GB

setup. The rear panel of the

games like Asphalt 8 and

pro-photo, Beauty modes etc.

variant, while the 4GB variant

device, which measures

Temple Run, watched movies

The device is also capable of

with 64GB storage will sell for

8.2mm in thickness, is

and surfed the internet for

shooting Full HD videos at

Rs 15,999.

surrounded by plastic bands

hours. And Honor 6X didn’t

1080p.

on the top and bottom for

let us down.

Design: The Honor 6X retains the

better network reception.

We tested the performance

Camera:

on the Honor 6X like good

verdict Looks

07 /10

Cameras

09 /10

Performance

08 /10

the dual camera setup, offer

Smooth running throughout

a wide aperture range f/2.2

Battery

08 /10

everything beyond the point

Good, can sustain your swag at least for a day

of focus. Though, the phone

Value For Money

08 /10

metal unibody design of its

Performance:

predecessor which feels solid

The Honor 6X comes with

dual rear-facing 12-megapixel

in hand. The curved back and

a Kirin 655 processor with

and 2-megapixel cameras,

rounded edges make it feel

an octa-core processor

which are the best part of this

a lot nicer. The smartphone

comprised of four Cortex-A53

device. Both the cameras, in

weighs 162 grams and flaunts

cores clocked at 2.1GHz and

a 5.5-inch LCD Display with

another four energy-saving

1080 pixel resolution up front

cores at 1.7GHz. This is

with Bokeh mode, blurring

with good viewing angles.

paired with 3GB of fast DDR4

The sharpness of the display

RAM, which is a lot for this

remains unblemished even

price point. The device boots

Honor 6X is equipped with

Decent not striking Good

A good buy in the mid-segment

OVERALL

80%

PROS

Cons

Looks slim and feels good

Slippery on the back

(For detailed specifications, please refer to My Guide)

76 | march 2017

MYMOBILE

Tried & Tested

burntest

Though, you cannot expect

technology, which is capable

smooth performance in this

to navigate. Swiping to the

flagship-class images and

of reducing the power leakage

mid-range price segment with

left takes you to the general

video considering the price

and improves the battery

its looks, design and display

camera settings, and a swipe

bracket.

performance. It uses very little

but slightly slippery on its

power when in standby mode

back. Overall the phone has a

making it a battery efficient

very impressive user interface

The camera app is easy

to the right will give you access to the shooting modes. On

Battery:

the front Honor 6X flaunts a

The Honor 6X is fueled by a

device; though we do wish

and packs a decent punch

8-megapixel selfie camera that

3340mAh cell and the battery

quick charge technology

with all its specifications

captures decent photos, the

life on the device extremely

was included. The Honor 6X

among its competitors in this

Beauty mode at times messes

impressive. In our review, the

doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t heat up even after long

range. It can be a good choice

things up.

device could easily last for

hours of gaming session.

for the swag generation who

Overall, the phone delivers

a day and a half on a single

a competent mobile

charge. The phone comes with

Conclusion:

photographic experience.

16nm FinFET Plus process

The Honor 6X delivers a good

www.mymobileindia.com

are itching to play with dual rear cameras. n team@mymobile.co.in

march 2017 | 77

In focus

snap shot

Vivo V5 Plus:

A pure selfie-king at the moment Chinese mobile maker Vivo has generated a huge buzz among the selfie-lovers and the iPhone aspirants with the introduction of its new smartphone V5 Plus, with 20 MP dual front cameras. This new smartphone

The Vivo V5 Plus runs on upgraded Funtouch OS 3.0 (based on Android 6.0) which gives a seamless performance. The device is powered by 2GHz Octacore Snapdragon 625 processor and it comes with 4GB of RAM. It has a 64GB of internal storage which is not expandable.

has been targeted mainly at the selfie obsessed millennials, giving them an extra depth of field to play with an additional 8 MP front camera while or after taking selfies.This new Vivo device will give an experience of almost using an iPhone with its icons, sizes and its positioning is concerned. Despite the two astonishing front selfie cameras the phone also has a 16 MP rear camera with a 5.50-inch touchscreen display, which easily fits into your pocket with a resolution of 1080 by 1920 pixels. This is the first ever leap towards innovation by the Vivo to offer dual front cameras for the Indian market. Price: Rs 27,980

78 | march 2017

MYMOBILE

The phone is powered by a 3055mAh non removable battery, which gives a good decent performance. The twin-engine charging technology offers a faster charging speed and the charging protection system offers a safer charging. It weighs around 158.60 grams.

The Vivo V5 Plus is a dual SIM (GSM and GSM) smartphone with two Nano-SIM slots. For the connectivity it includes Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, USB OTG, 3G and 4G (with support for Band 40 used by some LTE networks in India).

The device is equipped with dual lenses 20MP (12MP and 8MP) to offer crystal clear selfies with a rear 16MP camera to capture landscape beautifully. The dual front camera creates a depthof-field effect that keeps faces sharp while creating a beautifully blurred background which is enhanced by digital optical algorithms to generate an amazing Bokeh effect.

The sleek design of V5 Plus features a 13.87cm (5.5) FHD display, with curved edges and ultra-narrow bezels for a more comfortable touch. The fifth generation Corning Gorilla glass provides stronger screen protection.

For music, the V5 Plus come with the custom-built AK4376 Hi-Fi audio chip that provides good sound quality by giving a signal-to-noise ratio experience of up to 115dB, giving a much clearer and crisp sound.

V5 Plus has faster fingerprint unlocking that unlocks the screen in just 0.2 seconds. The updated fingerprint recognition technology allows user to access the favourite apps by pressing the fingerprint sensor twice.

With â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Smart Screen-Splitâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; feature, it allows users to multi-task without having to switch back and forth every time a message pops up. Users can chat and watch videos simultaneously on one screen.

In focus

snap shot

team@mymobile.co.in

www.mymobileindia.com

march 2017 | 79

In Conversation

face to face

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Not only for e-commerce, AI is soon going to become crucial for every domain that wishes to make the existing processes efficient and cost effectiveâ&#x20AC;? Staqu, a Gurgaon-based Artificial Intelligence (AI) startup, launched last year, has been working for mainstreaming Artificial Intelligence. It allows users to search for the desired products by uploading same or similar images. The technology was explored by Paytm and YepMe and an OEM, Karbonn, Lava and Panasonic. Staqu further launched Fashin, an iOS and Android app that extracts fashion trends from running YouTube videos. Atul Rai, CEO & Co-founder, Staqu shared his views on the usage of AI as the tool to accelerate the businesses with Haider Ali Khan that how it can be used especially by the Indian startups to stand up and compete with their global counterparts. Why Staqu, when the consumers have Google

e-commerce companies so far. If I were

to do image search also? How does Staqu

Google, I will not limit myself to a limited

create a niche for itself in this ecosystem?

category of fashion because Google is used

Google image search is more like a

and known for generic search support not

generic search engine and is not meant

domain specific search.

for searching a particular dress/fashion

Also for unstructured domain developing

product. For example, if I will upload an

an AI solution would need focused approach

image of a dress worn by a girl, in Google

as well as data (even for subdomains

image search, it may start searching similar

like ethnic, western etc.) There is a vast

pictures of the girl instead of the dress.

difference between developing AI for

Also, neither Google provides APIs to

general image recognition and developing

e-commerce like we at Staqu do

domain specific image recognition/

with our VGrep API, nor

understanding API.

does it have any

Furthermore, unstructured e-commerce

such business

sector is not uniform or singular throughout

model

for

the world. Various e-commerce sites existing and operating in different countries have a different set of aspirations and requirement. For instance, an AI trained on western data may wrongly recognize Lahenga as a dress and Nehru suit as mandarin collar shirt in India. Having a uniform API powered solution will never work for such unstructured market. Hence, one needs to customize the

88 | february 2017

MYMOBILE

solution as per the requirements and that

I talk about cataloguing, it includes the

is where a dedicated research, engineering

consumer facing search and description of

For example, we can make image-

and business team would be needed to

products, along with Trend analysis, strong

search part of the camera itself. Users

match these aspirations. While for the

recommendation engine etc. Most of these

would then have the freedom to search

tech Giants such as Google, this would be

works require manual human interference,

whatever products they click, perhaps

just a side product, for startups like Staqu,

which in turn drastically increase the cost

buying the same in real-time. It will benefit

image search for ecommerce is the main

mobile companies.

the user but at the same time, will open a

product and thus, our focus will be clearer

new revenue stream for OEMs, Ad Tech

and more focused when compared to the

and more.

same. How crucial AI is for the e-commerce and We still lag behind when it comes to using AI. How can Staqu act as a disruptor in this genre? I somewhere donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t agree with that statement. Most of us are using Facebook, Google, Snapchat, Prisma in our daily life and all these products are majorly powered by Artificial intelligence. Besides, there is another misconception amongst people that make them treat it as an endproduct. We need to understand that AI is a technology that, if wrapped around different products, will provide superexciting, smart and intuitive results. And we have already experienced the same in the products or platforms mentioned above. Which are the platforms is it available at? Do we need a separate app for everything like emotions, image search or fashion? I believe yes, we would need a separate app for separate domains. As I said AI is a technology and not a product and

â&#x20AC;&#x153;So far, most of the OEMs are competing with each other on the basis of hardware, with only marginal profit. However, a mobile phone is not just hardware but a collection of so many software components. Infusing these software features with AI will not only benefit the end consumers but will also generate a new revenue stream for the mobile companiesâ&#x20AC;?

it can be amalgamated with different

m-commerce? AI is just not crucial to e-commerce; it is soon going to become crucial for every domain that wishes to make the existing processes efficient and cost effective. I consider AI as the next revolution, post the advent of machines. In e-commerce, for instance, products are needed to be tagged so that an end consumer can search it through textual query. In the same pursuit, a minimum of Rs 5-15 is spent by e-commerce companies on every product, along with additional costs for infrastructure and the time consumed in tagging each of the products. AI can make the same process rather efficient and optimized. Hence, while a single curator may tag a maximum of 700 products every day, AI can do the same within seconds. What can Indian startups learn from Amazon when it comes to usage of AI? Indian startups may not possess the same wherewithal as Amazon, when it comes to exploring

products in various domains. Hence,

and time. We at Staqu are working to

the depths of AI, machine learning and

while a fashion company would need

automate most of these tasks to make the

automation. However, the success of the

image search capabilities for searching

processes more cost- and time-efficient,

ecommerce sites can be replicated or

apparels, a medical imaging company, on

with human level accuracy.

better yet, overpassed by the ambitious

the other hand, would use the same image

Indian brands. Amazon provides Indian

search technology to identify tumors in the

How can OEM leverage the benefits of AI

startups with a potential learning model,

given image. The same goes for emotions

from Staqu? So far, most of the OEMs

especially with the fact that it has never

recognition and other domains.

are competing with each other on the

shied away from deploying technology

basis of hardware, with only marginal

in order to achieve business objectives.

What are the pressing problems which

profit. However, a mobile phone is not

Indian startups have their own unique

e-commerce is facing today? In general,

just hardware but a collection of so many

challenges at this moment; however, if we

e-commerce companies are facing two

software components. Infusing these

strive towards the direction of technology

major pressing problems. Firstly, logistics

software features with AI will not only

and innovation, the success is going to be

and secondly, cataloguing. We at Staqu

benefit the end consumers but will also

are working to solve the latter one. When

generate a new revenue stream for the

ours in the long term. n haider@mymobile.co.in

www.mymobileindia.com

In Conversation

face to face

march 2017 | 81

Insight

off beat

How bots and algorithms are helping you to get financed By Manavjeet Singh

Getting financed is nothing

this planet, loan origination has somehow

loan applicants. Not only do they restrict the

less than opening a

been unaware of these developments – at

lenders from lending money to prospective

Pandora’s Box. The huge pile

least to a large extent. Today, acquiring

candidates, these issues also minimize

of papers that you believed

loan has to be supported with exhaustive

the chances of their own growth. Sensing

were the only necessity which had to be

documentation and paperwork especially

this as an opportunity, several innovation-

further supplemented with procedural

in country like India where loan application

driven start-ups are now emerging in the

requirements and additional paperwork.

by existing customer is also treated as an

loan ecosystem to give formal banking

However, you bared with it. Just when you

application from new customer forcing him

institutions a run for their money. And as

thought you had fixed the last block of

to share all KYC documents once again.

Darwinian Evolutionary Theory foretells –

this extensive puzzle, the end-result is all

Even so, the applicant has to take frequent

only the fittest will survive.

the more shocking! Your application was

rounds of banks, direct selling agents, and

denied due to a systematic error made by

bureaucratic organisations for clearances.

Enters Algorithm and Bots

the loan officer during your assessment…

Collaterals, in this context, also serve as a

Emerging start-ups in the country have

error… and you’re back to square one.

major roadblock if someone is intending

devised highly advanced algorithms and

to start a promising business journey. On

software applications known as bots

top of everything, one is required to have a

which are driven by data analytics and

The Curious Case of Loan Origination

robust financial history in order to acquire a

automated reasoning. They effectively

In an era when technology is ubiquitous

loan. But these issues are as consequential

gather information related to the applicant

and more widely seen than human faces on

for banks and businesses, as they are for the

and compute variables and raw data points

82 | march 2017

MYMOBILE

In Focus

off beat

“Since algorithms and bots can process high volume of data, they have greatly reduced the overall turnaround time of a loan. Such innovation-driven platforms are receiving tremendous response from the consumers” ranging from hundreds to thousands in

is completely paperless,

saving accounts, cash inflows and outflow

quick, and convenient. Their

pattern, and correlate their results with the

biggest advantage against

borrower’s credit score. It also makes use

institutional lending has

of the digital footprint of the applicant or

been the loan instruments

his/her business. This in-depth analysis

that are completely collateral-

can accurately predict the ticket size for

free and reach the applicant

the loan even in absence of the applicant’s

within a couple of days from loan

credit history.

application. With a high degree of

Considering that such algorithms and

accuracy in assessment, the state-

bots can process high volume of data,

of-the-art technology is being seen as

they have greatly reduced the overall

bringing a paradigm shift in the credit

turnaround time of a loan. Such innovation-

industry across the globe.

driven platforms are receiving tremendous

quantity. Doing so, on one hand, it ensures

Such lending start-ups are also

response from the consumers. They

an applicant’s credibility and ability to

employing psychometric tests and

have been successful in registering their

make repayments, whereas on the other, it

machine learning to further ascertain

superiority over formal banking institutions

eliminates human errors from the equation.

the creditworthiness of their applicants.

owing to their high degree of comfort

These dynamic algorithms and applications

These tools reveal inherent traits and

and convenience. As the nation is

also warrant that the entire loan process

personality-related aspects of the applicant

experiencing a massive digital drive

by quizzing them with relevant questions.

facilitating higher digital and Aadhaar-

This information is then used to prevent a

based transactions along with smartphone

subsequent loan default. Also, the historic

adoption, it will cumulatively result in

data available with the companies is

increased data points for such lending

further analysed in case of a default and is

start-ups to analyse the applicant and

ingrained to the system through machine

increase their overall purview. The true

learning. This equips such start-ups to pre-

potential of such platforms only awaits to

empt the same in future.

be revealed. n

Since the conventional credit assessment, by and large, is restricted to the scope of borrower’s credit history, such start-ups have been successful in making a great advance in the Indian credit industry. The bots take into account the applicant’s

www.mymobileindia.com

The author is the Founder & CEO of Rubique, one of the leading financial portals offering a comprehensive range of financial products and services from multiple banks and financial institutions, through a cutting-edge technology platform.

march 2017 | 83

Great Deals

mobilesensex

bazaar bargain Lenovo Z2 Plus (White, 64GB)

Lenovo Z2 Plus is a dual-SIM (4G+3G) smartphone that supports Nano-SIM cards. It sports a 5-inch full-HD (1080x1920 pixels) display made by Sharp, with a pixel density of 441ppi. It runs Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 SoC coupled with 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM. It sports a 13MP rear camera with PDAF, LED flash and electronic image stabilization. It bears an 8MP front-facing camera. It is powered by a 3500mAh battery that also features an intelligent charge cut-off feature to ensure the battery does not overcharge. n

Launched at: Rs 57,000 Current Price: Rs 53,000

Google Pixel

Launched at: Rs 19,999 Current Price: Rs 17,499

84 | march 2017

Google Pixel smartphone with Android 7.1 Nougat features a 5-inch FHD AMOLED touchscreen and 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 4. Powered by 1.6GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor, it runs on 4GB of RAM. The 32GB of internal storage cannot be expanded. It has access to unlimited storage for full-resolution photos and videos via Google Photos. It features a 12.3 MP rear camera and an 8 MP front shooter for capturing selfies. The 2,770 mAh battery offers a standby time of 19 days. It sports an aluminum unibody and also features polished glass combination at the back. n

MYMOBILE

Great Deals

mobilesensex

Gionee S6 Pro (Gold) Gionee S6 Pro, the VR-enabled handset takes you to another level of amazement with its 13.9 cm large screen. It features fingerprint, gyro, proximity and compass sensors that is sure to catch your attention. It has a 5.5inch Full HD display and is powered by a 1.8GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 processor. It runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow and offers 4GB RAM and 64GB of internal storage, expandable up to 128GB. It is backed by a 3,130 mAh battery and sports 13MP rear and 8MP front cameras which make every shot worth framing. n

Launched at: Rs 13,990 Current Price: Rs 10,990

HTC Desire 628 HTC Desire 628 has a 5-inch HD display and runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop OS. Powering the handset is a 1.3GHz octa-core processor coupled with 3GB of RAM. It has 32GB of internal storage expandable up to 2TB via microSD card. The handset has dual-front firing speakers powered by HTC BoomSound and is backed by a 2,200 mAh non-removable battery. It measures 146.90 x 70.90 x 19.80 (height x width x thickness) and weighs 142.00 grams. It packs a 13megapixel primary camera on the rear and a 5-megapixel front shooter for selfies. n Launched at: Rs 23,999 Current Price: Rs 19,990

team@mymobile.co.in (Note: Prices are those available at prominent dealers, online and/or offline. They may not reflect official price reductions)

www.mymobileindia.com

march 2017 | 85

In Conversation

face to face

“Where the Opinion is Without Fear” VOIZD – Voice without Fear - is an anonymous mobile app where you can freely express opinion and thoughts in one’s own voice without the fear of being judged, labeled or trolled. The App was born out of the personal bitter experience of being trolled and ugly threats for giving honest opinion by its founder Sameer Agarwal, who stung by the ugly reactions thought of building an app which would promote freewheeling discussion while giving clean window participants’ expressions. Sameer Agarwal is also an expert in mobile marketing and has the distinction of acquiring over 20-million users for RockeTalk as it’s CMO on a hyper-lean budget. Excerpts from an interview with My Mobile’s Vanshika Malhotra… When and how did the idea of VOIZD come?

hence the team decided that Audio/ Voice

During 2013 general elections and post

based expression should be mainstay of

elections while sharing his opinions on

the App, as everyone can speak even when

many issues, Sameer started getting death

they are not very comfortable in writing.

threats and troll attacks, initially he thought

What voice also does is that it keeps the

it’s isolated to political opinions but soon

essence, emotion, tonality, of the poster

realized that our society in general has

and hence the message intact leading to

Founder: Sameer Agarwal

become quite intolerant towards opinions

a deeper connects between the poster and

Co-founder: Pooja Daswani

and thoughts which are divergent from

listener.

mainstream. He also realized that we as

About Voizd: Voice Without Fear, is an anonymous mobile app where you can freely express every opinion & thought in your own voice without the fear of being judged, labeled or trolled.

Parent company: Voizd Inc.

a society subconsciously judge and label

So how did you put up the core team and

Website: www.voizd.com

people based on their every thought and

made them align to the idea? Pooja, Rajv

Year of beta launch: Sep 2016

action and hence most people are always

and I use to work together at RockeTalk,

trying to fit in with the status quo even

which was founded by Rajiv. Pooja use to

with very basics of their expressions, that

run Communities and I was the CMO and

seeded the idea of creating a safe space

Sales head. All three of us had experience

USP: n 30-second anonymous (optional) audio clips to express your thoughts.

where people can be themselves.

in building large communities, Social

n A

While the app was still on the drawing

spaces and audio based interactions. I also

board a conversation with an acquaintance

knew that both of them have also faced

made the team realized that traditional

similar troll and judgment attacks on social

social spaces today are owned by English

networks and real life so when I discussed

speaking Audience and people who are

the idea they connected with it. Then came

not very comfortable with English or other

the task of hiring core-engineering team.

written forms get hard end of the stick,

Since we are bootstrapping it we dug into

86 | march 2017

network of real people connects based on real thoughts

n Content

discovery based on Trending Topics, Emotions and Proximity, Relevant topics.

n Community

with a support system created by the people themselves

MYMOBILE

our combined network to find talent from

What prompted you to start the VOIZD as another

people but since has organically grown to

UI/UX to Engineering team, which helped

social network with many being already in the

2000 users, doing over five thousand posts

us pushing the beta app out

market? With traditional social networks

and over one lakh public conversations, from

being purely identity driven, the feeling

topics ranging from Relationships, Gender

Please elaborate on VOIZD’s other USPs.

of always being in the spotlight forces us

issues, Fashion, Abuse. Nearly 70 % of our

VOIZD is an audio based anonymous online

to relentlessly curate how we self present

current users are women and highly vocal.

social space where people around the world

online. Constant self-monitoring to hide our

share real thoughts and experiences and

rough edges or different opinions to “fit in”

What have been business and operational

trade advice. What’s catchy is that, you get

leaving no space to be original, be weird or

challenges that you faced and how you are

to share all the above anonymously and in

flawed. This especially sucks for the young

trying to overcome them? Indian startup

voice without the entire persistent real name

people, who wish to freely exchange their

ecosystem is skewed towards ecommerce/

trapping of other networks.

thoughts & ideas.

transactions based business models and

The app protects your identity, so you

VOIZD is the only social space at the

VOIZD is trying to build a social networking

can go all out sharing what you actually feel

intersection of audio and anonymity, giving

product with social impact out of India

without having to fine-tune it (i.e you can

its user power to share their most intimate

which is unheard of, plus it is easy to raise

be 100% real), so basically it Gives you the

thoughts and issues without the barrier of

funds for copy past business models from

Power to share your thoughts without the

language and education, as everyone can

western world but not when you are trying

fear of being judged, labeled and trolled. It

speak and Listen. Purely Visual and text

to do something totally out of the box. Even

is an anonymous sharing app where you can

based social spaces often leaves a huge

startup accelerators applications don’t have

divulge your deepest secrets to an audience

mass of people, with powerful ideas on the

a column for mobile social, they have for

of unknown people, and respond to their

sidelines. Text is limiting, and video is too

everything from payments to commerce

secret confessions or questions. The app

bandwidth hungry and risky for countries

to food delivery but not for social startups.

was beta launched in Sep 2016.

like India. Besides, text lacks the emotive

On the product side while Audio is super

power of expression that voice carries,

engaging, UGC around Audio is hardly

appealing to our very basic senses. It is

attempted in India which has both tech

also friction free and has no sign up

and acceptability challenges as with any

on boarding.

In Conversation

face to face

new concept

What is the source of VOIZD’s

What are your expansion plans? VOIZD aims

funding? VOIZD is currently

to become the defacto safe social space for

bootstrapped by the

people to discuss topics most close to their

founders. We are working

hearts and we are looking forward to onboard

towards growing the

around 5 million users in next 24 months.

network further and looking What are your marketing and promotion plans?

for funding.

We plans to (a) collaborate with media How has been the response

content partners (b) Work on Social Causes

so far? VOIZD’s beta app

- raise your voice for social causes like save

was only exposed in

the girl child, educate the girl child, marital

mid September,

rape etc (c) Collaborate with thought leaders/

to a 100

influencers from startup ecosystem (d) Partner with English and Hindi Journalist, more regional (e) Also work with poets from Poetry clubs (Hindi, English and other local languages) and Stand Up Comedians. n vanshika@mymobile.co.in

www.mymobileindia.com

march 2017 | 87

by Invitation

Guest Column

E-distribution Platforms to Make Cashless India a Reality By Ajay Laddha

ovember 8, 2016, will be

technology adoption driven by the growth

orders on the app directly with the company,

marked as the landmark day

of mobile Internet and surrounding app

so manufacturers can allocate supplies

in Indian economy. While

ecosystem has transformed the industry over

directly from their facilities.

the repercussions of the

the past decade, making e-commerce one

unapprised move are still felt across India, the

of the biggest opportunities for investors.

demonetization drive indeed will be hailed

The massive investment flowing into the

as another bold step towards digitizing the

sector will drive the e-commerce industry to

countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economy. The ongoing discussions

US$ 120 billion in revenues by 2020 from

about building a cashless economy and the

US$ 30 billion in FY 2016. E-distribution

encouraging responses gained from various

platforms enter this market scene, which

quarters indicate that Indian economy is

is expected to generate a whopping 530

open to changes in turning the challenges

million shoppers by 2025.

into opportunities compared to similar

E-distribution platforms can help the

economies. As mobile wallets, USSD and

retail industry go cashless and at the same

virtual currencies pick up momentum in

time more transparent. This new wave

individual cash transactions, e-distribution

of e-tailing empowers manufacturers,

platforms are making revolution in retail

distributors, retailers, and customers

systems.

gather under one technology platform to

Pegging a double digit CAGR of 16.7

conduct transactions more efficiently than

percent, Indian retail industry is one of

conventional systems. The app-based

the fastest growing in the world. The rapid

distribution system allows retailers to place

The benefits of e-distribution are many.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Distributors find the app-based e-distribution system more convenient than traditional systems. They can transfer inventory via the mobile app and track the status in real time with a few tapsâ&#x20AC;?

88 | march 2017

MYMOBILE

With app-based order placing, retailers don’t miss any sales opportunity. They can place the order wherever and whenever they want. Modern systems also feature analytics capabilities and in-built intelligence, which further help streamline the ordering. For example, it can reallocate supplies from one retailer to another in the event of a supply shortage. Distributors find the app-based e-distribution system more convenient than traditional systems. They can transfer

so ensures overall transparency in the

“In business, innovators are clear winners. It’s because the technology competence gives them agility to stay ahead of their competitors”

inventory via the mobile app and track the status in real time with a few taps. Further, they can carry out all monetary transactions with retailers with the help of a mobile wallet associated with the application.

Lastly, mobile-based distribution systems indirectly help other industries thrive in cashless economy. Telecom service providers, for instance, are among the direct beneficiaries of all digital transactions in the country. Mobile Internet is a flourishing business opportunity for telcos in India. By providing a reliable and secure mobile network, service providers can play an active role in building a cashless, digital

Details of daily transactions and payments are available at the click of a button. Wallet balances are instantly transferred to retailers. All of these features help save cost and time to market. E-distribution can also improve efficiency of the distribution process. The on-demand sales platform automatically allocates inventory based on the availability at the distributor or retailer, so there is no fear of dead stock, nor loss of business opportunity. The built-in analytics in the app delivers insights on the day-to-day sales, which can be studied to devise better sales and marketing strategies. With automated inventory updates and tracking,

the

system ensures transparency at each level. E-distribution aligns with the g o v e r n m e n t ’s vision of a digitally empowered economy. The digital network acts as the hub connecting the different components in the retail value chain, enabling the law enforcement agencies to track the system and identify the nature of transactions. The digital payment method stamps out fraudulent transactions and

www.mymobileindia.com

system.

India, while also monetizing from these opportunities.

Future of E-tailing in India

Guest Column

by invitation

In business, innovators are clear winners. It’s because the technology competence gives them agility to stay ahead of their competitors. While e-distribution is still in nascent stages in India, the market opportunity is huge. With India emerging as the second largest smartphone market in the world, the potential of mobile-based e-distribution platforms in the country is limitless. It is likely that popular brands across all industry segments in India will soon join the e-distribution network, enabling their partners and retailers conduct on-demand sales across their networks. Going forward, a large number of manufacturers will leverage e-distribution platforms to sell niche products in Indian market. As Internet power rises, in tandem with the growing spending capacity of Indians, a massive transformation is in cards for the retail sector. The current economic trends and the long-term impact of the demonetization will infuse digital transformation in every sector, and retail will be the forerunner, no doubt. Thus e-distribution platforms can be regarded as a true, revolutionary approach in Indian retail sector. n The author is Co-Founder, YMS Mobitech Pvt Ltd. YMS Mobitech is an app-based ecosystem for mobile phone retailers

march 2017 | 89

In Focus

Special Report The gaming industry in India has grown rapidly over the last decade, predominantly on the back of increasing smartphone and internet penetration coupled with rising income levels of consumers in the country. Valued at $543.08 million in 2016, the Indian gaming industry is expected to reach $801 million by 2022.

By Ramesh Kumar Raja

Mobile to lead Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gaming industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s march 90 | march 2017

MYMOBILE

In Focus

special Report

www.mymobileindia.com

march 2017 | 91

In Focus

Special Report

aming did not gain a strong

(AR) and Virtual

foothold in India in the

Reality (VR) related

past due to its low social

games in the country

acceptance as well as lack of

is expected to boost

access to PCs and gaming consoles in the

I n d i a ’s

CAGR 7.25%

gaming

country. However, India’s economic growth

market in the coming

has resulted in a scenario that is embracing

five years.

entertainment and digital content, driven

India Mobile Gaming Market Size, By Value, 2016-2022F (USD Million)

Rajan Navani,

by growing penetration of internet and

Chairman,

smartphones.

Steering Committee

265.8

308.0

286.2

404.7

CII

According to a report which was released

on India Gaming

recently in New Delhi, the Indian gaming

Show, said, “With

industry was valued at $543.08 million in

more than 70 million

2016 and is projected to grow at a CAGR

gamers spread across

of 6.61 per cent, in value terms, over the

the mobile, console

next five years, and expected to reach

and PC platforms,

$801 million by 2022. The CII-TechSci

the Indian gaming market has caught

Research report entitled, ‘Emerging Trends

the attention of several international

in India Gaming Industry’ said, in 2016,

gaming peripheral manufacturers and

the country accounted for a share of 0.55

service providers. Owing to the existence

per cent of the global gaming industry and

of significant cost competitiveness, game

this is anticipated to grow significantly

developers are shifting their focus to

over the next five years, on account of

India for outsourcing their key working

macroeconomic factors such as improving

components.”

demographics, rising disposable income,

331.2

380.0

355.5

2016

2017E 2018F 2019F 2020F

2021F 2022F

Note: E- Estimated, F- Forecast

changing gaming preferences of the

Market expansion

consumers, etc.

Over the last decade, India’s gaming

Moreover, increasing focus of gaming

market witnessed a significant growth and

companies towards Augmented Reality

crossed $540 million in 2016. Evolving

“With more than 70 million gamers spread across the mobile, console and PC platforms, the Indian gaming market has caught the attention of several international gaming peripheral manufacturers and service providers” – Rajan Navani, Chairman, CII Steering Committee on India Gaming Show

92 | march 2017

MYMOBILE

gaming consumers landscape along with

‘Platform as a Service’ (PaaS), as this is

Further, with poor internet infrastructure

increasing adoption of advanced gaming

expected to help companies in creating

in the country, revenues obtained from

technologies are major characteristics of

games in a short span of time. Further,

full value game downloads through online

the gaming industry in the country.

the India’s mobile gaming market will rise

stores recorded a decline and this in turn

Moreover, with emergence and growing

mainly on account of growing adoption of

impacted sales of gaming consoles in the

adoption of 3G/4G network mobile services

freemium as well as Virtual Reality games

country, over the past few years. Indian

coupled with increasing production of

in the coming years. It’s worth noting that

gamers are gradually moving towards

games, gaming industry in the country is

freemium is a business model where basic

console games for accessing multimedia

anticipated to grow significantly during the

services are provided free of charge but one

content, due to which the market of

In Focus

special Report

forecast period and as stated earlier, will reach $801 million by 2022. Rapid changes in the gaming industry are expected to offer new opportunities for developers, publishers as well as technology partners in the future, and this is anticipated to boost growth in the gaming market through 2022.

Technology forecast On the basis of technology, the country’s gaming industry is categorized into Mobile Gaming, Console Gaming and Computer Gaming. Mobile gaming dominated India and accounted for half of the total gaming industry revenues. The gaming industry in India has witnessed a shift from console gaming to mobile gaming, with growth and improvement of wireless connectivity in the country.

has to pay for using the more advanced

Ease of playing mobile games coupled

features.

with rising mobile phone subscribers

Console gaming accounted for the

has fuelled growth of mobile gaming in

second largest share of 35.51per cent

console gaming is expected to boost during

India over the last few years. Increasing

in India’s gaming market in 2016. The

the forecast period.

number of mobile internet users coupled

procurement cost associated with console

Computer gaming segment accounted

with development of new and advanced

games is very high in the country, due to

for a share of 15.54 per cent in India in

games has boosted mobile gaming market

which the console gaming market in India

2016. The country’s computer gaming

in the country. Increasing penetration of

has witnessed a sluggish growth over the

market was valued at $84.40 million in

mobile phones and smartphones in India

past decade. Increasing investments in

2016. Core gamers who do not intend

is driving the number of mobile gamers in

dedicated console games by ardent players

to move to console gaming and make

the country. These gamers are increasingly

along with evolving gaming consumers in

additional investments are driving computer

installing games on their phones, which,

India is driving console gaming market in

gaming industry in the country. Further,

in turn is boosting the country’s mobile

the country.

there has been an increase in popularity

gaming market.

Rising demand for evolved gaming

for online PC gaming due to increasing

Various mobile gaming companies

consoles such as PlayStation 4, Xbox One,

interest of gamers towards eSports and

are focusing on increasing adoption of

etc, is being witnessed in urban areas.

other electronic games. This is expected

www.mymobileindia.com

march 2017 | 93

In Focus

Special Report to boost computer gaming market in India in the coming years.

Market forecast by game type On the basis of game type, India’s gaming market is categorized into strategy, casual, action, sports, simulation and others, which include adventure, arcade, board, card, casino, educational, puzzle, etc. With increasing gaming choices as well as growing technological advancements, the average time spent on playing games is also increasing rapidly. Strategy games are played majorly in the country and accounted for 16.30 per cent share in India’s gaming market in 2016, followed by casual, action, sports and simulation games. In terms of time spent on the strategy games in India, Clash of Clans, Call of Duty, Clash Royale, Counter Strike, Clash of Kings, Grand Theft Auto, Mobile Strike, etc., are some of the popular strategy games played in the country. Rising youth population base coupled with growing awareness about different strategy games among the audiences are boosting demand for strategy games market in India and the same trend is expected to continue during the forecast period as well.

“In the current scenario, India has become the centre for outsourcing work such as game development, game support services, etc. In the coming years, the country is expected to become the hub for development, porting and dubbing of various games across the globe, due to low cost and easy availability of game developers with world-class quality and game development. Moreover, with the coutnry’s youth population standing at over 350 million, India is one of the largest markets for companies operating in the global gaming industry” – CII-TechSci Report

94 | march 2017

Casual games accounted for 14.82 per cent share in India’s gaming market in 2016 and revenues emanating from casual gaming segment in India is projected to grow at a CAGR of 6.73 per cent during 2017-2022, to reach $119.48 million by 2022. Candy Crush Saga, Angry Birds, Talking Tom, Hay Day, etc., are some of the major casual games that are popular in India. With increasing number of casual gamers in the country, the market share of these games in India’s gaming market is projected to reach 14.92 per cent by 2022. Further, action games accounted for a share of 13.73 per cent in India’s gaming market in 2016, with Temple Run, Doodle Army, God of War, Prince of Persia, etc., being the most played

MYMOBILE

cent by 2022. Further, with increasing downloads of simulation games in India, their market share is projected to reach 6.53 per cent by 2022. Other key game types played in India include adventure, arcade, board, card, casino, educational, puzzle, etc., and accounted for 40.30 per cent share in the country’s gaming market in 2016.

In Focus

special Report

Favourite game providers Based on number of game downloads in India, Supercell, Elex Technology, Gameloft, Octro, Zynga Game Network, etc., are few of the major mobile game providers in the country. Games being developed and published by Supercell include Clash of Clans, Hay Day, Clash Royale and Boom Beach. In India, there has been an increase in the number of game downloads being developed by the company. Thus, the company accounted for the largest share in India’s mobile gaming market in 2016. Elex Technology, accounted for the second largest share in the country’s mobile gaming market in 2016 and the major games being developed and published by the company include Age of Kings: action games in the country. On account of increasing downloads of action games in the country, their revenues are expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.87 per cent during 2017-2022 to reach $111.60 million by 2022. Similarly, sports and simulation games accounted for a share of 8.52 per cent and 6.33per cent, respectively, in the country’s gaming market in 2016, due to low popularity of these games as compared to others. Average time spent on these games is also less due to which these games accounted for a small market share in the gaming market. However, eSports are slowly and steadily gaining momentum in India, due to availability of improved telecom infrastructure and internet speeds. Thus, the market share of sports games in the country is projected to reach 8.62 per

www.mymobileindia.com

“Strategy games are played majorly in the country and accounted for 16.30 per cent share in India’s gaming market in 2016, followed by casual, action, sports and simulation games” march 2017 | 95

In Focus

Special Report Skyward Battle, Magic Wars, Vikings: Age of Warlords, Magic Rush: Heroes, Empire Siege, Hero’s Throne, Rise of War: Eternal Heroes, etc. Similarly, Gameloft garnered the third largest share in India’s mobile gaming market. Few of the major games developed and published by the company include Asphalt Series, Gods of Rome, Sniper Fury, Country Friends, Disney Magic Kingdoms, March of Empires, Dragon Mania Legends, Age of Sparta, etc. On the basis of number of gaming units sold, few of the leading console gaming companies in India include Sony Interactive Entertainment, Nintendo,

“The Indian gaming industry wants government to emulate countries like Canada where liberal government support has made the country a formidable force in game development”

Microsoft Studios, Ubisoft, etc. However,

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, Minecraft, The Last of Us, Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, etc. Nintendo garnered the second largest share in the console gaming market, followed by Microsoft Studios and Ubisoft. Major games being developed and published by Nintendo include Splatoon, Mario Kart 8, Mario Kart 7, Wii Sports, Steel Diver, Super Mario 3D Land, etc., whereas Microsoft Studios is engaged in developing and publishing games such as Age of Empires, Gears of War, Halo Wars, Rare Replay, Killer Instinct, etc. Similarly, Electronic Arts dominated India’s computer gaming market in 2016,

few of the leading computer gaming

Sony Interactive Entertainment

followed by Activision Blizzard and Valve

companies based on number of units sold

dominated console gaming market in

Corporation. Major games being developed

include Electronic Arts, Activision Blizzard,

India and major games being developed

and published by Electronic Arts include

Valve Corporation, etc.

and published by the company include

Need for Speed, EA Sports, FIFA 15

96 | march 2017

MYMOBILE

In Focus

special Report India Gaming Market Share, By Game Type, By Value, 2016–2022F

Source: TechSci Research

Others* inclue adventure, arcade, board, card, casino, educational, puzzle, etc.

Ultimate Team, SimCity BuildIt, Scrabble,

Jetysnthesys’ PlayIzzon is among the

OMDC supports new gaming companies

Real Racing 3, Battlelog, The Simpsons,

industry leaders for developing Celebrity

with funds through Interactive Digital

FIFA 16, Tetris, Star Wars, Plants vs.

and persona based games as well as in

Media (IDM) funding initiative that

Zombie, etc.

publishing these games. Jetsynthesys’

covers $150,000 or up to 50per cent of

PlayIzzon has created a celebrity persona

a project budget to support the companies

driven platform across Bollywood

in developing a game. Initiatives on the

and cricket with games like Sachin

federal side such as Industrial Research

Saga, Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Hero: The

Assistance Program (IRAP) & the Scientific

Fight, etc. Activision Blizzard develops

Research and Experimental Development

and publishes games such as King’s Candy

Tax Incentive Program (SR&ED), offer

Crush Saga, The Legend of Spyro, Leisure

game development companies with an

Suit Larry, Police Quest and SWAT, Space

additional supplement development costs

Quest, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Skylanders,

ranging from $50,000 to $500,000 every

World of Warcraft, StarCraft, Diablo,

year. In addition, there are various other tax

Hearthstone, etc.

initiatives offered by Canadian Government

Government support vital

federal and provincial tax incentives,

India has become the favourite

donate securities and don’t pay capital

destination for game development but

gains tax, etc.

it is yet to realize its full potential. The

The industry looks forward to the

Indian gaming industry wants government

Government of India for introducing

to emulate countries like Canada where

such funding and tax relaxation policies,

liberal government support has made

specifically directed towards startup

the country a formidable force in game

game development companies, which

development. Canada today has more

would allow the gaming companies

than 350 game development companies

to establish their foothold in domestic

operate in Canada, and these companies

as well as international markets, coupled

have been able to generate significant

with creation of new job opportunities

return on investment over the course

in this industry domain. If that happens,

of few years, predominantly on account

India is sure to emerge as the gaming

of favorable support from Ontario

development hub of the world. n ramesh@mymobile.co.in

Media Development Corporation (OMDC).

www.mymobileindia.com

to support the gaming Industry, including

march 2017 | 97

Software

Smartapps

Bundle News A new way to look at news

ews as we all know is an integral part of our lives. Whether be it politics or sports or entertainment, we all wants to get updated

with the latest news. But with some news sources and website available to us sometimes makes it difficult for us to get your favourite genre of news. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s where Bundles News kicks in. The app is designed in a way to cater your faviourite genre of news in a very organized and clean way. The interface of the app is simple and all you need to be just add your faviourite categories and voila you are ready with the latest news. What makes it stand of other news apps is the simple and yet very interactive interface. You choose the stories to be showed in a very aesthetic ways and each story contains a headline, a picture and photo from the article. To read the news, you need to tap on it and it will redirect you the site with its in-app browser. Stories can be rated with a thumbs up or down, shared to social media and even saved to read later. And also you can bundle different sites according to your need and can even search for news, if you want something in particular. Other than this, the app suggest different stories under hot bundle option where you see some trending stories. Overall, the app interface is simple and it is a must app if you want to read news from your different sets of sites in one place. n

98 | march 2017

MYMOBILE

Mimicker Alarm Wakey Wakey…Time for Selfie!

t is mountain task to wake up in the morning,

stop the alarm. On the other in the “express yourself”

especially in winters. Those never-ending five

section, the app commands you to make certain facial

minutes goes on an infinite loop, making an edge

expressions (happy, sad, angry, scared, surprised,

of tomorrow movie like experience on bed. We set

disgusted or neutral). For instance, you have to make

many alarms to get out of this loop and at end we get

a happy face and then click a selfie so that the app can

trapped in the web of laziness. To tackle this problem,

recognize your facial expression and if it matches with

Microsoft has brought a new app that compels you

the happy mood, then

to get off your bed and starts your day with a happy

the alarm will go off. However, in the “tongue twister”,

face (like literally). As the name suggest, you have to

the app gives you a tongue twister, which you must

mimic some action, which the app decides, to stop

repeat flawlessly or otherwise face the wrath of the alarm

the alarm. This is where it gets interesting. There are

sound. You use each of these category individually or

three categories including “color capture”, “express

you let app do this favour. Microsoft’s Mimicker Alarm

yourself” and “tongue twister”. In the color capture

is annoyingly witty app, which makes sure that you get

section, you the app list you a particular color and

off that bed. SO be carefully when you are selecting

you have to search and shoot the same color photo to

the timing for the alarm. n

Software

SMARTAPP S

march 2017 | 99

Software

Smartapps

Polaris Office Your Personal Office

100 | march 2017

hen it comes to office apps,

will see the recent docs on the home

the market is dominated with

screen and at the bottom there is an

the likes of Microsoft Office

icon for adding a new word file, Excel

and Google Docs. However, there is

sheet, a slide and a plain text with each

another office suite for mobile devices,

one having a bunch of pre-installed

which has grabbed a lot of attention.

templates to choose. It is one stop for

Known as Polaris Office, the app is one

all your needs. The app supports many

of the most downloaded apps on the

Microsoft office files and you can also

Google Play Store. Whether be it a word

use to view and create PDF files. The

document or a presentation slide and

tool bar is consistent across documents,

even speadsheets, you can use this app

spreadsheets and slides. And there are

to do all this. Also Polaris Office does

host of features in the tool bar which are

offer a bunch of nice features, including

segregated into different headers like

a file manager and the ability to working

Home, Insert, Layout, Review and View.

with cloud storage services that include

However exporting to PDF comes under

Google Docs, Dropbox, and Box. You can

freemium programme and you have to

open email attachments and zip files in

take monthly or annual subscriptions

Polaris Office.Other features include a

for it. Also it takes a little while to get

camera mode, which lets you take photos

used to this app but once this is done,

and put them directly in documents,

you will start enjoying it. But overall,

and a slideshow mode, which includes

the app is must-have for those who are

pointer and memo capabilities. Polaris

seeking a office like experience on their

Office has a simple and direct UI. You

smartphone. n

MYMOBILE

Snapseed Edit on the go

omewhere down the line, we all are mobile

categories—Tools and Filters. In the tools section, you will

photographers. While it’s a selfie-taking matter or

find the options like Tune image, crop, rotate, transform,

some good landscape view, we love to click whenever

healing among others. While under the filter section you

it is possible. But like every professional photographers,

will find different types of filters like Lens Blur, Grunge,

we also require some good photo-editing software to make

Noir, Retrolux and so on. The app interface is easy-to-use,

our photo look more attractive. Although there are many

you pick up a filter or tool and use a touch-and-drag feature

applications which gives you some leverage to add some

to apply the filter or tools on the photo. For instance, if

filters, but most of them lags in some advance features.

want to apply Tune image, you have touch and drag up and

That’s were Google’s Snapseed kicks in. The photo editing

down to select different options like Brightness, Contrast,

from Google promises you with host of features that can

Ambience and many on while with touch and drag sideways

turn your simple image into a masterpiece. The layout of the

to apply these options. But Google has done more it. It

app is simple and minimalist. When you open the app, you

has added feature known as Stacks through which you

will find open photo option through which you can select

can return or even remove any tools or filter applied on the

the photo you want to edit. By selecting the photo, the app

photo. This kind of non-destructive editing is a welcome

takes you to its canvas which has an editing sign at the

move and surely is a very handy feature. So if you are

base and when you click on it you are provided with many

looking a good photo-editing app, then Snapseed is at you

editing features. The options are broadly divided into two

service. n

www.mymobileindia.com

Software

SMARTAPP S

team@mymobile.co.in

march 2017 | 101

In Conversation

face to face

An Advocate and an APP developer It’s not everyday that you see an advocate evolving into a successful app developer. And this is what makes Kanishk Agarwal, Founder, CriTaxCorp, stands out from the crowd. He recently ideated and developed a mobile & tablet based app called “IBAP” (Indian Bare Acts Pack) for the benefit of lawyers, law students and the general public. This application has been launched with the support of Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA) and is one of the best rated and downloaded applications at both Android and iOS platforms with over one lakh downloads till the date of interview. For developing the app, Mr Agarwal drew his years of legal and tax consultancy experience which includes stints with top Indian CA firms and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Excerpts from an interaction with Shelley Vishwajeet… An advocate and an app developer - Wow! So what prompted you to go for a specific app for advocates? Well the promptness was result of scolding by a senior (laughingly). When I was working under a respected senior, Advocate, Shubhash Gulati, I got to know about certain Bare Act apps available for lawyers and I was really amused and amazed at how technology is easing the pain of people at large and hence I asked him to download some mobile application for bare acts on his tablet in order to earn few sugar points with him, like all of us juniors try to do, however one week later I got reprimanded by him as all applications I referred to him were not updated since 2008 and reading outdated law is the last thing a lawyer wants to do; this incident got me thinking that how important it is for a lawyer to have updated bare acts at their disposal for quick reference. One month later I started working on this project of “IBAP” and I happily ended up putting my money where my thought was and

88 | february 2017

MYMOBILE

moreover I always wanted to do something for the law fraternity; when I took it to Delhi High Court Bar Association, I was really overwhelmed to know that they are looking forward to launch it in a function organised for Delhi High court judges elevated to Supreme Courts, at Le Meridian. Since then it has been organically growing to be one of the best applications on android and iOS in its category.

can expect by using this app as compared to conventional methods. This application is one of the best examples of technology proclaiming how anxious we are to adopt something which is exemplary and ultimately providing a strategy to solve our (lawyers) issues, in fact IBAP caters to the most basic needs of lawyers i.e the use of Bare Act. This application has all the features which a lawyer expects from a hard copy of Bare Acts. IBAP consists of all ‘Bible Acts’ which every lawyer requires from stepping into Law College till his entire career line, as it is covering 4 most major and basic Acts i.e. CrPC, IPC, Service Tax law as I used to work in that field. Making the app was not an easy task, as I had to review the designs, see the working of the app, and pay for doing work. I created around 2800 word files which were formatted, indented and checked word by word by me. This app has unique features like creating notes in a section, highlighting sections, bookmarking a section.

in CrPC section. We are also in the process to incorporate several new

Kindly explain the specific benefits a lawyer

Evidence Act and CPC. I also included

Evidence Act mention

bare acts and features which will not only be useful for lawyers but also for chartered accountants and company secretary. Lawyers are not really known for being techsavvy despite almost all case records or court proceedings now being digitized. So how hopeful are you that lawyers will take to this app? To answer this question in the best possible manner I would just like to state that my application is being used by different age groups of people that is

IBAP consists of all ‘Bible Acts’ which every lawyer requires from stepping into law college till his entire career line, and it covers 4 most major and basic Acts i.e. CrPC, IPC, Evidence Act, CPC as well as Service Tax law”

How do you propose to popularize this app and whether you would be charging some fee? I have already been showered with great love and affection from our legal community which can be seen from the number of downloads (over One lakh now!!) and now I am planning to take it to a whole another level to cater a solution for different fields of Professionals and I believe if your idea is solving the problem it doesn’t require any marketing strategy for promotions, it automatically spread like a wild fire. Secondly, yes we will be integrating more Bare Acts with more features in the app and will be charging some fee but I will make sure that the professional community does not feel the pinch of prices, but to develop it further and keep it updated I need to charge some basic fee which I am sure the professionals

The additional features which Bare

would not be hesitant to pay. As I say, I

Acts doesn’t provide are zooming in and

had always planned to do something for

zooming out for elderly people with a poor

form a law student, to even a senior citizen

the betterment of the legal fraternity and

eyesight, another feature would be Day

of different genre i.e from court clerks ,

when I see myself growing in the same

and Night mode feature which is helpful

judiciary people , government officials ,

direction it feels so good and satisfying from

for avoiding strain on eyes. The most

that too officers in Forest Department of

within; and I have ideated this application

significant feature of this application is the

Tamil Nadu. Lastly, I believe if you address

mainly to provide equanimity for the law

place where section of another Bare Act is

a real pinpoint then the people who are not

Professionals as it is an application by a

mentioned in a Bare Act user is reading/

even tech savvy would not hesitate to use it

lawyer for the lawyers and I will always

referring, the user while reading a section

for their own interest and shall ultimately

of CrPC can jump to another section of

be downloading it.

remember this! n shelley@mymobile.co.in

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In Conversation

face to face

march 2017 | 103

Game On

Boredombuster

Mobile Games

And the winners areâ&#x20AC;Ś I

ndia is estimated to have more than 70 million gamers spread across the mobile, console and PC platforms. On the basis of game type, Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gaming market is categorized into strategy, casual, action, sports, simulation and others, which include adventure, arcade, board, card, casino, educational, puzzle, etc. According to a recent CII-TechSci Research report, strategy games are played majorly in the country and accounted for 16.30 per cent share in Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gaming market in 2016, followed by casual, action, sports and simulation games. Rising youth population base coupled with growing awareness about different strategy games among the audiences are boosting demand for strategy games market in India and the same trend is expected to continue during the forecast period as well. Here we list some of the most downloaded games in India by categories of strategy, casual, action, sports and what makes them so popular!

104 | march 2017

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Boredombuster

Game On

STRATEGY GAMES

Clash of Clans

lash of Clans is an online multiplayer game in

inferno towers and eagle artilleries. Players can also build

which players build a community (in the form of

walls, which can be upgraded, as a players’ town hall

a clan), train troops, and attack other players to

level increases.

earn gold, elixir and dark elixir. Gold and elixir can be

The game has two kinds of barracks (barracks and dark

used to build defenses that protect the player from other

barracks) and two kinds of spell factories (spell factory

players’ attacks. Elixir and dark elixir is also used to train

and dark spell factory). The barracks create troops using

and upgrade troops and spells. The game also features a

elixir whereas dark barracks create troops using dark elixir.

pseudo-single player campaign in which the player can

The spell factories follow the same pattern, normal spell

attack a series of fortified goblin villages and earn gold

factory creates spells using elixir and dark factory using

and elixir. The game has two ‘builders’ by default but

dark elixir. All troops and spells have different properties.

one can install more builders (maximum 5) using gems,

As the player progresses, several new troops and spells

builders are important for upgrading any building. If all

get unlocked.

builders are busy, one has to either wait (if the player

Clash of Clans happens to be one of the most popular

wants to upgrade a building) for them to be free or free

MMO strategy games. It was developed by Supercell, the

them up using gems.

company behind other popular mobile games like Hay

There are a number of buildings available to the player

Day. The game was released for iOS platforms on August

to defend their village, including cannons, mortars,

2, 2012, and on Google Play for Android on October 7,

bombs, teslas, traps, archer towers, wizard towers,

2013. n

www.mymobileindia.com

february 2017 | 107

Game On

Boredombuster

Call of Duty

hCall of Duty is a first-person shooter video game franchise. The series began on Microsoft Windows, and later expanded to consoles and handhelds. Several spin-off games have

been released. The earlier games in the series are set primarily in World War II, including Call of Duty, Call of Duty 2, and Call of Duty 3. Beginning with Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, which is set in modern times, the series has shifted focus away from World War II. Modern Warfare, released in November 2007, was followed by World at War and Modern Warfare 2. Black Ops, released in November

2010, takes place in the Cold War, while Modern Warfare 3, released in November 2011, takes place in a near-future setting. Black Ops II, released in November 2012, takes place mainly in the year 2025. Call of Duty: Ghosts was released in November 2013. In May 2014, Advanced Warfare was announced. In November 6, 2015, Black Ops 3 was released. The most recent game, Infinite Warfare was released on November 4, 2016. The Call of Duty games are published and owned by Activision. While Infinity Ward is still a developer, Treyarch and Sledgehammer Games also develop several of the titles with the release of the studiosâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; games alternating with each other. Some games have been developed by Gray Matter Interactive, Nokia, Exakt Entertainment, Spark Unlimited, Amaze Entertainment, n-Space, Aspyr, Rebellion Developments, Ideaworks Game Studio, and nStigate Games. The games use a variety of engines, including the id Tech 3, the Treyarch NGL, and the IW engine. As of February 2016, the Call of Duty series has sold over 250 million copies. Sales of all Call of Duty games topped US$15 billion. Other products in the franchise include a line of action figures designed by Plan-B Toys, a card game created by Upper Deck Company, Mega bloks sets by Mega Brands, and a comic book mini-series published by WildStorm Productions. n

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MYMOBILE

Grand Theft Auto

rand Theft Auto is an action-adventure video

underworld, although their motives for doing so vary in

game series created by David Jones, Mike

each game. The series also has elements of the earlier

Dailly and Sam Houser; the later titles of which

beat â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;em up games from the 16-bit era. The antagonists

were created by brothers Dan and Sam Houser, Leslie

are commonly characters who have betrayed the

Benzies and Aaron Garbut. It is primarily developed by

protagonist or his organization, or characters who have

Rockstar North (formerly DMA Design), and published

the most impact impeding the protagonistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s progress.

by Rockstar Games. The name of the series references

With its British origin, the series contains satire and

the term used in the US for motor vehicle theft.

humour. British video game developer DMA Design

Most games in the series are set in fictional locales

began the series in 1997. As of 2014, it has eleven

modeled on cities, usually either Liberty City, Vice City,

stand-alone games and four expansion packs. The third

or San Andreas, which are stand-ins for New York City,

chronological title, Grand Theft Auto III, is considered

Miami, and the state of California, respectively. The

a landmark title, as it brought the series to a 3D setting

first game encompassed three fictional cities, while

and more immersive experience.

subsequent titles tend to emphasize a single setting.

The series has been critically acclaimed and

Gameplay focuses on an open world where the player

commercially successful, having shipped more than

can choose missions to progress an overall story, as

235 million units, as of September 2015. In 2006,

well as engaging in side activities, all consisting of

Grand Theft Auto featured in a list of British design

action-adventure, driving, third-person shooting,

icons in the Great British Design Quest organized

occasional role-playing, stealth, and racing elements.

by the BBC and the Design Museum. In 2013 The

The series focuses around many different protagonists

Telegraph ranked Grand Theft Auto among Britainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

who attempt to rise through the ranks of the criminal

most successful exports. n

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Game On

Boredombuster

march 2017 | 107

Game On

Boredombuster

Mobile Strike

obile Strike is a 2015 freemium mobile massively multiplayer online strategy video game developed and published by Machine Zone. The game had a

high-profile advertising campaign and was one of the topgrossing apps since 2015. Mobile Strike is well known for its advertising campaign featuring former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger as a commander. One of the commercials was featured on Super Bowl 50. Another commercial, which aired during Super

Bowl LI, depicted Schwarzenegger saying his memorable lines such as “I’m back”, “Get to the chopper”, and “Hasta la vista, baby”. As of November 2016, the app is the second highest grossing game on Apple’s App Store. n

108 | march 2017

MYMOBILE

Boredombuster

Game On

CASUAL GAMES

Candy Crush Saga

andy Crush Saga is a free-to-play mobile match-

money, players can buy special actions to help clear more

three puzzle video game released by King on April

difficult boards, from which King makes its revenues

12, 2012, for Facebook; other versions for iOS,

from. Around 2014, over 93 million people were playing

Android, Windows Phone, and Windows 10 followed. In the game, players complete levels by swapping

Candy Crush Saga, while revenue over a three month period as reported by King was over $493 million.

colored pieces of candy on a game board to make a match

The game had over ten million downloads in December

of three or more of the same color, eliminating those

2012. By 2013, Candy Crush Saga had been downloaded

candies from the board and replaced with new ones,

more than 500 million times across Facebook, iOS, and

which could potentially create further matches. Matches

Android devices and considered the most downloaded

of four or more candies create unique candies that act

app from the Apple App Store, and had at least 6.7

as power-ups with larger board-clearing abilities. Boards

million active users on a daily basis. The game had a daily

have various goals that must be completed within a fixed

revenue of $633,000 from the United States section of

number of moves or limited amount of time, such as a

the iOS App Store alone. By 2014, the game had over

certain score or collecting a specific number of a type

245 million active players each month but has since

of candy.

dropped off, with that count falling to around 166 million

Candy Crush Saga is considered one of the first and

by 2016. Candy Crush received particular mention in

most successful uses of a freemium model; while the

Hong Kong media, with reports that one in seven Hong

game can be played completely through without spending

Kong citizens plays the game. n

www.mymobileindia.com

february 2017 | 107

Game On

Boredombuster

Angry Birds

ngry Birds is a video game franchise created by Finnish company Rovio Entertainment. The series focuses on multi-coloured birds who try to save their eggs

from green-coloured pigs. Inspired by Crush the Castle, the game has been praised for its successful combination of fun gameplay, comical style, and low price. Its popularity led to many spin-offs, versions of Angry Birds being created for PCs and gaming consoles, a market for merchandise featuring its characters, a televised cartoon series, and a feature film. In January 2014, there had been over two billion downloads across all platforms, including both regular and special editions. As of July 2015, the series’ games have been downloaded more than three billion times collectively, making it the most downloaded freemium game series of all time. The original Angry Birds has been called “one of the most mainstream games out right now”, “one of the great runaway hits of 2010”, and “the largest mobile app success the world has seen so far”. An animated feature film based on the series was released by Columbia Pictures on 20 May 2016, and the first main-series sequel, Angry Birds 2, was released on 30 July 2015. The first game in the series was initially released in December 2009 for Apple iOS. The company then released ports of the game for other touchscreen smartphone operating systems, including Android, Symbian and Windows Phone, then video game consoles and PCs.n

110 | march 2017

MYMOBILE

Game On

Boredombuster

Talking Tom

alking Tom and Friends is a media franchise

Voice one day.

created and owned by Outfit7 Limited. The

The My Talking Tom app was launched in November

franchise focuses on various anthropomorphic

2013. This interactive app sees users raise their very

animal characters repeating every word you say featured

own Tom from a kitten to a fully-grown tomcat, caring

in various mobile apps. As of January 2017, the apps

for him and customizing his fur, clothes and home. My

have achieved more than 5.4 billion downloads.

Talking Tom had over 11 million downloads and was the

Talking Tom is the lead character in the Talking Tom and Friends franchise. Tom is a wisecracking, adventureseeking anthropomorphic cat, described as the “world’s most popular cat.” Talking Tom is a fully animated interactive 3D character that users can tickle, poke and play with in

top games app in 135 countries worldwide within 10 days of its launch. Talking Tom also appears in other apps in the Talking Tom and Friends series: Tom Loves Angela, Talking Tom & Ben News and Tom’s Love Letters. He is also a guest in Talking Pierre the Parrot.

the apps. Users can also get Tom to repeat what they

The My Talking Tom app won the award for “Best iPad

say. The original Talking Tom Cat app was launched in

Game: Kids, Education & Family” at the 2014 Tabby

July 2010 for iOS, closely followed by Talking Tom 2

Awards, the global competition for the best tablet app.

in 2011. Users have made many videos of Tom singing popular songs. Critics have said that Tom might win The

www.mymobileindia.com

Talking Tom and Friends: The Series took the title of Best Animated Series at the 2016 Cablefax Awards. n

march 2017 | 111

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Boredombuster

Hay Day

ay Day is a freemium mobile farming game developed and published by Supercell. Hay Day was released for iOS on June 21, 2012 and

Android on November 20, 2013. According to a 2013 report, Supercell earned $30 million a month from Hay Day and Clash of Clans, another game made by Supercell.

In 2013, Hay Day was the fourth highest game in revenue generated. In the game, the player’s uncle is unable to take care of his farm any more, so he hands over the responsibility of caring for the farm to the player. The game starts with a scarecrow teaching the player about harvesting wheat. By selling goods, the player earns coins, used to buy production buildings and decoration items, and experience points (XP), used to level up. Players form into “neighborhoods” in which members can assist each other when in need and use a chat function. Gamezebo gave it 4/5, noting its similarity to Farmville and praising the graphics. Pocket Gamer gave it a bronze award. n

108 | march 2017

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Boredombuster

Game On

ACTION GAMES

Temple Run

emple Run is a 2011 3D endless running video

running game, there is no end to the temple; the player

game developed and published by the Raleigh-

plays until the character falls off the temple to his demise

based Imangi Studios. It is produced, designed and

or is eaten by the crazed monkeys.

programmed by husband-and-wife team Keith Shepherd

Since its initial release on the App Store on August 4,

and Natalia Luckyanova, and with art by Kiril Tchangov.

2011, the popularity of the game has soared to the point

The game was initially released for iOS devices, and later

that Imangi Studios became more popular than Zynga. In

ported to Android systems and Windows Phone 8.

the wake of this success, other developers created games of

A sequel to the original game was released on January 17, 2013, for iOS, and on January 24 for Android. As of June 2014, Temple Run and its sequel have been downloaded over 1 billion times.

a similar style, such as Temple Guns, Temple Jump, Piggy Run, Zombie Run and Pyramid Run. In the iTunes Store, the game was included in the top 50 most-downloaded apps in December 2011, and eventually

In Temple Run, the player controls Guy Dangerous,

became the number one free iOS app in the Store. It also

an archaeologist who embarks on an adventure to seek

reached the position of the top grossing iOS app. Originally,

an ancient and valuable golden idol from a temple in the

the game was 99 cents to download, but Imangi switched

Gardens of Bomarzo in Italy. Unfortunately, he does not

the game to a freemium app prior to December 2011, which

realize that the temple is inhabited by a family of demonic

instead relied on players purchasing in-game coins with

monkeys who want to devour him. As the game is an endless

legal tender. n

www.mymobileindia.com

march 2017 | 113

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Boredombuster

God of War

od of War is an action-adventure video game series loosely based on Greek mythology, originally created by David Jaffe at Sony’s Santa Monica Studio. Debuting in

2005, the series has become a flagship title for the PlayStation brand, consisting of seven games across multiple platforms. The series’ story centers around its playable character, Kratos, a Spartan warrior tricked into killing his wife and daughter by his former master, the God of War Ares. Kratos kills Ares at the

behest of the goddess Athena and takes his place as the new God of War, but is still haunted by the nightmares of his past. Revealed to be a demigod and the son of Zeus, the King of the Olympian Gods who betrays Kratos, the Spartan then seeks revenge against the gods for their machinations. What follows is a series of attempts to free himself from the influence of the gods and the Titans and exact revenge. Games in the series have been praised for being the best action games for the PlayStation brand, and some of the best action games of all time. In June 2012, Sony reported that the series had sold more than 21 million copies worldwide. Strong sales and support of the series led to the franchise’s expansion into other media, such as a comic book series—God of War (2010–11)—two novels—God of War (2010) and God of War II (2013)—and a web-based graphic novel—Rise of the Warrior (2012–13). A film adaptation of the original installment has been in development since 2005. Merchandise promoting the series has also been produced, including artwork, clothing, toys, and prop replicas. n

114 | march 2017

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Game On

Boredombuster

Prince of Persia

rince of Persia is a video game franchise created by

themselves have been developed and published by several

Jordan Mechner, originally developed and published

different companies. The first two games in the series,

by Brøderbund, then the Learning Company, and

Prince of Persia and Prince of Persia 2: The Shadow and

currently Ubisoft. The franchise is built around a series of

the Flame, were published by Brøderbund. Prince of Persia

action-adventure games focused on various incarnations

3D, the first to use 3D computer graphics, was developed

of the eponymous prince. The first game in the series was

by Red Orb Entertainment and published by The Learning

Company on PC, and developed by Avalanche Software and

game with Brøderbund, Karateka. The title was successful

published by Mattel Interactive on Sega Dreamcast. French-

enough to spawn two sequels: the series has been rebooted

based video game company Ubisoft began developing and

twice since its acquisition by Ubisoft, and has been

publishing the series in 2003 with Prince of Persia: The

successful enough to warrant a film adaptation, penned in

Sands of Time, and so far have been the most prolific of any

part by Mechner and released by Walt Disney Pictures in

company in bringing out new games in the series.

2010. Since its first remake of the “Prince of Persia”, the

The success of the Prince of Persia series resulted in

series has seen eight sequels on more than 10 different

Guinness World Records awarding the series 6 world records

gaming platforms, from the Game Boy Advance to the

in the Guinness World Records: Gamer’s Edition 2008.

PlayStation 3.

These records include First Motion-Capture Animation in

Even though Mechner has been involved with the series in varying capacities throughout its history, the games

www.mymobileindia.com

a Video Game and Highest Rated Platformer on PS2 and Xbox. n

team@mymobile.co.in

march 2017 | 115

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MY GUIDE While My Mobile tries to ensure accuracy in the pricing and features any discrepancies that may emerge are beyond our control. Please check with the retailer about features of the phone before buying. Feel free to update us.

(Last updated on February 22, 2017) Disclaimer : The prices quoted in My Guide are the Best Buy prices quoted by the respective companies, ex-Delhi. The prices may vary on account of promotional schemes or dealer discretion.

Devices featured in the My Guide have been segregated into different categories based on price and colour-coded as:

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ITEL

Pride 350

IS-102

IS-100L Selfie

IS-209

IS-207 Klick

IS-210

Smart Selfie it2180

2.8/-

1.8/128 x 160

2.4/ 240 x 320

1.77/ 240 x 320

Dimension (mm)

131 x 58 x 10.2

112 x 48.5 x 13

112 x 46.5 x 13.5

118 x 51.7 x 9.9

122.5 x 52 x 15.6

127.5 x 53 x 14.2

114.5 x 49.3 x 14.2

Weight (grams)

100

110

Processor/RAM

ST 6531DA/NA

NA/No

260MHz/32Mb

Nucleus

32+32MB/-

NA/8GB

NA/16GB

32Mb/32GB

1.3 MP/No

0.08MP/0.08MP

Model Display (inches/res)

Operating system Storage/Expandable

Digital Camera/ Digital Camera

Rear/Front Camera

1.3 MP/NA

Digital camera/No

Battery (mAh)

1800 mAh

850

1,000

1,800

3,000

1,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/No/No

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Oct, 2016

July, 2016

Sept, 2016

Aug, 2016

April, 2016

1,549

730

780

1,299

1,110

1,380

949

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

Digital camera/No

UP TO RS. 2,499

MODELS

UP TO RS. 2,499

ITEL

PARAMETERS

Model

LEPHONE

Smart Power it5600 Smart Selfie it5231

ZIOX

K1P

Z 214i

Display (inches/res)

1.77/ 240 x 320

2.4/ 240 x 320

1.8

2.4/ 240 x 320

Dimension (mm)

116.6 x 50 x 15.8

124.5 x 54 x 11.4

112*46.5*13.9

123*51.5*13.5

123*51.8*14.9

121x51x12.1

124.2x53x11.3

Weight (grams)

102

Processor/RAM

260MHz/32Mb

360MHz/64Mb

312MHz /32MB

312Mhz/32MB

MOCOR

32MB/32GB

64MB/32GB

32MB / 32GB

NA/16GB

Digital Camera

Digital camera/No

Operating system Storage/Expandable

0.08MP

0.08MP/0.3MP

Digital Camera

Digital Camera/ Digital Camera

2500

1900

1000

1,450

2,500

1,450

1,400

2G/3G/4G

Yes/No/No

Dual SIM

Yes

YES

Yes

Yes/Yes

YES

Yes/Yes-WFM

April, 2016

May, 2016

August '2016

OCTOBER' 2016

August '2016

June, 2016

899

1,335

674

899

999

1,499

1,343

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

118 I MARCH 2017

MYMOBILE

MYGUIDE UP TO RS. 2,499

UP TO RS. 2,499

MODELS

UP TO RS. 2,499

ZIOX

PARAMETERS

Z 13

Z X304

Z 33

Z 314

Z 23

Z 304 mini

Z 38

2.4/ 240 x 320

1.8/128 x 160

2.4/ 240 x 320

Dimension (mm)

124*52*12

125 x 53 x 14.4

125 x 52.5 x 13.6

121 x 52 x 13.45

113 x 49.6 x 14.95

111.2 x 46.5 x 14.2

125 x 53 x 13.6

Weight (grams)

Processor/RAM

312Mhz/32MB

Operating system

MOCOR

Storage/Expandable

NA/16GB

Model Display (inches/res)

Rear/Front Camera

Digital camera/No Digital camera/No Digital camera/No Digital camera/No Digital camera/No Digital camera/No Digital camera/No 1,000

1,750

1,800

1,700

1,800

1,000

1,750

2G/3G/4G

Yes/No/No

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes-WFM

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes-WFM

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes-WFM

May, 2016

April, 2016

May, 2016

July, 2016

Aug, 2016

1,593

1,690

1,733

1,443

1,093

1,233

1,553

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

Rs. 2,500 – Rs. 5,999

MODELS

UP TO RS. 2,499

ZIOX

HONOR

Z 39

Honor Bee

Amaze S9

Air A8

Bingo 10 (M415)

Bingo 21 (M 430)

Aqua Fish

Display (inches/res)

2.4/ 240 x 320

4.5/ 854 x 480

4.5 /-

5.0/ 540 x 960

4.5/ 480 x 854

4.5/ 854 x 480

5/720x1280

Dimension (mm)

125 x 53 x 13.6

134.3 x 66.7 X 10

140 x 66.88 x 9.65

140.2 x 72.4 x 8.8

135.65 x 67.38 x 10.43

136.8 x 67 x 10.95

142.4x72x9.6

Weight (grams)

170

150

152

140

152

150

Processor/RAM

312Mhz/32MB

ST SC 7732/1GB

ST 7731/512MB

ST 7731/1GB

MT 6580A/1GB

ST Shark/2GB

Quad core/2GB

Operating system

MOCOR

Android OS, v4.4

5.1 Lollipop

5.2 Lollipop

Android OS, 6.0

Android 5.1

Sailfish 2.0

Storage/Expandable

NA/16GB

8GB/32GB

4GB/32GB

8GB/32GB

16GB/32GB

Digital camera/No

8MP/2MP

5MP/2MP

8MP/2MP

5MP/5MP

8MP/5MP

8MP/2MP

1,750

1,730

1,400

2,000

2,300

2500

2G/3G/4G

Yes/No/No

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes-WFM

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

July, 2016

May, 2015

April, 2016

March, 2016

February,2016

1,503

4,999

2,999

4,999

4,399

5,499

PARAMETERS

Model

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

www.mymobileindia.com

HITECH

IN-FOCUS

INTEX

MARCH 2017 I 119

MYGUIDE Rs. 2,500 – Rs. 5,999

Rs. 2,500 – Rs. 5,999

MODELS

Rs. 2,500 – Rs. 5,999

INTEX

PARAMETERS

ITEL

Model

Cloud Glory 4G

Cloud String HD

Aqua Classic 2

Power Pro it1410

Wish it1507

Wish it1407

Display (inches/res)

4.5/ 480 x 854

5/ 720 x 1280

5/480/854

4/480/800

4/ 800 x 480

5/854 x 480

10.1cm(4)/WVGA/TN

Dimension (mm)

134.2 x 68 x 9

144.5 x 72.5 x 8.7

145.2x72.6x10.9

124.1x64.2x9.8

124x64.7x12.2

144.4 x 73 x 8.5

125x64.3x10.9

Weight (grams)

120

150

136

Quad core, 1.2 GHz/512MB

MT 6735M/ 1GB

SC 9832A/ 1GB

qcta-core/1GB

quad-core/1GB

Dual core, 1.3 GHz/512MB

Operating system

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android4.4

Android 5.1

Storage/Expandable

8GB/ 32GB

8GB/32GB

Rear/Front Camera

5MP/2MP

8MP/2MP

5MP/2MP

2MP/2MP

2.0MP/0.3MP

5.0MP/2.0MP

2.0MP/0.3MP

1,800

2,200

2200

1800

2,800

2,400

1500mAh, Li-ion

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/yes

Yes/Yes/No

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

June, 2016

May, 2016

April, 2016

April.2016

3,999

5,599

3,339

5,063

2,989

Processor/RAM

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

4,600

Rs. 2,500 – Rs. 5,999

MODELS

Rs. 2,500 – Rs. 5,999

3,333

LEPHONE

PARAMETERS

LYF

MICROMAX

W7+

Flame 1

Wind 7i

Canvas Juice 3 Q393

Canvas Spark 3

Display (inches/res)

4.5/ 854x480

5.0/ 854x480

5.0 /854x480

"4.5/854 x 480"

5/1280x720

5.0/720 x 1280

5.5/720x1280

Dimension (mm)

134.5x68x10.2

143.5x72.6x9.6

143.5x72x8.

132.6 x 66.2 x 9.3

143.5x72x8.7

Weight (grams)

126

162

148

138

156

1.5GHz,/ 1 GB

1.5GHz, / GB

1.5GHz, Quadcore/ 1 GB

QS 210/1GB

MT6580/2GB

quad-core/1GB

Operating system

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Storage/Expandable

8 GB/ 32 GB

8GB/128GB

8GB/32GB

Rear/Front Camera

2 MP

5 MP / 2 MP

5 MP/ 2 MP

5MP/5MP

8MP/5MP

8MP/2MP

8MP/5MP

Battery (mAh)

1,300

1,800

2,000

2,250

4,000

2,500

2G/3G/4G

YES

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/No

Dual SIM

YES

Yes

Music Player/FM

YES

Yes/Yes

OCTOBER' 2016

February, 2015

March, 2016

4,699

5,399

5,999

5,499

4,171

4,848

Model

Processor/RAM

Launch Price Rs.

120 I MARCH 2017

4,999

MYMOBILE

MYGUIDE RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

Rs. 2,500 – Rs. 5,999

PARAMETERS

MICROMAX

VIDEOCON

ASUS

CELKON

COOLPAD

Zenfone Max

Zenfone C ZC451CG

Q550

Note 3 Lite

Canvas Bolt Selfie

Delite11

Zenfone 2 Laser ZE550KL

4.5/854x480

5/1280x720

5.5/720 x 1280

5.5/ 720 x 1280

4.5/480 x 854

5.0/720 x 1280

Dimension (mm)

146.66X74.3X10.52

152.5 x 77.2 x 3.9

156 x 77.5 x 10.55

136.5 x 67 x 10.9

145.6 x 71.8 x 8

140.8 x 70.4 x 8.9

Weight (grams)

151

170

202

150

149

141

Processor/RAM

MTK6735/1GB

Quad-core/1GB

QS 410/2GB

QS 615/ 2GB, 3GB

IA Z2520/ 1GB

Broadcom/2GB

MT6735/3GB

Operating system

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.0

Android 6.0

Android 4.4

Android Kitkat 4.4.2

Android 5.1

Storage/Expandable

8GB/32GB

16GB/128GB

16GB/32GB, 64GB

8GB/64GB

16GB/32GB

Rear/Front Camera

5MP/5MP

5MP/2MP

13MP/5MP

5MP/0.3MP

8MP/2MP

13MP/5MP

1,750

3,000

5,000

2,100

2,500

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

May, 2016

August, 2015

May, 2016

January, 2015

2,014

January, 2016

4,849

5,840

9,299

9,325/ 12,999

5,499

7,499

6,999

Model Display (inches/res)

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

GIONEE

HONOR

Mega 2.5D

Note 3 Plus

COOLPAD Mega 3

Note 3

Note 3s

Honor Holly 3

5.5/720x1280

5.5/1080x1920

5.5/1280x720

5.5/720 x 1280

5.5/1920x1080

5.0/720x1280

5.5/1920x1080

Dimension (mm)

153x77x8

151.9 x 77 x 9.3

154.4x76.8x8.35

152 x 77 x 9

154.5x77x8.6

Weight (grams)

141

168

171

150

167

Processor/RAM

Quad core/3GB

MT6753/3GB

octa-core/2GB

MT6753/3GB

octa-core/3GB

Quad-core/2GB

Kirin 620/2GB

Operating system

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android6.0

Android 6.0

Storage/Expandable

16GB/32GB

16GB/64GB

32GB/32GB

16GB

16GB/128GB

8MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

8MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

8MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

2,500

3,000

3,050

3,000

2,500

2,300

3,100

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/-

Yes/Yes

August, 2016

May, 2016

November,2016

October, 2015

November,2016

December,2016

October, 2016

6,999

8,999

6,999

8,999

9,999

PARAMETERS

Model Display (inches/res)

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

www.mymobileindia.com

MARCH 2017 I 121

MYGUIDE RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

HONOR

HITECH

Honor Holly 2 Plus

Air A9

M 350 (16GB)

M680

M810

Aqua S7

Aqua Secure

4.8/720 x 1280

5.0-inch, 720 x 1280

5.0/720 x 1280

5.5/720x1280

5.5/1080x1920

5/720x1280

4.5/ 480 x 854

Dimension (mm)

143.1 x 71.8 x 9.7

140.2 x 72.4 x 8.8

151 x 71.5 x 10.6

156 x 76.8 x 7.25

153.70 x 76.20 x 6.99

142.5x72.5x8.7

133.5 x 66.5 x 9.4

Weight (grams)

160

152

146

158

155

150

130

Processor/RAM

MT6735P /2GB

MT 3735M/2GB

MT6732/2GB

MT 6753/2GB

QS 801/ 2GB

Quad core/3GB

MTK6735M/ 1GB

Operating system

Android 5.1.1

Android 5.1

Android 4.4.2

Android 5.1

Android 5.0

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Storage/Expandable

16GB/128GB

16GB/32GB

16GB/64GB

16GB/32GB

16GB/64GB

8GB/ 32GB

13MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

8MP/8MP

13MP/13MP

13MP/5MP

5MP/ 2MP

4,000

3,500

2,500

2,600

3,200

1,900

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/ Yes/ Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/-

Yes/Yes

Yes

Yes/Yes

February, 2016

June, 2015

December, 2015

July, 2015

September, 2016

May, 2016

8,499

6,999

8,999

9,999

9,499

6,499

PARAMETERS

Model Display (inches/res)

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

IN-FOCUS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

INTEX

PARAMETERS

Model

INTEX Aqua View

I-SMART IS-57i

ITEL

IS-56i HD Mercury V6

LAVA

Wish it1512

Power Pro it1553

Selfie Pro it1511

Pixel V2

Display (inches/res)

5/ 720 x 1280

5.0-inch/480 x 854 5.0-inch/720 x 1280

5/FWVGA/TN

5.5)

5.0/1280 x 720

5.0/ 720 x 1280

Dimension (mm)

124 x 64 x 10.3

146.72 x 72.85 x 8.73 143.54 x 71.55 x 8.52

143x72x8.65

138.5x69.5x9.8

141.6 x 70.8 x 7.6

Weight (grams)

146

155

170

128

Processor/RAM

MTK6735P/ 1GB

Quad Core/1 GB

Quad core/1GB

Quad Core/ 2GB

Operating system

Android 5.1

Android 4.4.2

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Storage/Expandable

16GB/ 32GB

8GB/64GB

8GB/32GB

16GB/32GB

8GB/32GB

16GB/32GB

8MP/5MP

8.0MP/3.2MP

5.0MP/2.0MP

8.0MP/2.0MP

13MP/8MP

2,200

2,100

2,500

5,050

2,500

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

June, 2016

September, 2016

September, 2015

June, 2016

April, 2016

September, 2015

8,999

6,499

6,999

6,000

7,290

6,999

8,499

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

122 I MARCH 2017

MYMOBILE

MYGUIDE RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

LAVA

PARAMETERS

LEECO

LEPHONE

LENOVO

X10

X50+

Le 1s (Eco)

Vibe P1m

K5 Plus

Display (inches/res)

5.0/ 720 x 1280

5.5/1280x720

5.5/1920 x 1080

5.0 /854x480

5/ 720 x 1280

5.0/720 x 1280

5.0/1080 x 1920

Dimension (mm)

142 x 70.8 x 7.9

155x71.8x8.85

74.2x151.1x7.6

143x70.8x8.6

142 x 71 x 7.99

141 x 71.8 x 9.3

142 x 71 x 8.2

Weight (grams)

133

155

179

161

142

148

142

Quad core /3GB

quad-core/2GB

MediaTek Helio X10/3GB

1.5GHz,/ 1 GB

QS 415/ 2GB

MT6735P /2GB

QS616/2GB

Operating system

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.0.2

Android 5.1

Storage/Expandable

16GB/32GB

32GB/32GB

8 GB/ 32 GB

16GB/ Yes

16GB/32GB

Rear/Front Camera

13MP/5MP

8MP/5MP

13MP/5MP

5 MP / 2 MP

13MP/ 5MP

8MP/5MP

13MP/5MP

2,900

2,800

3,000

1,800

2,750

4,000

2750

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

YES

Yes/ Yes/ Yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

YES

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/-

YES

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

May,2016

OCTOBER' 2016

June, 2016

September, 2015

April, 2016

9,999

6,599

6,999

7,499

8,499

Model

Processor/RAM

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM

November, 2015

Launch

9,999

Price Rs.

9,199

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

LENOVO

PARAMETERS

LYF

MICROMAX

K3 Note

K6 Power

Wind 5

Canvas Unite 4

Canvas Amaze 2

Canvas XP 4G

Display (inches/res)

5.5/1080 x 1920

5/1920x1080

5/ 720 x 1280

5/ 480 x 854

5.0/ 1280 x 720

5/ 720 x 1280

5.0/720 x 1280

Dimension (mm)

152.6 x 76.2 x 8

141.9x70.3x9.3

Weight (grams)

150

145

Model

144.6 x 72.8 x 8.45 143.6 x 72.5 x 8.95 137

MTK 6735P/1GB

QS415/ 2GB

MT6735P/3GB

MT6752 /2GB

QS 430/3GB

MT6735P/ 1GB

1.1GHz Quad Core/ 1.5GB

Operating system

Android 5.0

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 5.0

Android 6.0

Android 5.0.2

Android 5.1

Storage/Expandable

16GB/32GB

32GB/128GB

8GB/ 32GB

8GB/32GB

8GB/64GB

8GB/ 32GB

16GB/32GB

Rear/Front Camera

13MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

8MP/ 5MP

5MP/5MP

8MP/5MP

13MP/ 5MP

8MP/2MP

2,900

4,000

2,000

2,125

2,500

2,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/ Yes/ Yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/ Yes/ Yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/-

March, 2015

November,2016

June, 2016

January, 2016

June, 2016

May, 2016

9,999

6,599

8,690

6,999

7,499

Processor/RAM

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

www.mymobileindia.com

MARCH 2017 I 123

MYGUIDE RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MICROMAX

PARAMETERS

MOTOROLA

PANASONIC

SAMSUNG

Canvas 5

Canvas Unite 4 Pro

Canvas Sliver 5

Moto G4 Play

Moto E3 Power

Eluga Tapp

Galaxy J1 4G

5.2/1080 x 1920

5.0/ 1280 x 720

4.8/720 x 1280

5/720x1280

5/1280x720

4.3/480x800

Dimension (mm)

5.1mm thick

144.4x72x9.9

148.3x71.6x9.55

142x70x8.6

129x68.2x8.9

Weight (grams)

137

153

138

131

Processor/RAM

MT6753/3GB

Quad core/ 2GB

QS 410 /2GB

QS 410/2GB

MTK6735P/2GB

MTK6737V/2GB

Quad-core/1GB

Operating system

Android 5.1

Android 5.0.2

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 4.4 KitKat

Storage/Expandable

16GB/64GB

16GB/32GB

16GB/No

16GB/128GB

16GB/32GB

4GB/256GB

Rear/Front Camera

13MP/5MP

8MP/5MP

5MP/2MP

2,900

3,900

2,000

2,800

3,500

2,800

2,050

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

November, 2015

June, 2016

2,015

September, 2016

9,999

7,499

8,387

8,999

7,999

Model Display (inches/res)

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

8,189

6,890

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

Januray 2017

SAMSUNG

PARAMETERS

TCL

XIAOMI

TCL 560

TCL 562

Redmi 2 Prime

5/720x1280

5.5/ 1280x720

5.5/1920x1080

4.7/720 x 1280

142.4 x 71.1 x 8.0

142.4x71.1x8

152x77x8

134.00 x 67.20 x 9.4

149

138

156

150

133

Quad-core/1.5GB

Quad core/ 2GB

Quad core/ 1.5GB

Quad core/2GB

QS 210/2GB

MT6755M/3GB

QS 410/2GB

Operating system

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 4.4

Storage/Expandable

8GB/128GB

16GB/128GB

8GB/128GB

16GB/128GB

16GB/32GB

32GB/64GB

16GB/32GB

8MP/5MP

13MP/5MP

8MP/2MP

2,600

2,500

2,960

2,200

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

October, 2015

July, 2016

July,2016

July, 2016

July,2016

August, 2015

7,490

7,990

9,750

9,490

6,999

9,999

6,999

Galaxy On5

Galaxy On 5 Pro

5.0/720 x 1280

5.0/ 1280 x 720

Dimension (mm)

142.3 x 72.1 x 8.5

Weight (grams)

149

Processor/RAM

Model Display (inches/res)

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

124 I MARCH 2017

Galaxy J2 (2016) Galaxy J2 Pro (2016)

MYMOBILE

MYGUIDE RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

XIAOMI

PARAMETERS

Redmi 3S/ 3s Prime Redmi Note Prime

Model

VIDEOCON

Redmi Note 3

Redmi 3s Plus

Redemi Note 4

Graphite2

Graphite1

5/ 1280X720

5.5/720 x 1280

5.5/1080 x 1920

5/1280x720

5.5/1080X1920

4.5/1280x720

Dimension (mm)

139.4 X 69.7 X 8.5

154 x 78.7 x 9.45

150 x 76 x 8.65

139.3x69.6x8.5

151X76X8.3

137.55X70.28X10

136.76X69X10

Weight (grams)

144

185

164

144

165

129

127

Processor/RAM

QS 430/ 2GB, 3GB

QS 410/2GB

QS 650/2GB,3GB

QS 430/2GB

QS625/2GB,3GB,4GB

Quad-core/1GB

Android 6.0

Android 4.4

Android 5.0.2

Android 6.0

16GB, 32GB/128GB

16GB/32GB

16GB,32GB/32GB

32GB/128GB

32GB/64GB

8GB/64GB

13MP/5MP

16MP/5MP

13MP/5MP

5MP/2MP

4,100

3,100

4,000

4000/4100

4,100

2,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes (Hybrid)

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/-

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yees

Yes/Yes

August, 2016

December, 2015

March, 2016

October,2016

January, 2017

6999/ 8,999

7,999

9,999/ 11,999

9,499

9,999

6,299

6,499

Display (inches/res)

Operating system Storage/Expandable Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

VIDEOCON

PARAMETERS

ZEN

Delite21

Krypton3

Ultra30

Ultra50

Yunique

Yuphoria

Cinemax 3

5/1280x720

5/1920X1080

4.7/720x1280

5.0/720x1280

5.5/720x1280

Dimension (mm)

146.66X74.3X10.52

144.5X73.14X9.74

144.31X73X10

Weight (grams)

151

153

186

128

143

August,2016

Processor/RAM

Quad-core/2GB

Quad-core/3GB

QS 410 / 1GB

Quad core / 2GB

Quad core/2GB

Operating system

Android 6.0

Android 5.1.

Android 5.1.1

Android 5.1

Storage/Expandable

16GB/32GB

32GB/64GB

8GB/32GB

16GB/32GB

8MP/2MP

13MP/5MP

8MP/2MP

8MP/5MP

5MP/3.2MP

3,000

4,000

3,000

2,000

2,230

2,900

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/No

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

September, 2015

May, 2015

August, 2016

7,200

7,999

9,990

6,300

6,499

6,999

Model Display (inches/res)

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

www.mymobileindia.com

148.24X72.56X11.44 134.5 x 67.5 x 8.3 142.4 x 73 x 8.2-9.35

MARCH 2017 I 125

MYGUIDE RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

MODELS

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

PARAMETERS

ZOPO

ZTE

ASUS Zenfone Selfie

Zenfone 3 lazer

Zenfone 3 Max(ZC520TL)

ZenFone 3 Max (ZC520TL) NEW

5.5/1080 x 1920

5.5/1920x1080

5.2/1280x720

5.2/1280X720

149x76x7.9

149x73.7x8.55

ZP331

Blade V6

ZenFone 2 (2GB/4GB)

Display (inches/res)

4.5/ 854 x 480

5/ 1280 x 720

5.5/ 1080 x 1920

Dimension (mm)

133 x 65.7 x 8.5

142X69.5X6.8

Weight (grams)

113

122

170

Processor/RAM

Quad core/1GB

MTK 6735/2GB

IA Z3560 /2GB

QS615 /2GB,3GB

QS 430.4GB

Quad-core/3GB

Octa-core/3GB

Operating system

Android 5.1

Android 5.0

Android 6.0

Storage/Expandable

8 GB/64 GB

16GB/128GB

32GB/128GB

32GB/32GB

32GB2TB

Rear/Front Camera

5 MP/2 MP

13MP/5MP

13MP/13MP

13MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

1,700

2,500

3,000

4,100

5,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/-

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/No

July, 2016

March, 2015

August, 2015

October,2016

November,2016

feb 20917

7,500

9,999

13,999, 18,999

10,999/ 16,999

18,999

12,999

14,999

Model

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

152.5 x 77.2 x 10.9 156.5 x 77.2 x 10.8

16GB,32GB/128GB 16GB,32GB/128GB

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

MODELS

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

148

COOLPAD

PARAMETERS

GIONEE

HONOR

Model

Coolpad Note 5

Cool 1

F 103 Pro

Marathon M5 Lite

Honor 5C

Honor 5X

Display (inches/res)

5.5/1920x1080

5.50/1080x1920

5.0/ 1280 x 720

5.0/720 x 1280

5.2/ 1920 x 1080

5.5/ 1080 x 1920

5.5/1080X1920

Dimension (mm)

152.00 x 74.80 x 8.20

145.3 x 70.5 x 8.5

143 x 69.9 x 8.5

147.1 x 73.8 x 8.3

151.3 x 76.3 x 8.15

150.9X76.2X8.2

Weight (grams)

173

142

182

156

158

162

Processor/RAM

QS 617/4GB

1.4GHz octa-core

Quad core/ 3GB

Quad Core/3GB

Kirin 650/ 2GB

QS 616 /2GB

Kirin 655

Operating system

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.1.1

Android 6.0

Storage/Expandable

32GB/64GB

32GB

16GB/128GB

32GB/128GB

16GB/128GB

32GB/64GB

Rear/Front Camera

13MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

8MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

12 and 2MP/8MP

4,010

4,000

2,400

4,000

3,000

3,340

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/-

Yes/No

October, 2016

January, 2017

July, 2016

December, 2015

June, 2016

January, 2016

Jnauray 2017

10,999

13,999

11,999

13,000

10,999

12,999

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

126 I MARCH 2017

Honor 6X

NEW

MYMOBILE

MYGUIDE RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

MODELS

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

HTC

INFOCUS

LAVA

Desire 630

Epic 1

Le 1S

Le 2

Phab 2

Vibe K4 Note

5.0/ 1280 x 720

5.5/1920x1080

5.5/720x1280

5.5/1080x1920

5.5/ 1920 x 1080

6.4/1920x1080

5.5/1080x1920

Dimension (mm)

146.9 x 70.9 x 8.3

153x76x8.4

151.9 x 94.7 x 8.3 151.9 x 74.2 x 7.6 151.1 x 74.2 x 7.7

175x89.5x6.89

153.67 X 76.45 X 9.14

Weight (grams)

140

Processor/RAM

QS 400/2GB

Operating system

PARAMETERS

Model Display (inches/res)

LEECO

LENOVO

153

169

153

225

158

Decca-core/3GB

Quad core/3GB

"MT H X10/3GB"

QS 652/ 3GB

MTK8735/3GB

MT 6753/3GB

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.1.

Storage/Expandable

16GB/2TB

32GB/128GB

16GB/32GB

32GB/No

32GB/128GB

16GB/128GB

Rear/Front Camera

13MP/5MP

16MP/8MP

13MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

16MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

2,200

3,000

4,050

3,300

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes

February, 2016

November,2016

January, 2016

June, 2016

December,2016

January, 2016

14,990

12,999

11,299

10,999

11,999

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

MODELS

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

LENOVO

PARAMETERS

LYF

Vibe S1

Phab Plus

Vibe K5 Note

Phab 2 Plus

Water 7

K 10

5.0/1080x1920

6.8/1080 x 1920

5.5/1920x1080

6.4/1920x1080

5.5/ 1080 x 1920

5.5/1920x1080

5.3/ 1280 x 720

Dimension (mm)

143.3 x 70.8 x 7.8

186.6 x 96.6 x 7.6

152x75.7x8.49

174x88x5.5

155.3 x 77.2 x 8.55

155.5x77.6x7.9

146.6x74.8x8.8

Weight (grams)

132

229

165

218

160

153

140

Processor/RAM

MT6752/3GB

QS 615 /2GB

Helio P10/4GB

MT/3GB

QS 615/ 2GB

QS 617/3GB

QS 410/2GB

Operating system

Android 5.0

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.0

Storage/Expandable

32GB/128GB

32GB/64GB

32GB/128GB

16GB/128GB

32GB/128GB

16GB/32GB

13MP/8 MP + 2 MP

13MP/5MP

13MP.8MP

13MP,13MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

16MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

2,420

3,500

4,050

3,000

3,200

2,300

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/-

Yes/Yes

November, 2015

October, 2015

Jaunuary,2016

November,2016

June, 2016

October,2016

January, 2016

12,999

14,999

13,499

14,999

12,999

13,099

12,999

Model Display (inches/res)

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

www.mymobileindia.com

MARCH 2017 I 127

MYGUIDE RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

MODELS

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

PARAMETERS

MICROMAX

MOTOROLA

X Screen

G4 Stylus

Canvas 6

Canvas 6 Pro

Moto G Turbo Edition

4.93/ 1280x720

5.7/ 720 x 1280

5.5/1920 x 1080

5.0/720 x 1280

5.5/ 1920 x 1080

5.5/ 1920X1080

Dimension (mm)

142.6 x 71.8 x 7.1

154.4 x 79.2 x 9.4

142.1 x 72.4 x 11.6

153 x 76.6 x 7.9

153X76.6X9.8

Weight (grams)

120

163

155

Processor/RAM

QS 410/2GB

QS 400 /1GB

MT6753/3GB

Helio x10/4GB

QS 615 /2GB

QS 617/2GB

QS 617/2GB,3GB

Operating system

Android 6.0

Android 5.0

Android 5.1

Android 5.1.1

Android 6.0.1

Android 6.1

Storage/Expandable

16GB/128GB

16GB/32GB

32GB/128GB

Yes/Yes

16GB/32GB

16GB/128GB

16GB, 32GB/128GB

13MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

16MP/5MP

2,300

3,000

2,470

3,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/-

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes

July, 2016

May, 2015

May, 2016

2,015

May, 2016

May,2016

12,990

13,869

13,999

9,999

12,499

13,499/ 14,999

Model Display (inches/res)

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

Moto G4 Plus

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

MODELS

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

Moto G4

PARAMETERS

MOTOROLA

NUBIA

PANASONIC

SAMSUNG

Moto X (2nd Gen)

Z11 Mini

Eluga Note

Eluga Arc

Galaxy On7

Galaxy J5

Display (inches/res)

5.2/1080 x 1920

5/1920x1080

5.5/1920x1080

5.5/ 1920 x 1080

4.7/720x1280

5.5/1280 x 720

5.0/1280 x 720

Dimension (mm)

140.8 x 72.4 x 9.9

141.4x70x8

150.9x79x8.9

146.00x74.50x8.10

139 x 67 x 8.10

77.5x151.8x8.2

142.1 x 71.8 x 7.9

Weight (grams)

144

138

190

142

130

171

146

Processor/RAM

QS801 /2GB

QS/3GB

MTK P10/3GB

Octa Core/3GB

QS 410/2GB

Quad-core/1.5GB

Operating system

Android 4.4.4

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

16GB, 32GB/64GB

32GB/200GB

32GB/128GB

32GB/32GB

16GB/32GB

8GB/128GB

13MP/2MP

16MP/8MP

13MP/13MP

16MP/5MP

8MP/5MP

13MP/5MP

2,300

2,800

5,000

3,000

1,800

3,000

2,600

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

yes

Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

2,015

October,2016

December,2016

July, 2016

April,2016

October, 2015

June, 2015

16,999/ 17,999

12,999

11,999

13,290

12,490

10,990

11,390

Model

Storage/Expandable Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

128 I MARCH 2017

MYMOBILE

MYGUIDE RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

MODELS

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

SAMSUNG

PARAMETERS

XIAOMI

Galaxy J Max

Galaxy J5 (2016)

Galaxy J7

J5 Prime

Galaxy On7 Pro

Mi 4i

Mi Max

7.0/ 1280 x 800

5.2/1280x720

5.5/720 x 1280

5/1080x720

5.5/1280 x 720

5.0/1080 x 1920

6.44/1920x1080

Dimension (mm)

186.9 x 108.8 x 8.7

145.7 x 72.3 x 8.1

152.2 x 78.6 x 7.5

142.8x69.5x8.1

151.8 x 77.5 x 8.2

138.1 x 69.6 x 7.8

173.1x88.3x7.5

Weight (grams)

158

171

143

171

130

203

Processor/RAM

Quad core/1.5GB

QS 410/2GB

Octa Core/1.5GB

Quad-core/2GB

Quad core/ 2GB

QS 615/2GB

QS 650,652/3GB,4GB

Operating system

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.0

Android 6.0

Storage/Expandable

8GB/200GB

16GB/128GB

16GB/256GB

16GB/128GB

16GB,32GB/No

32GB,128GB/128GB

8MP/2MP

13MP/5MP

8MP/5MP

13MP/5MP

16MP/5MP

4,000

3,100

3,000

2,400

3,000

3,120

4,850

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

July, 2016

May, 2016

2,015

September,2016

July, 2016

April, 2015

June,2016

13,400

13,990

14,250

14,790

11,190

11,999/ 14,999

14,999

Model Display (inches/res)

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

MODELS

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

PARAMETERS

Model Display (inches/res) Dimension (mm)

VIDEOCON

VIVO

ZOPO

Cube3

Y51L

Y55L

Yureka Plus (YU5510A,YU5510 )

Yunicorn

Yureka Note

ZP350

5/1280x720

5.0/ 540x960

5.2/1280x720

5.5/1080x1920

5.5/(1080X1920)

6.0/1080 x 1920

5.0 / 1280 x 720

147.9x72.9x7.5

155 x 78 x 9

153.3X75.4X8.5

145.9 x 71.4 x 8.5

144.5X73.14X9.74 143.80 x 71.70 x 7.52

Weight (grams)

152.5

157

142

154

172

137

Processor/RAM

Quad-core/3GB

QS 410/2GB

QS 430/2GB

QS 615/2GB

MT Helio P10/4GB

MTK6753T/3GB

Quad-core/1GB

Operating system

Android 6.0

Android 5.0.2

Android 6.0

Android 4.4.4

Androis 5.1.1

Android 5.1.1

Android 5.1

Storage/Expandable

32GB/64GB

16GB/128GB

16GB/32GB

32GB/128GB

16GB/Yes

8GB/64GB

Rear/Front Camera

13MP/5MP

8MP/5MP

13MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

8.0MP/2.0MP

3000

2,350

2,650

2,500

4,000

2,100

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/yes

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Yes

yes/yes/yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

yes

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/yes

Yes/Yes

yes

Yes/Yes

January, 2016

October,2016

July, 2015

May,2016

April, 2016

10,490

10,700

11,980

8,999

12,999

13,499

10,000

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

www.mymobileindia.com

MARCH 2017 I 129

MYGUIDE RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

MODELS

RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

ZOPO

PARAMETERS

ZUK

ASUS

CREO

GIONEE

Zenfone 3 Max (ZC553KL)

Mark 1

Marathon M5

ZP370

Hero 1

Zenfone 2 Laser ZE601KL

Display (inches/res)

5.5/ 1280 x 720

5.0/1280 x 720

5.5/1920 x 1080

6.0/ 1080 x 1920

5.5/1920x1080

5.5/ 1440x2560

5.5/ 720 x 1280

Dimension (mm)

153.8 x 77.1 x 9

146.1 x 70.6 x 8.65

155.7 x 77.3 x 8.9

164.6 x 84 x 10.6

151.4x76.24x8.3

155.4 x 76.1 x 8.7

152 x 76 x 8.6

Weight (grams)

167

136

175

190

175

190

211

Processor/RAM

Ouad-core/1GB

Quad-core/2GB

QS 801/3GB

QS 616/3GB

QS 430/3GB

Helio X10 /3GB

MT6735/3GB

Operating system

Android 5.1

Android 5.1.1

Android 5.0

Android 6.0

Android 5.1.1

Android 5.1

Storage/Expandable

8GB/64GB

16 GB/64 GB

64GB/No

32GB/128GB

32GB/-

32GB/128GB

8.0MP/2.0MP

13.2 MP/5.0MP

13MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

16MP/8MP

21MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

3,000

2,500

4,100

3,000

4,100

3,100

6,020

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/-

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

May, 2016

December, 2015

November,2016

April,2016

November,2015

11,000

14,500

13,499

16,499

17,999

19,999

17,500

Model

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

MODELS

RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

GIONEE

PARAMETERS

HTC

LENOVO

S6s

Desire 728 LTE

Desire 828

Desire 825

HTC 10 Lifestyle

Vibe P1

Display (inches/res)

5.5/ 720 x 1280

5.5/1920x1080

5.5/ 720 x 1280

5.5/720 x 1280

5.5/ 1280 x 720

5.5/1920x1080

5.5/1080x1920

Dimension (mm)

151.9 x 74.6 x 6.9

154.5x75.6x8.15

157.9 x 77.8 x 7.8

157.9 x 77.8 x 7.89

156.9 x 76.9 x 7.4

156.9x76.9x7.7

152.9 x 75.6 x 9.9

Weight (grams)

147

166

153

148

155

187

Processor/RAM

MT6753T /3GB

1.3GHz octa core/3GB

MT6753/2GB

MT6753/1.5GB

QS 400/2GB

QS 400/3GB

QS615 /2GB

Operating system

Android 5.1.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.1.1

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Storage/Expandable

32GB/128GB

32gb/128gb

16GB/200GB

16GB/2TB

32GB/2TB

32GB/128GB

13MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

3,150

3,159

2,800

2,700

5,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

November, 2015

August,2016

November, 2015

February, 2016

September,2016

October, 2015

19,999

17, 999

15,500

18,700

14,490

15,990

15,499

Model

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

130 I MARCH 2017

MYMOBILE

MYGUIDE RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

MODELS

RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

LENOVO

PARAMETERS

LYF

MOTOROLA

NEXTBIT

Vibe Shot

Vibe X3

Z2 Plus

Earth 1

Earth 2

Moto X Play

Robin

Display (inches/res)

5.0/1080 x 1920

5.5/1080x1920

5/1920x1080

5.5/1080x1920

5/1920x1080

5.5/1080 x 1920

5.2/ 1080 x 1920

Dimension (mm)

142.7 x 70 x 7.6

154 x 76.5 x 9.3

140.2x60x6.2

154 x 76.6 x 7.25

142x76x7.9

148 x 75 x 10.9

149 x 72 x 7

Weight (grams)

145

175

150

162.5.

140

169

Processor/RAM

QS 615/3GB

QS 808 /3GB

QS 820/3GB,4GB

QS 615/3GB

QS615 /2GB

QS 808/3GB

Operating system

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.1.1

Android 5.1

Android 5.1.1

Android 6.0

Storage/Expandable

32GB/128GB

32GB,64GB/128GB

32GB/32GB

32GB/64GB

16GB,32GB/128GB

32GB/ 100GB

16MP/8MP

21MP/8MP

13MP/8MP

13MP + 2MP/5MP

13MP/13MP

21MP/5MP

13MP/5MP

3,000

3,500

2500

3,630

2,680

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/-

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

June, 2015

December, 2015

September,2016

January, 2016

Sept, 2015

May, 2016

18,500

19,999

19,499

16,999/ 17,999

19,999

Model

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

MODELS

RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

19,999

PARAMETERS

OPPO

SAMSUNG

VIVO

F1 S

Galaxy J7 (2016)

Galaxy On8

On Nxt

J7 Prime

5.5/1280x720

5.5/1920x1080

5.0/1280×720

5.5/1280x720

Dimension (mm)

154 x 76 x 7.38

76 x 151 x 7.8

151.7x76x7.8

151.7x75x8

143.6 x 71 x 7.5

153.8x75.5x7.55

Weight (grams)

160

169

167

138

154

Processor/RAM

MTK 6750/3GB

Exynos 7870/2GB

Octa-core/3GB

QS 616/3GB

octa-core/4GB

Operating system

Android 5.1.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Storage/Expandable

32GB/128GB

16GB/128GB

32GB/256GB

16MP/256GB

32GB/128GB

Rear/Front Camera

13MP/16MP

13MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

13MP/20MP

3,075

3,300

2,550

3,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/-

Yes/Yes

August, 2016

May, 2016

September,2016

October,2016

September,2016

May, 2016

November,2016

17,990

15,990

15,900

18,490

18,790

17,980

18,288

Model Display (inches/res)

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

www.mymobileindia.com

MARCH 2017 I 131

MYGUIDE RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

MODELS

RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

ZOPO

PARAMETERS

APPLE

ASUS

BLACKBERRY

COOLPAD

Model

ZOPO SPEED 7

ZOPO SPEED 7 PLUS

iPhone 5S

Zenfone 3

Zenfone 3 Ultra

DTEK 50

Max

Display (inches/res)

5.0/1920 x 1080

5.5/ 1920 x 1080

4.0/640 x 1136

5.2,5.5/(1920x1080)

6.8/(1920x1080)

5.2/1920x1080

5.5/1920x1080

Dimension (mm)

153.6 x 76.5 x 8.8

147x72.5x7.4

152x75.5x7.6

Weight (grams)

164

112

144

233

135

170

Processor/RAM

Octa-core/3GB

Octa-core /3GB

Dual-core/1GB

QS 625/3GB,4GB

QS 652/4GB

QS 617/3GB

QS 617/4GB

Operating system

Android 5.1

iOS 9.2.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Storage/Expandable

16 GB/64 GB

16GB,32GB,64GB/No

32GB,64GB/2TB

64GB/128GB

16GB/2TB

64GB/128GB

Rear/Front Camera

13 MP/5.0MP

8MP/1.2MP

16MP/8MP

23MP/8MP

13MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

2,500

3,000

1,560

4,600

3000

2,800

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

yes/yes/yes

Dual SIM

Yes

yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes

Yes/Yes

yes

September, 2013

August,2016

August, 2016

November,2016

May, 2016

15,500

17,500

23,000 onwards

21,999/ 27,999

29,999

21,990

24,999

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 146.87 x 73.98 x 7.69 186.4 x 93.9 x 6.8

RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

MODELS

RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

GIONEE

PARAMETERS

HONOR

HTC

LEECO

M5 Plus

Gionee S6 Pro

Honor 8

Honor 7

Desire 10 Pro

Max 2

6.0/1920 x 1080

5.5/1920x1080

5.2/1920x1080

5.2/1080 x 1920

5.5/ 1080 x 1920

5.5/1920x1080

5.7/(2560X1440)

Dimension (mm)

153x75.3x7.6

145.5x71x7.45

143.2 x 71.9 x 8.5

153.9 x 75.9 x 7.99

156.5x76x7.86

156.8 x 77.6 x 7.99

Weight (grams)

210.8g

170

153

157

170

165

185

Processor/RAM

Octa Core/3GB

octa-core/4GB

Kirin 950/4GB

HS Kirin 935/3GB

MT H X10/ 3GB

Helio P10/4GB

QS 820/4GB, 6GB

Operating system

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.0

Android 6.0

Storage/Expandable

64GB/128GB

64GB/256GB

32GB/128GB

16GB/128GB

32GB/2TB

64GB/2TB

32GB, 64GB

13MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

12MP,12MP/8MP

20MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

20MP/13MP

21MP/8MP

5,020

3,130

2,900

3,100

3,000

3000

3,100

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/yes

yes/yes/yes

Dual SIM

Yes

yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

yes

May, 2016

October,2016

October, 2016

July, 2015

May, 2016

November,2016

June,2016

27,000

21,130

29,000

22,999

25,990

26,490

22,999/ 29,999

Model Display (inches/res)

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

132 I MARCH 2017

MYMOBILE

MYGUIDE RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

MODELS

RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

PARAMETERS

MOTOROLA

NUBIA

ONEPLUS

Stylus 2

Stylus 2 Plus

Nexus 5X

Moto X Style

Moto Z Play

Z11

5.7/1280X720

5.7/ 1920 x 1080

5.2/ 1080 x 1920

5.7/ 1440 x 2560

5.5/1920x1080

5.5/1920z1080

5.5/1080p

Dimension (mm)

155 x 79.6 x 7.4

155 X 79.6 X 7.4

147 x 72.6 x 7.9

153.9 x 76.2 x 11.06

156.4x76.4x6.99

151.8x72.3x7.5

151.8x74.9x9.85

Weight (grams)

145

146

136

179

165

162

175

Processor/RAM

Quad Core /2GB

Octa Core/3GB

QS 808/2GB

QS 808/3GB

QS 625/3GB

QS 820/6GB

QS 810/3GB&4GB

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Storage/Expandable

16GB/2TB

32GB/2TB

16GB,32GB/No

16GB,32GB/128GB

32GB/2TB

64GB/2TB

64GB

Rear/Front Camera

13MP/8MP

16MP/8MP

12.3MP/5MP

21MP/5MP

16MP/5MP

16MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

3,000

2,700

3,000

3,510

3000

3,300

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Music Player/FM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

May,2016

July, 2016

October, 2015

September, 2015

October,2016

December,2016

July, 2015

20,500

24,000

24,490/30,645

26,999/ 28,999

24,999

29,999

22,999

Model Display (inches/res)

Operating system

Battery (mAh)

Launch Price Rs.

RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

MODELS

RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

ONEPLUS

PARAMETERS

SAMSUNG

SMARTRON

SONY

Galaxy A7

Galaxy A5 (2016)

Galaxy A7 (2016)

t phone

Xperia XA

5.5/1920x1080

5.5/1080 x 1920

5.2/1080 x 1920

5.5/ 1080 x 1920

5.5/1920x1080

5.0/1280 x 720

Dimension (mm)

152.7X74.7X7.35

152.7x74.5x7.35

151 x 76.2 x 6.3

144.8 x 71 x 7.3

151.5 x 74.1 x 7.3

158.2x78.2x6.98

143.6 x 66.8 x 7.9

Weight (grams)

158

141

153

169

149

137

Processor/RAM

QS 820/6GB

QS 821/6GB

Octa Core/2GB

Octa Core/3GB

QS 810/4GB

MTK H P10/2GB

Operating system

Android 6.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.0.2

Android 5.1.1

Android 6.0

64GB

16GB/64GB

16GB/128GB

64GB/128GB

16GB/200GB

16MP/8MP

16MP/16MP

13MP/5MP

13MP/4MP

13MP/5MP

3,000

3400

2,600

2,900

3,300

3,000

2,300

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/yYes

Yes/No

June, 2016

December.2016

February, 2015

April, 2016

December, 2015

July,2016

May, 2016

27,999

29,999

22,900

21,900

25,900

22,999

20,990

Model Display (inches/res)

Storage/Expandable Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

www.mymobileindia.com

MARCH 2017 I 133

MYGUIDE RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

MODELS

RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

SONY

PARAMETERS

XIAOMI

VIVO

Xperia Z3+

Xperia C5 Ultra Dual

Xperia M5 Dual

Xperia XA Ultra

Mi 5

X5 Pro

V3 Max

Display (inches/res)

5.2/ 1080 x 1920

6.0/1080 x 1920

5/ 1080 x 1920

6/1920x1080

5.15/1080 x 1920

5.2/ 1080 x 1920

5.5/1080 x 1920

Dimension (mm)

146.3 x 71.9 x 6.9

164.2 x 79.6 x 8.2

145 x 72 x 7.6

164x79x8.4

144.5 x 69.2 x 7.25

147.9 x 73.5 x 6.4

153.9x77.1x7.58

Weight (grams)

144

187

143

202

129

151

168

Processor/RAM

QS 810 /3GB

MTK6752/2GB

MT H X10/3GB

MT6755/3GB

QS 820/3GB

QS 615/2GB

QS 652/4GB

Operating system

Android 5.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.0

Android 5.1

Storage/Expandable

32GB/128GB

16GB/200GB

32GB/No

16GB/128GB

32GB/128GB

Rear/Front Camera

20.7MP/5MP

13MP/13MP

21.5MP/13MP

21.5MP/16MP

16MP/4MP

13MP/8MP

2,930

2,600

2,700

3,000

2,450

3,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

June, 2015

August, 2015

September, 2015

July,2016

April, 2016

June, 2015

April, 2016

26,990

27,799

27,990

29,990

24,999

21,400

23,980

Model

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

MODELS

RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

PARAMETERS

Model

VIVO VIVO V5 Plus

APPLE NEW

iPhone 6

iPhone 6Plus

iPhone SE

iPhone 6S

iPhone 6S Plus

iPhone 7

Display (inches/res)

5.5/1080X1920

4.7/750 x 1334

5.5/1080 x 1920

4.0/640 x 1136

4.7/750 x 1334

5.5/1080 x 1920

4.7/1334x750

Dimension (mm)

152.6 x 74 x 7.3

138.1 x 67 x 6.9

158.1 x 77.8 x 7.1

123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6

138.3 x 67.1 x 7.1

158.2 x 77.9 x 7.3

138.3x67.1x7.1

Weight (grams)

159

129

172

113

143

192

138

Processor/RAM

QS 652/4GB

A8,M8/1GB

A9,M9/2GB

A10 Fusion, M10/2GB

Operating system

Android 6.0

iOS 9

iOS 9.3

iOS 9

iOS 10

64GB

16GB,64GB/No

12MP and 8MP/16 MP

8MP/1.2MP

12MP/1.2MP

12MP/5MP

12MP/7MP

3,160

1,810

2,915

1,614

1,715

2,750

1,960

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Launch

42,736

September,2014

March, 2016

September,2015

October,2016

Price Rs.

27,980

27,990/45,990

48,500/57,000

30,990/44,000

Storage/Expandable Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM

134 I MARCH 2017

16GB,64GB,128GB/ No 16GB,64GB,128GB/ No 32GB/128GB/256GB

43,000/ 58,000/ 67,000 53,000/68,000/77,000 55,000/65,000/80,000

MYMOBILE

MYGUIDE RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

MODELS

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

PARAMETERS

APPLE

BLACKBERRY

GOOGLE

Model

iPhone 7 Plus

Zenfone Zoom

Zenfone 3 Deluxe

Priv

DTEK 60

Pixel

Pixel XL

Display (inches/res)

5.5/1920x1080

5.5/1080 x 1920

5.7/(1920x1080)

5.4/1440 x 2560

5.5/2560x1440

5/1920x1080

5.5/2560x1440

Dimension (mm)

158.2x77.9x7.3

158.9 x 78.8 x 11.95

156.4x74.4x7.5

147 x 77.2 x 9.4

153.9x75.4x7

143.8x69.5x8.5

154.7x75.7x8.5

Weight (grams)

188

185

172

192

165

Processor/RAM

A10 Fusion, M10/3GB

IA Z3590/4GB

QS 820,821/6GB

QS 808/3GB

QS 820/4GB

QS 821/4GB

iOS 10

Android 5.0

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 7.1

32GB/128GB/256GB

128GB/ 128GB

256GB/128GB

32GB/2TB

32GB,128GB/ No

12MP,12MP/7MP

13MP/5MP

23MP/8MP

18MP/2MP

21MP/8MP

12.3MP/8MP

2,900

3,000

3,410

2,610

2,770

3,450

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/No

Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

0ctober,2016

January, 2016

September,2016

October, 2015

November,2016

October,2016

72,000/82,000/92,000

37,999

49,999

34,999

46,990

57,000/66,000

67,000/76,000

Operating system Storage/Expandable Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

MODELS

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

HUAWEI

PARAMETERS

HTC

LEECO

Nexus 6P

One A9

Le Max

G4 Dual SIM

Display (inches/res)

5.7/1440 x 2560

5.2/1920x1080

5.0/1080 x 1920

5.2/ 2560X1440

6.33/2560 x 1440

5.5/1440 x 2560

5.3/ 2560x1440

Dimension (mm)

159.3 x 77.8 x 7.3

145x70.9x6.95

145.75 x 70.8 x 7.26 145.9 x 71.9x 9.0

83.5x167.1x8.95

148.9 x 76.1 x 8.9

149.4x73.9x7.3

Weight (grams)

178

144

143

161

204

155

159

Processor/RAM

QS810 /3GB

Kirin 955/3GB,4GB

QS 617/3GB

QS 820/4GB

QS 810 /4GB

QS 808 /3GB

QS 820/4GB

Operating system

Android 6.0

android 6.0

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

32GB,64GB/No

32GB,64GB,/128GB

32GB/2TB

64GB,128GB/No

32GB/2TB

32GB/100GB

12.3MP/8MP

12MP,12MP/8MP

13MP/4MP

12MP/5MP

21MP/4UP

16MP/8MP

3,450

3,000

2,150

3,000

3,400

3,000

2,800

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Launch

October, 2015

August,2016

December, 2015

May,2016

January, 2016

May, 2015

April,2016

Price Rs.

34,999/ 39,999

39,999

31,990

52,460

32,999/ 36,999

34,800

52,990

Model

Storage/Expandable Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM

www.mymobileindia.com

MARCH 2017 I 135

MYGUIDE RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

MODELS

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

PARAMETERS

MOTOROLA

ONEPLUS

SAMSUNG

V20

Moto X Force

Moto Z

Galaxy S6

Galaxy S6 Edge

Galaxy A9 Pro

Display (inches/res)

5.7/2560x1440

5.4/1440 x 2560

5.5/2560x1440

5.5/1920x1080

5.1/ 1440 x 2560

6/1920x1080

Dimension (mm)

159.5x77.9x7.6

149.8 x 78 x 9.2

153.3x75.3x5.19

152.7x74.5x7.35

143.4 x 70.5 x 6.8

142.1 x 70.1 x 7

161.7x80.9x7.9

Weight (grams)

174

169

136

158

138

132

210

Processor/RAM

QS 820/4GB

QS 810 /3GB

QS 820/4GB

QS 821/6GB

Octa core /3GB

octa-core/4GB

Operating system

Android 7.0

Android 5.1.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.0.2

Android 6.0

64GB/2TB

32GB,64GB/2TB

64GB/2TB

128GB

32GB,/No

32GB/No

32GB/256GB

16MP,8MP/5MP

21MP/5MP

13MP/5MP

16MP/16MP

16MP/5MP

16MP/8MP

3,200

3,760

2,600

3,400

2,550

2,600

5,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

December,2016

November, 2015

October,2016

December.2016

March, 2015

April, 2015

September,2016

54,999

34,999/ 37,999

39,999

34,999

33,900

34,900

32,490

Model

Storage/Expandable Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

MODELS

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

SAMSUNG

PARAMETERS

SONY

Samsung Galaxy Note 5

Galaxy S7

Galaxy S7 Edge

Xperia Z5 Dual

Xperia X

Xperia Z5 Premium

Xperia XZ

Display (inches/res)

5.7/1440 x 2560

5.1/2560 X 1440

5.5/2560 X 1440

5.2/1080 x 1920

5/1920x1080

5.5/ 2160 x 3840

5.2/1920x1080

Dimension (mm)

153.2 x 76.1 x 7.6

69.6x142.4x7.9

72.6 x 150.9 x 7.7

146 x 72 x 7.3

143 x 69 x 7.7

154.4 x 76 x 7.8

146x72x8.1

Weight (grams)

171

152

157

156.5g

152

181

161

Processor/RAM

Quad core /4GB

Exynos 8890/4GB

QS 810/3GB

QS 650/ 3GB

QS 810/3GB

QS 820/3GB

Android 5.1.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

32GB/No

32GB/200GB

64GB/ 200GB

32GB/200GB

64GB/256GB

16MP/5MP

12MP/5MP

23MP/5MP

23MP/13MP

23MP/5MP

23MP/13MP

3,000

3,600

2,900

2,620

3,430

2,900

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/No

Yes/-

Yes/Yes

Launch

August, 2015

March, 2016

November, 2015

July, 2016

November, 2015

October,2016

Price Rs.

40,900/43,900

43,400

50,900

37,000

38,990

47,990

49,990

Model

Operating system Storage/Expandable Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM

136 I MARCH 2017

MYMOBILE

MYGUIDE TABLETS

TABLETS

MODELS

TABLETS

APPLE

PARAMETERS

iPad Pro 9.7-inch iPad Pro 12.9-inch iPad Air 2 with Wi-Fi WiFi/ Wi-Fi + Cellular WiFi/ WiFi + Cellular

ASUS

SAMSUNG

ZenPad 8

Galaxy Tab S2 9.7

iPad Mini 2

iPad Mini 4

Display (inches/res)

7.9/1536 x 2048

9.7/2048x1536

9.7/1536 x 2048

12.9/2732 x 2048

8.0/1280 x 800

9.7/ 1536 x 2048

Dimension (mm)

200 x 134.7 x 7.5

203.2 x 134.8 x 6.1

240 x 169.5 x 6.1

305.7 x 220.6 x 6.9

209 x 123 x 8.5

237.3 x 169 x 5.6

Weight (grams)

331

298.8/304

437

713/ 723

350

392

Processor/RAM

A7,M7/1GB

A8,M8/2GB

A8X,M8/1GB

A9X,M9/2GB

"A9X,M9 /4GB"

QS MSM8929/2GB

Octa core/3GB

iOS 8

iOS 9

iOS 9.3

iOS 9

Android 5.0

Android 5.0.2

Storage/Expandable

16,32GB/No

16GB,64GB,128GB/No

32GB/No

16GB/-

32GB/128GB

Rear/Front Camera

5MP/1.2MP

8MP/1.2MP

12MP/5MP

8MP/1.2MP

8MP/2MP

8MP/2.1MP

23.8w

19.1W

27.3W

27.9 W

38.5W

4,000

5,870

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes/No

November, 2015

Spetember, 2015

October, 2014

March, 2016

November, 2015

July, 2015

September, 2015

65,900 nwards/ 85,900 onwards

12,496

38,500

Model

Operating system

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

17,949 onwards

28,500

16GB, 64GB/No 32GB,128GB,256GB/No

38,000

49,900 Onwards/ 61,900 onwards

Amkette TruBeat Smart Speaker Real value for money

Price: Rs. 3,499

Gadget Corner

add-ons

usic has become a special part of our life. Everybody

Playing heavy music distorts the sound causing vibration

has a special taste for music but what remains the

in the track. Also, the low-frequency songs result in the

same in everyone’s choice is the good bass and sound

low volume output from the speaker. So, the speaker

quality. After reviewing Amkette TrueBeat Smart Speaker,

gives you good bass though but on the volume side, it is

one thing that has been cleared is that this speaker gives

not able to deliver up to the mark.

a good quality of bass and that too at Rs 3,499.

Coming on to the FM radio, the TruBeat speaker finds

Starting from the design, the speaker has a metallic

difficult to get the frequency reception. It becomes

design at the sides and a rubber panel at the top,

very difficult to find the clear spot in the FM frequency

consisting five buttons to control the volume of the

which ends up by switching the mode of playing songs

speaker, switching between the mode, pause and play,

and we would prefer to listen to it through android app.

change date and time, and to set an alarm. All in all, it

The speaker provides the battery backup of 3,600mAh

gives out a simple, decent design to carry along with you.

and delivers up to 8 hours 30 minutes for continuously

It bears a mic on the top so as to allow users to receive

playing the songs and takes 1 hour 30 minutes to get

the calls. The mic provides a fair and decent reception

charged fully. The speaker can be used as a power bank

to the voice and gives out a clear output as well. You can

as well.

connect your device to the Bluetooth of your phone and

Overall, the TruBeat speaker provides a variety of

play the music in the background. The only limitation of

modes for playing music, such as aux, FM Radio, microSD

playing via Bluetooth is it doesn’t work beyond 12 feet.

card, Bluetooth, at a very minimal cost but talking about

Another way to play the music is via inserting your SD

the sound quality, the speaker do deliver a good bass up

card(1MB).

to certain extent but fails to deliver a clear sound without any distortion. So, if you are a lover of loud and clear

Audio performance

music with a decent quality of bass you should probably switch to the other portable speakers but if you want a

Though it gives a number of features along but the

variety of modes along with a mic to attend calls and

company hasn’t done much on the sound quality as

listen to soft music, you can go for the Amkette TruBeats

the audio starts getting distorted after the volume 14.

Smart Speaker. n

138 | march 2017

MYMOBILE

Logitech MK275 Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Combo Durable, feel good and reliable full-size keyboard with 8-hot keys

ogitech has introduced the Logitech MK275 Wireless

Additionally, the Logitech MK275 Wireless Combo offers

Keyboard and Mouse Combo, a feel good and reliable

reliable wireless connectivity and long-lasting battery life

combo that comes with wireless connectivity and a durable

at an affordable price. Both the mouse and keyboard are

design. The MK275 Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Combo

powered to automatically pair with the receiver even in the

is intended to provide a simple solution for desktop users

busiest wireless environment. The combo comes with a tiny

who are looking for comfort and contoured experience.

Logitech plug-and-forget receiver. Logitech Advanced 2.4

With the MK275 combo one can now choose reliable

GHz wireless delivers the reliability of a cord plus wireless

connectivity with a simple plug-and-play setup.

convenience for up to 10 metres, with virtually no delays

The keyboard features a familiar layout with full-size

or dropouts. The Logitech receiver is so tiny, one can plug

arrow keys, a number pad and all the usual keys you need.

it in once and forget about it. A 36-month keyboard and

The keyboard also comes with 8 hot keys that give an

12-month mouse battery life - with auto-sleep and on/

instant access to your music, calculator and more with 4

off switch â&#x20AC;&#x201C; should facilitate years of running without the

media control keys and 4 shortcut function keys.

hassle of changing batteries. n

Gadget Corner

add-ons

Price: Rs. 2,095

www.mymobileindia.com

march 2017 | 139

Gadget Corner

add-ons B2 Audiowear by Evidson An acoustic pleasure

9 ,29 1 s :R e c i Pr

Features:

vidson audiowear B2 earphones is an electronic dance music lover’s delight. Aesthetically and

acoustically clean - delivering just what the artist hoped to transpire, it’s customized 9.2mm dynamic drivers deliver powerful rich bass and vivid highs. The neodymium magnets pack the punch for an incredibly smooth and consistent response across the entire frequency curve. Crafted from lightweight metal alloy, B2 is compact, rugged and lightweight. The enclosure is a head turner that strikes a harmony of matte and glossy metal finishing. B2 comes with heavy duty thermoplastic elastomers cables that complement rough use. They are strong, durable and tangle-resistant. The in-ears come with three pairs of silicone ear tips, as well as one pair of premium foam ear tips, which will ensure a better fit and reduce surrounding sound upto 40dB. n

140 | march 2017

• Powerful & indulgent Sound. • Designed for electronic dance music lovers. • Customized 9.2 mm drivers produces powerful rich bass and vivid highs. • Compact, rugged and lightweight enclosure. • Tangle-resistant thermoplastic elastomers cables.

Specifications: • Driver Size: 9.2 mm • Rated Impedance: 15.8Ω • Frequency Range: 20 Hz ~ 20 kHZ • Sensitivity: 106 dB at 1mW • Noise isolation: 24 Db • Platform supported: Android, RIM, Windows, iOS • Cable: 1.2 m flat cable • Plug: 3.5 mm • Weight : 12 gm • Color: Black

MYMOBILE

PTron HBE9 The high bass earphone

atestOne.com, India’s leading mobile and tech accessories e-tailer has announced the launch of

PTron HBE9 universal stereo earphone on their site. This is in line with PTron’s strategy of continuously innovating and introducing new products to meet rapidly changing customer needs and demands.

Features and specifications: • Bi-directional conversion • Universal in-ear stereo earphone for Android and iOS devices • 120 cm TPE tangle free cable • High quality sound and built • 10mm moving coil speakers • 32 ohms impedance and acuity 95+3 db • Sensitivity 104dB+3dB • Medical grade silicone ear cap comfortable to wear • Noise isolation with precise bass • Input plug diameter of 3.5 mm

www.mymobileindia.com

HBE9 is the advanced version of PTron HBE7 earphones

Gadget Corner

add-ons

which was launched by LatestOne.com in June 2016. LatestOne.Com has sold more than 1.0 lac pieces of HBE 7 in a span of 6 months. The new and specially designed, high quality HBE9 earphone will be exclusively available on LatestOne.com. PTron HBE9 is available in three color variants gold, silver and black. n

Price: Rs 399

february 2017 || 141 135 march 2017

Gadget Corner

add-ons Oakter Smart Switches & Sockets A convenient enabler to remote manage your home appliances

orld over, technology companies are trying to

connected, the LED on the switches turn amber.

find a solution to improve our efficiency for home

Sockets: While the 16 AMP socket is ideal for huge

management activities and leveraging IoT to make things easier. Oakter, a startup, is solving the same problem for Indian homes and lifestyles. The company innovates and manufactures plug & play smart home products. Oakter smart home appliance kit enables appliances to be managed remotely using a mobile app. For now, the kit can be used to smarten 34 different types of home appliances which include AC, Water Heater, Water

Motor, Mosquito Repellant, fish tank, lamps etc.

Set-Up In order to commence with the whole thing, you first need to set up the controlling Hub which is provided in the kit. Setting up the hub is quite simple. Firstly, you need to download the Oakter app which is available for

appliances like microwave oven or A/C, the 6 AMP socket suits the mobile charging and the use of other smaller appliances. Additionally, the Home Kit further allows the user to schedule the process of switching on or off of electronic appliances. The app also sends you notifications via mail when the setup gets disconnected or reconnected. This kind of setup is obviously great for people with old age dawning upon them or for the sick ones. It even works over the 2G network and you are not required to be in the proximity of the setup to stay connected. Conclusively, the idea of wirelessly controlling your electrical appliance sounds good, given the fact that the availability of IoT-run devices is still a challenge

Android and iOS users and then connect the hub with

in India.

you Wi-Fi, with the LED on the hub turning orange once

Technology: As stated earlier, it is based on IoT. The

it gets connected. After configuring your Smart Home

switches connect to internet via customerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s home WiFi.

kit by registering your e-mail id with the app, you are

The Mobile app sends a command to the internet server,

good to go. The other two units of the kit- the 16 AMP

which is received by the Oakter device via internet.

socket and the 6 AMP socket also come with LED lights.

Oakter devices have a software (called firmware)

When connected to the switch board, the LED will turn

which reads the command and executes the actions

white to notify that the sockets receive power. Once

accordingly. n

Price: Rs 2,800 up to Rs 12,000 for various kits

144 | january 2017

MYMOBILE

Gadget Corner

add-ons

UE BOOM 2 For those who love to travel or party hard!

fabulous Bluetooth speaker, the UE BOOM 2 brings the party wherever it goes and also looks damn good doing it too. Positioned as a set of unique speakers

for unique people who love to live and enjoy life. The UE BOOM 2 also enables a complete app to control the party from afar. Easy wireless updates give access to awesome features like Tap Controls, Block Party and more. Designed to get wet, muddy and beat up, UE BOOM 2 blasts great sound in every

direction. UE BOOM 2 is waterproof (IPX 7), drop-proof (from up to five feet high), disruptive and bold, plus a whole lot of fun. It’s the size of a water bottle, so one can stick it in one’s bike’s water bottle holder or clip it to backpack. What more? The UE Boom 2 wants you to speak up and use your voice with the Siri and Google Now voice integration on UE BOOM 2. Music fans can simply say it to play it, allowing them to stay connected in the moment by providing faster, easier access to their music using Siri and Google Now voice directly from their Ultimate Ears speakers. n

Price: Rs 15,995

www.mymobileindia.com

march 2017 | 143

Gadget Corner

add-ons

Samsung LC24FG70 & LC27F G70 India’s first curved gaming monitor friendly features provide more customized and enjoyable experience. The curved gaming monitor comes with a host of features like 144 Hz refresh rate, 1ms response time should delight gamers. Various ergonomics such as HAS, Pivot, Swivel, Tilt provides an optimized gaming experience.

Fast Speed and Smooth Game Play

By combining Samsung’s advanced motion blur amsung has launched - LC24FG70 & LC27F

reduction technology with its VA panel, the LC24FG70 &

G70 - India’s first curved gaming monitors which

LC27FG70 is the first curved gaming monitor to produce

according to the company is the most curved monitor

a 1 ms moving picture response time (MPRT). The rapid

in the world with a radius of 1800mm, designed to

MPRT rate reduces display transitions between moving

provide a more comfortable and an immersive gaming

and animated objects, and in turn eliminates potential

experience to gamers. Monitors are designed specifically

visual distractions. The LC24FG70 & LC27FG70 also

for professional and hardcore gamers. The LC24FG70 &

leverages integrated AMD FreeSync Technology over

LC27F G70 unites the visual refinement of Samsung’s

HDMI functionality to synchronize the screen’s 144

Quantum Dot picture technology (which enables more

Hz refresh rate with users’ AMD graphics cards. This

vibrant and natural colours) with the comfort and

connectivity minimizes image tearing, input latency and

widespread view of its curved gaming monitors to

stutter that can disrupt gameplay and escalate visual

create the ultimate gaming experience. A host of gamer-

fatigue. n

Price: LC24FG70 & LC27FG70 are priced at Rs 35,000 & Rs 42,000 respectively.

144 | march 2017

MYMOBILE

Skullcandy Grind Wireless Bluetooth Headphones

hat can you say about a company which proudly claims that “Our headphones are designed to be used

and abused, not put on a shelf or in some fancy case! They’re made to be your trusty sidekick riding with you through thick and thin as you charge hard at everything you do.” Well, Skullcandy has been consistently innovating and designing products to match users’ expectations and making them as practical and fun as possible. Sometime back they had launched the much talked about wireless Bluetooth Headsets “Skullcandy Grind Wireless On-Ear Headphones”, which definitely offers everything one expects from the company.

Price: Starting @ Rs 6,499

It has premium build and sound quality is excellent. And best thing is to quote from the web “Just like their original ‘wired’ sibling, these Skullcandy Grind headphones offer everything you need, without the premium price tag.” The Grind has Bluetooth connectivity upto 33 feet and offers

Gadget Corner

add-ons

up to 12 hours of batt ery life to provide the freedom of wireless streaming from your chosen device, whether it’s your phone, tablet or computer. They even come with handy built-in controls so that you can control music and phone calls with your fingertips so that you have a comfortable, satisfying listening experience. n

www.mymobileindia.com

february 2017 | 139

Exclusive

Vantage Point

Going Extra Mile - The Importance of Efficient Customer Support

e live in a competitive

satisfaction.

world driven by

Beyond offering innovative

devices. They help

and class-leading products,

simplify our lives and integrate its

we support our consumers

multiple diverse parts seamlessly.

at every step with top-notch

With the rapid advancement

service across the country.

in technology, smartphones

We recently announced our

have become an essential daily

Exclusive Service Centre (ESC)

component of both our professional

– first of its kind for the state of

and personal avatars. This holds

Kerala in Kochi, which aims to

true for people across varied

give consumers a hassle-free

demographics and geographies.

after-sales experience. Equipped

As a natural corollary to this,

with sufficient manpower, the

every smartphone company,

service centre will facilitate

domestic and international,

quality support and, more

is persistently vying to woo

importantly, individual attention

consumers with attractive specs,

to each user. To efficiently cater

aesthetics and prices. While this

to our large customer base

plays a crucial role in swaying

across the country, we have

customer preferences in the short

been consistently expanding

run, the after sales service acts as

the presence of our service

an extremely important aspect to

centers in metropolitan cities

guarantee high satisfaction and

and Tier 2 & 3 markets alike. To

thereby long-term association. It is

date, we have 164 active service

important to note that an effective

centers and 8 exclusive service

marketing strategy isn’t aimed at

centers all over India. We also

ensuring that a customer buys a

understand that our customers

particular product just once. While this will still add to the sales

lead complicated lives that require multi-tasking and we aim to

numbers, the success of a company is determined by its ability

help simplify this. We offer a convenient PUR (pickup and return)

to convert one-time customers into ones that are not only repeat

so that they can enjoy our services from the comfort of their own

buyers but brand advocates as well.

homes. Through our Facebook and Twitter profiles, we ensure that

Social media also plays an important role in addressing customer queries and grievances in real time. Customers are increasingly

every customer is responded to in a timely and efficient manner. We aim to further expand and develop this in the years to come.

realizing that this is one of the most efficient mediums to express

In the overall scheme of things, it is not just about designing,

their thoughts and ensure that they are heard. ‘Social Care’, as it

manufacturing and selling a product. The rational customers of

is more commonly referred to, entails addressing all comments,

today are spoilt for choice and are automatically drawn towards

good and bad, on all social channels. Service expectations are

companies that go the whole nine yards and provide quality

continuously rising year-on-year and consumers are looking forward

support. Service is more often seen as an assurance from the

to the brands for quicker solutions. Simply having a social media

brand, affirming its credibility in the consumer’s mind, and goes a

presence is no longer enough. Brands need to demonstrate how

long way in influencing the buying decision. After all, with multiple

effective they are at handling customer interactions. This is what

avenues available to the customers, brands need to ensure that

will ultimately set them apart from the competition.

they are on their toes at all points of time. n

At ASUS, we pride ourselves in our consumer-friendly support service that goes beyond merely selling the product. Through our efficient after-sales service, both offline and online, we are able to successfully engage with our customers and ensure their 146 | march 2017

The author, Peter Chang, is the Regional Head South Asia & Country Manager - ASUS India. (Opinions in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the stance of the magazine)

MYMOBILE

RNI REG NO./DELENG/2005/15033 DL (ND) - 11/6100/2015-16-17 (Posting Date 26-27 of every month) Publishing Date- 22-02-17