2 Indian Mobile Companies Who Impressed In 2016

tphone colors

The year 2016 as been full of very impressive, less impressive, okay and sometimes outright ridiculous devices. Just like every other year. While global players raked in the moolah and cashed in on the buzz, we had two very Indian and very worthy mobile makers who stood out with their offerings and made a mark on the year. Let’s talk about this today.

So, why are we even singling out Indian companies here? Well, they have limitations in the form of cash reserves and operating margins but despite that they have been seen to constantly innovate and come up with creative devices. Remember, taking a good phone out of a satisfied user’s hands and putting a new one there is a challenge as it is, now imagine having to do that in competition to the global players who have billions to play with and multiple geographies to work from. Now add the complexity that you have to do this once a quarter and manage good numbers in a saturated market that is flooded with a new device everyday! So without much ado, let us get straight into the details of these two impressive Indian players.

ELITE Max

When they started the run, Swipe were looked at as yet another Indian brand that wants to play the low cost game and hit the market with underwhelming or seemingly boring devices. Much to everyone’s surprise, the company iterated it’s way into being a respected local player that makes devices that pack a punch and at the same time, don’t burn your wallet. They started with the Elite 2 and slowly but very surely worked their way up with the Elite Note, Elite Plus and most recently with the Elite Max. The movement has been graded but impressive. They got into the game, segment by segment and now have an array of very nifty devices. Given the percolation of Jio and the rural markets opening up, this augurs very well for them. Once known for the star on the boxes of their phones, they are now known for the devices in these boxes and the experiences that they deliver. A Hat Tip to the team and looking forward to what they have in their arsenal for 2017.

smartron-tphone

Smartron is an Indian startup that has its sights firmly set on being the first mover in the IoT space. Their strategy is based on building an entire ecosystem of smart devices that make IoT a life enhancer for India. Their entry into the country was with two devices, the t.book and the t.phone. Both these devices made quite a statement. They were designed well. The specifications were well thought out and the experience was the center point of both. The t.book went on to do well in the hybrid segment. The t.phone has one of the thinnest profiles for a smartphone in our country. When the phone came out, there were some issues with the camera that were reported, the company was quick to decouple that app from the OS shell and update it fast to address issues. The fixes were in quick succession  and the CTO was seen to be personally reaching out to the tech community to listen to feedback and address issues. The company has been behaving and working like a creative, young and active entity. This augurs very well for their future and for India on the whole. They have not compromised their vision for sales or numbers and we are very certain that 2017 will see the coming of a power packed t.book 2 and t.phone 2. We will be watching them keenly.

Are there any other companies that you think should be here? Let us know!

About Shakthi

I am a Tech Blogger, Disability Activist, Keynote Speaker, Startup Mentor and Digital Branding Consultant. Also a McKinsey Executive Panel Member. Also known as @v_shakthi on twitter. Been around Tech for two decades now.

View all posts by Shakthi →