When it comes to India, the fastest-growing smartphone market in the world, there’s no denying the fact that Chinese manufacturers rule the roost. From affordable devices like Xiaomi Redmi 6A to ‘flagship killers’ like OnePlus 6T, a majority of smartphones sold in the country are from Chinese OEMs. And even though the Indian smartphone market is already pretty crowded, it seems there’s just enough to squeeze in another Chinese player – Meizu.
If that name sounds familiar to your ears, you’re not alone. Meizu isn’t exactly a stranger to India. The company made its foray into India back in 2015 with the M1 Note, and launched quite a few smartphones after that. However, Meizu has been relatively silent in the country for quite some time.
That’s about to change very soon, as the Alibaba-backed Chinese technology company is planning to make a big comeback in the country. BGR India has learned from its sources that Meizu will be re-entering the Indian smartphone market as early as next month (December 2018). Interestingly, this time, the company plans to target both premium and budget segments at the same time.
According to our sources, Meizu intends to launch as many as three new smartphones in India soon. One of these smartphones – known only by the codename ‘M16-TH’ so far – will take on the current ‘flagship killer’ – One Plus 6T. As far as the other two smartphones are concerned, these will be affordable devices aimed at rival devices from segment leader Xiaomi.
Clearly, Meizu has done its homework for its second run in India. According to the latest report by industry analysis firm Counterpoint Research, Xiaomi was the biggest smartphone brand in India, accounting for 23 percent of total shipments. Similarly, OnePlus dominated the premium segment with over 30 percent market share. As per a separate report by Counterpoint Research, OnePlus 6 became the company’s highest-selling model within five months of its launch.
Watch: Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro First Look
It’s worth mentioning that Meizu’s plans for India aren’t just limited to the above-mentioned three smartphones. As per our sources, the company already has two more launches planned for January next year. It’ll be interesting to see how Meizu fares in the country’s fiercely-contested smartphone market this time.
