2020 was a challenging year for the Indian smartphone industry. As per data from Counterpoint’s Market Monitor service, the Indian smartphone market registered a modest 4% decline in the pandemic-hit year and gathered momentum in the second half of 2020 by crossing 100 million units. Given that smartphones have become central to consumer lives, the growth in 2021 looks promising, primarily fueled by consumer demand driven by extended work from home and e-learning needs.
With India’s smartphone market being one of the most attractive in the world, it certainly enjoys the global spotlight. Today Chinese smartphone manufacturers like Xiaomi, Realme, Oppo, Vivo are holding the maximum chunk of the Indian market (Nearly 76%), with the only non-Chinese player, Samsung, in the 2nd position.
The competition is typically fiercer in the phones under 15000 price segments where the maximum percentage of Indian smartphone users reside.
With the emphasis on the ‘Make in India’ initiative, which started in 2014, the smartphone industry has also gone through a transformation of sorts. The anti-China sentiment is driving global smartphone companies to gain a stronger foothold under the ‘Make in India’ campaign. Thus, we can expect more manufacturing setups in 2021.
Evolution of Made in India mobiles
In 2014, the government of India constituted the ambitious ‘Make in India’ campaign to give a much-needed boost to local manufacturing of goods in India. This was done by incentivizing foreign companies through special schemes, increasing duties on imported devices and providing subsidized land to increase local manufacturing. The ‘Make in India’ movement was expected to generate massive employment, thereby putting the money back in people’s pockets, leading to a huge push to the burgeoning Indian economy.it was estimated to create 100 million new jobs by 2022 in the manufacturing sector alone and account for 25% of the country’s GDP by 2022.
There have been major leaps in the right direction after 7 years. While India will still need more time and stronger infrastructure to become a 100% manufacturing setup for smartphones, it has emerged as a strong assembly centre for all major smartphone players like Xiaomi, Oppo, Realme, OnePlus, Vivo and even Apple.
Despite the government’s best efforts to encourage the manufacturing of mobile devices locally, India still has a long way to go before it becomes a manufacturing powerhouse. The lack of skilled labour and infrastructure issues are some of the many challenges it faces. While India is cheaper in terms of labour cost, as compared to China, It is still a preferred choice for mobile production by global manufacturers as well as Indian brands.
Buying a ‘Made in India’ phone
If you are thinking of purchasing a new smartphone, then here is a list of the 5 best ‘Made in India’ mobiles under 15000:
- Samsung Galaxy M21
The crowning glory in this phone is the 6.4-inch FHD AMOLED display and 6,000mAh battery life, which is the best in the segment. Powering the smartphone is an Exynos 9611 SoC that can deliver strong performance. The Galaxy M21 sports a triple camera setup with 4 GB RAM and 64 GB of storage.
- Nokia 5.3
The Nokia 5.3 is a gorgeous phone launched in 2020 by one of the oldest brands in India. Powering the device is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 chipset, a 4000 maH battery and 6 GB RAM. Its impressive quad-camera configuration with AI-enabled imaging and stunning 6.55-inch HD+ IPS LCD make it a great pick in the under 15000 segments.
- Redmi Note 10
Touted as ‘The Champion’ by Xiaomi, this phone covers all the basics as well as offers a few extra touches. Its slimmer and contemporary look and feel, along with the 6.43-inch AMOLED display really make it stand out from others. The Snapdragon 678 processor, massive 5000 maH battery and 48 MP quad-camera & 13 MP selfie camera render it a great phone in the budget segment.
- Oppo A31
This is a smart choice for people looking for high RAM and storage along with a powerful processor. The phone features 6 GB RAM, 128 GB storage which is further expandable up to 256 GB and runs on the Mediatek 6765 octa-core processor. The phone enables you to multitask and handles graphic-intensive games well. OPPO A31’s triple-lens camera can inspire you to capture images in more ways than ever before.
- Realme 7
If you are a photography enthusiast on a budget, this could be the perfect phone for you. Realme phones pride themselves on their sophisticated camera features. This model comes with night filters, starry mode and many more interesting camera features that you would aspire for in your budget smartphone. With a 5000 maH battery and powerful Helio G95 gaming processor, you are sure to have a superb gaming experience too.
Now that you are aware of the ‘Make in India’ initiative and the smartphones covered above, you should head to the Bajaj Finserv EMI Store. Here you will be able to see the best indian mobiles under one roof. When you opt for this, the mobile cost gets divided into no-cost EMI’s which can be re-paid through a flexible tenor. . Individuals can now avail these top-notch phones with the benefits of the Bajaj Finserv EMI Network. It is a lucrative platform that provides more than 1 million products and multiple brands to choose from and convert the ensuing cost into EMIs.