Huawei partners with Micromax to grow consumer electronics market in India

Huwaei, the second-largest smartphone manufacturer in the world, recently announced that it is partnering with Indian-based consumer electronics business, Micromax. According to the companies, Micromax will develop strategies that benefit the Huawei brand and “gain a stronger foothold in the Indian consumer electronics market.”

The Chinese multi-national company, Huwaei, says it’s also proposing a multi-phased project to increase its presence in the country, starting in Mumbai and then moving to Delhi, Pune, Chennai, Kochi, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Dehradun, and Jaipur. The company primarily markets its products through retail partners.

“Micromax is corresponding to an exclusive billing associate for Huawei in India for all the channels,” said a source familiar with the deal. “It will consolidate an organized, open business and online channels.”

This is good news for Huawei, which has undergone challenges this year. For example, it’s been prohibited from trading or buying technology in the U.S, It’s also struggled in the 5G sector in America with several states refusing technology from the company.

Huawei in India
Huawei currently sells smartphones in India under two brand names:

Huawei, which provides mid-range and premium smartphones.
Honor, which makes entry-level and budget devices.

Although Huawei is the parent brand, Honor sells more in India in terms of volume. The tech giant has remained cost-competitive, but its marketing efforts have been insufficient, and its sales channels have been restricted. In comparison, other Chinese smartphone manufacturers, such as Realme, Xiaomi, and ASUS, have been succeeding in India, increasing sales networks and profits.

Huawei recently launched its top smartphone in India: the Y9 Prime, with a pop-up selfie camera. It is hoping this, and its new partnership with Micromax, will net positive results in India.

According to the new deal, Micromax will handle ordering and sales, which allows Huawei to focus on what it does best: R&D and manufacturing. Business management and distribution are Micromax’s top attributes — two features that helped the company earn a considerable business share about five years ago.

Trends
To keep up with market demands, companies in the consumer electronics sector can expect a few trends, including 5G, AI, smart homes, and TVs.

5G. Before this year’s end, 5G cellular networks are expected to go mainstream. The reasons: 5G is faster, more secure, and can establish extensive connectivity between devices.

So far, telecommunication companies such as Verizon, Qualcomm, Intel, and AT&T have already announced 5G-approved products. During the Mobile World Conference 2019, Samsung, Huawei, Xiaomi, LG, and ZTE, also announced plans for 5G devices — and to be in the consumers’ hands before the end of 2019.

Artificial intelligence (AI). With advances in predictive technology, speech recognition, and big data analytics, AI is quickly impacting the consumer technology industry. Thanks to the Internet-of-Things (IoT), AI can work virtually in devices such as wearables and smart appliances.

The sector was a key highlight at CES 2019, with several companies displaying how the technology will become commonplace in most people’s homes and lives. Notable companies such as Intel, Hisense, LG, and Mercedes took the lead in announcing new AI projects.

For example, LG launched its Home Brew, an AI-enabled beer producer. Hisense revealed three new quantum dot-technology TVs that use AI chips with intelligent viewing capabilities. Also, NVIDIA is using AI architecture to help Mercedes Benz engineer self-driving cars.

Smart homes. Many electronic and consumer appliance companies are also providing voice-assisted integration in their products to make such products more convenient for consumers. Smart homes are one example of this technology. Thanks to smart tech and IoT, the number of connected appliances is growing, including security monitoring, smart heating and air-conditioning systems, smart TVs, and coffee-makers.

Technology giants like GE, Google, and Amazon, have created smart products that produce traffic updates, calendar appointment notifications, and smart lighting opportunities. Capstone Connected Home’s Google-enabled smart mirror even lets users access Google Assistant and view videos from YouTube through voice-activated, touchscreen capacities.

Entertainment systems. New 8K TVs are expected to launch soon, providing viewers with exceptional image tone, clarity, and resolution. Companies with smart plug-in system will likely steal the spotlight, however.

LG’s latest Signature Series OLED R is one example of a “rollable” TV that stays hidden until, with a touch of the button, the TV appears from its stand. It includes Google Assistant, Amazon’s Alexa, and Apple AirPlay 2. Apple is partnering with several TV manufacturers to provide its AirPlay 2 and iTunes platforms.