In India, today is really a special day for Apple enthusiasts because the company has finally launched all the three versions of iPhone 5 officially in the country. 16 GB version of iPhone 5 is available at the price tag of INR 45,500, whereas 32GB and 64 GB versions of the device are available for INR 52,500 and INR 59,500 respectively. The smartphone is available in both GSM and CDMA models and it supports 2G, 3G and 4G as well.
However, the device is quite expensive compare to existing high-end smartphones in the country such as Samsung Galaxy SIII and HTC One X; Flipkart is offering 16 GB version of Galaxy SIII for INR 34,900 and 32 GB version of HTC One X for INR 34,999. Besides, iPhone 5 is available in two colors –Black and White. Undoubtedly, the device is incredible in terms of specifications and features and that’s why, the company shipped 5 million units in first weekend of its launch.
On the other side, Lenovo has also launched five models—Lenovo A60+, Lenovo P700i, Lenovo K860 and Lenovo S560—in India at a price ranging from INR 6,499 to INR 28,499. However, the company has already launched its smartphones in China and it has more than of one year of experiences of selling smartphone. This time, it has targeted to emerging smartphone markets such as India. It’s pretty known that Lenovo is the world’s largest PC manufacturer in terms of shipments and definitely, an entry of the Chinese company to India will not be a good bode for the global giants including Samsung, Apple, Nokia and HTC. Within a period of 18 months, Lenovo has become second largest smartphone vendor in China, the world’s largest mobile market in terms of subscriber base.
Specification Of Lenovo’s Smartphones In India
Before going further, it’s important to see specifications of Lenovo’s all five models in India:
More importantly, Lenovo has endeavored to adopt the same strategy what Samsung has implemented. Lenovo has launched its smartphone in three screen variants–3.5-inch, 4-inch and 5-inch–and users will have more options to opt screens as per their preference. In India, 20 million smartphones are expected to ship this year and the figure will increase in upcoming years. Of course, there is still a huge room for new entrants in smartphone segment and Lenovo is trying to leverage on it.
Demand Of iPhone 5 Is Expected To Be Doubled Compare To iPhone 4S
It’s expected that Apple needs to ship 100,000 units of iPhone 5 model in India, up from 25,000 units of iPhone 4S’ demands in the last year. The shipments of device will be procured by Apple’s distributive partners—Ingram Micro Inc and Redington India—in the country. This time, Apple has put down its partnership with Indian telecom vendors like Airtel and Aircel.
In India, it has been noticed that sales of luxury products like smartphones, cars, gold jewelry reach to peak especially in “Diwali”. Â Last time, Apple launched iPhone 4S a month after “Diwali”, but this time, it has launched iPhone 5 just few days before the festival. Moreover, it’s estimated that overall sales of iPhone 5 in India is likely to be doubled compare to iPhone 4S.
On the contrary, Lenovo’s smartphones are also available in the market at the very affordable price tags. Besides, the Chinese company has already created an impression in mind of Indians through PC devices and definitely, it could leverage on its popularity in the country.
In this context, Apple’s product has always been lashed out for expensiveness in India, and this is the main reason why Apple has missed a significant number of users in the country. Lenovo has introduced variant devices with different specifications and prices. Undoubtedly, as price is concerned, Lenovo’s smartphones are quite impressive to entice considerable number of users around the country.
In India, Lenovo’s smartphones are not only a threat for Apple’s smartphones (iPhone 4S, iPhone 3GS and even iPhone 5), but also an intimidation for Samsung and HTC’s high-end smartphones.
