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Micromax Returns With “In Note 2”: Check Price And Specs.

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Micromax announced the Micromax IN Note 2 budget device earlier this week, marking the company’s return to the Indian smartphone market after a long absence. The IN Note 2, the brand’s first smartphone for 2022, will go on sale for the first time on Flipkart tomorrow, January 30. If you’re looking for a new phone under Rs 15,000, the Micromax IN Note 2 is a good option because it has an AMOLED display, a 48MP quad-camera, a large 5,000mAh battery, and 30W wired fast charging. Let’s take a look at the IN Note 2’s price, specifications, and availability.

Specifications and Features

Powered by Android 11, the Micromax In Note 2 is a dual-SIM (Nano) smartphone. It has a Corning Gorilla Glass Victus-protected 6.43-inch full-HD+ (1,080×2,400 pixels) AMOLED display with a 20:9 aspect ratio and 550 nits of peak brightness. It is powered by a MediaTek Helio G95 SoC with 4GB of RAM. The onboard storage of 64GB can be expanded using a microSD card (up to 256GB).
Micromax In Note 2 has a quad-camera setup with a 48-megapixel primary sensor for optics. A 5-megapixel ultra-wide-angle sensor, a 2-megapixel macro sensor, and a 2-megapixel depth sensor round out the camera’s features. A 16-megapixel selfie camera is on the front of the phone.Connectivity options include 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth v5, GPS/ A-GPS, USB Type-C, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.A fingerprint sensor is also located on the phone’s side.
The Micromax In Note 2 has a 5,000mAh battery with 30W fast charging support. When using a compatible charger, the battery is said to charge to 50% in 25 minutes. It weighs 205 grams and measures 159.9×74.3×8.34mm.

Micromax
Image source: www.gizmochina.com

Price and Availability

At 12 p.m. IST today, the newly launched Micromax In Note 2 will go on sale in India for the first time. The only 4GB + 64GB storage variant of the Micromax In Note 2 costs Rs. 13,490. There are two colors available for the smartphone from Micromax: black and brown (oak). It can be purchased both on the company’s official website and on Flipkart.
Micromax In Note 2 is available at a special introductory price of Rs. 12,490 for a limited time. In addition, Flipkart is giving customers a 10% discount on Citibank cards and a 5% cashback on Flipkart Axis Bank credit cards.

About The Company

Micromax is a major smartphone manufacturer in India with a significant retail presence. It is a consumer electronics and smartphone manufacturer headquartered in Gurugram, Haryana, India. YU Televentures, an Indian consumer electronics brand founded in December 2014, is also owned by the company.
Micromax was once one of the most prominent players in the Indian smartphone market until Chinese manufacturers entered the market a few years ago when it began to lose ground. However, the company has made a comeback in order to take advantage of the Indian government’s Production Linked Incentive Scheme (PLI) and compete against international brands.
Micromax products have become an extension of the dynamism and lifestyle of the Indian youth. When it comes to the mobile handset market, the company has many firsts to its credit, including the 30-day battery backup, Dual SIM Dual Standby phones, QWERTY keypads, universal remote control mobile phones, and the first quad-core budget smartphone. Today, the brand’s product portfolio includes more than 60 models, including dual-SIM phones with a lot of features, 3G Android smartphones, tablets, LED televisions, and data cards.

Micromax

Micromax banks on INdia to take on Chinese brands by making surprising announcements.

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Last month Micromax made a surprising announcement that they were making a comeback to the Indian smartphone market. Often regarded as a significant player in the budget-phone segment, Micromax was an Indian favorite a few years ago. The comeback rides on the hopes that Indians will prefer Micromax to the Chinese phones which now flood the market. The comeback pitch which they launched regarding their new releases also captured this sentiment beautifully. With the new phones out, here’s a quick look at how the company expects the Indian market to react.

Micromax Pitch for a New Future

Micromax co-founder Rahul Sharma talked about his humble origins in Micromax’s advertisement for their new devices. During the ad, he spoke about how his father was an ordinary government school teacher. Since Micromax has always been an economical choice for Indians, the advertisement emphasizes the right emotions. The comeback pitch also focused heavily on nationalism and patriotism. Both these emotions have been on a high recently due to border skirmishes with the Chinese. 

The advertisement focused on Sharma, who has served as the brand’s face for years. Started by Vikas Jain, Rajesh Agarwal, Sumeet Kumar, and Rahul Sharma, Micromax took the market by a storm. The video also talks about the success the brand enjoyed and how it eventually lost out to Chinese competitors. He then goes on to reference the events at the border, with the Galwan issue being a hot topic recently. The emotional pitch makes it clear that Micromax hopes the current Anti-China sentiment will help it regain its foothold in the Indian market. With their new line named IN hitting markets, Micromax requires all the help it can get to muster a strong comeback.

What the Experts Think

However, industry experts seem to think that the Anti-China sentiment can only do so much for the company. While the idea might work temporarily, consumers still look for value when buying products. Off late, the Chinese products have been delivering the value that consumers seek and have hence become a hit. Therefore, to succeed, Micromax will have to match its competitors in terms of specifications and price. The Research Director at the International Data Corporation, Navkendar Singh, believes that unless they go head-to-head with the Chinese on quality, the brand will not be able to make an impact.

A survey was done by the IDC in July, soon after the border skirmish showed that though seven out of ten consumers asked for a non-Chinese phone, only two or three bought one. The most significant reason for this being that there aren’t many non-Chinese options in the market. Apple is not affordable to most Indians, leaving Samsung the most prominent choice for consumers. 

How to Make a Difference?

Since the sentiment is an emotional reaction, Rushabh Doshi who heads research at Canalys Research believes Micromax might make an impact. However, he is quick to point out that the brand lost against Chinese competitors before due to their quality and after-sales services. In the past, the company relied heavily on Chinese supply chains which also made procurement complicated. He believes that the only way they can make an impact is if they have a robust intellectual property to rival Chinese vendors. With the market’s 80% being accounted for by the top five players, can Micromax’s nationalist pitch make a difference?

Micromax’s Options 

Micromax
Image Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com

Realme has been able to make a space for itself within the market, proving that it is in fact, possible. However, the top five brands, which now include Realme, are pushing out smaller ones, such as Motorola, LG, and Nokia. Experts think that sticking to the budget INR 7000-8000 range might help the company. Since most of these brands exist within the highly competitive INR 10,000-20,000 range, avoiding this might help Micromax regain some market share. Also, the last few months witnessed a lot of people shifting to the budget category due to financial constraints. The sub-10,000 range has fewer players, with the major ones being Tecno, ITEL, Redmi, and Realme due to its low-margin characteristics. As a result, most experts believed that the November 3 launch would focus on budget-friendly options.

Micromax IN Series Launch

After much anticipation, Micromax finally launched the IN series in India yesterday. The brand released two new phones, IN Note 1 and IN 1b which fall within the INR 7000-11,000 range. The phones will go on sale on both the official Micromax website and Flipkart. 

Micromax IN Note

The phone is powered by the MediaTek G85 and features a 5000 mAh battery and runs Stock Android as its OS. The Micromax IN Note 1 has a base price of 10,999 and will house 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. Meanwhile, the model that has 4GB RAM and 128GB storage will cost users INR 12,999. The phone will go on sale on November 24th through both Flipkart and Micromax’s official website. The phone features a relatively large 6.7-inch full HD display and comes with a punch-hole camera. The phone has a 48MP rear camera that has a 5MP for ultra-wide angle and a dual 2MP setup for Macro and depth sensors. In the front, the phone features a 16MP ultra-wide angle selfie camera.

Micromax IN 1b

This budget-friendly option from Micromax runs on a MediaTek G35. Like the more expensive model, this too features a 5000 mAh battery and will run Stock Android. This option will start at a base price of INR 6,999 and will have 2GB RAM and storage worth 32GB. The model that runs on 4GB RAM and offers 64GB storage will go for sale at INR 7,999. It features an HD+ display on a screen that is 6.5-inches in size and comes with a mini drop design. The phone comes with an AI Dual camera, that has an 8MP front camera and a 13MP primary camera with a 2MP depth sensor.

Both these phones will face stiff competition from the Redmi 9 series, along with ITEL and Tecno phones. So, we will have to wait and see whether the nationalistic sentiments help Micromax climb back to the top of the Indian market. Whatever might happen, it is good news that Indians now have an economical choice that is made-in-India when buying a new smartphone.

Micromax

Micromax to Make a Comeback With ‘In’ Phones before Diwali

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There have been quite a few gadget launches in recent months with smartphone manufacturers trying to revive their sales. With the coronavirus closing stores around the world, the tech industry is trying to get back on its feet. With sales returning to pre-COVID levels, things have been looking up, and Indian users have even more news to celebrate. Micromax announced on Friday that it was making a comeback to the Indian market. Company CEO Rahul Sharma announced that the new series would launch in time for Diwali. Here’s a look at everything you need to know about the release and why it is crucial.

Homecoming for Micromax

According to CEO Rahul Sharma, the new line will offer customers a value-for-money product that assures competitive performance. The device will also enable an almost stock Android experience, with the company hoping to reclaim market share. The Indian smartphone manufacturer based in Gurugram last had a launch in October 2019. However, the last major smartphone launch hosted by the company took place in December 2018. Rahul Sharma teased the release of the new device through a short video wherein he highlighted the patriotic sentiments behind the phone.

Independence and Nationality

The company announced that the news of skirmishes at the border was the primary reason for launching the new devices. The phones will most likely hit the market before the start of the festival season, in time for Diwali purchases. The new series was in full-on R&D mode when the India-China border tussle was happening, and these issues propelled and accelerated the development. Those skirmishes have led to a vocal demand for more Indian-origin products, which will work in Micromax’s favor. While the Gurugram-based manufacturer imports components from foreign countries, it was one of the first ones to start assembly in India. Doing so helped reduce prices and also add a homely touch to their devices, which might help motivate more Indians to buy from them now. 

With many Indian consumers calling for a ban on Chinese products, such a nationalistic approach might do wonders for the company and its sales. However, experts believe that such a sentiment would not help the company revive itself as the smartphone market is highly competitive. Some of them went as far as to say that while such emotions were strong in July, they have faded by now. As a result, while it might give the brand a publicity boost, it might not help them boost sales as expected. So, we will have to see whether the nationalistic approach will help the company regain its market position. 

‘In’ to the Market

Micromax In Series
Image Source: centralviral.com

Micromax’s new series titled In will have a price range between INR 7000, and INR 25,000, making them fall in the semi-budget phone space. While Micromax initially gained popularity for its incredibly affordable phones, the company is looking to expand. They made it clear that the new lineup will not feature anything below the INR 7,000 mark. Sharma stated that since the sub-INR 5000 markets were shrinking in India, the company would not release such phones for now. Since people now prefer higher-performance products, the decision to stick to the said budget makes more sense. While the video introduced the Micromax In series, it contained no details regarding hardware or software specifications.

No more ads

Micromax has also addressed that the In series will offer a fantastic Android experience. Such a statement seems to be taking a shot at Chinese competitors within the space, such as Realme, Xiaomi, Huawei, and Vivo. All these companies often face criticism for adding bloatware to their devices, sometimes at the expense of fluid customer experience. Similarly, OnePlus faced flak for pre-installing Facebook onto their phones. While the company promised to avoid such an addition, the latest OnePlus 8T comes with an in-built Amazon integration. Rahul Sharma promised that Micromax would not take this route opting instead for a near-stock Android experience. He also said that the phones would not feature any bloatware, ads, or even attempt to download, store, and process users’ data.

Journey Ahead

Sharma is optimistic that Micromax can put up a tough fight against its Chinese counterparts. The market has changed since Micromax’s glory days, with Xiaomi having gained immense popularity in recent years. Also, rising consumer awareness has led to users demanding better refresh rates, fast charging, and updated features. However, Sharma believes that Micromax can still break through the ceiling and regain its popularity within the Indian market. While the company has missed Amazon’s and Flipkart’s festive sales, they will be launching in time for Diwali. Also, the choice to enter the INR 20,000 and higher market has puzzled experts. Both Samsung and OnePlus are strong competitors within this segment, has grown immensely in recent years. But many of them feel that the company’s brand value will help it attract pan-India customers.

Rahul Sharma: Raising Micromax to 10th largest mobile company of the world

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“It’s an Indian product, why don’t you look for a similar one from a renowned company like Samsung or HTC…”

A quote that could be easily heard in mobile stores whenever someone tried to buy a mobile phone of Indian brand few years back until Micromax made its debut in the mobile market. Since the entry of Micromax in the world of mobile phones, the perception of Indian products have changed globally.

Micromax  an Indian mobile manufacturing company is world’s 10th largest company and India’s no. 2 mobile company after Samsung. Micromax was started by Rahul Sharma along with his friends. When smartphones emerged in India, the market was dominated by Samsung and few lesser known Chinese phones. Micromax has changed that to large extent. Today people proudly flaunt their Micromax smartphone.

The Beginning
Micromax Informatics was started by Rahul Sharma and his three friends, but the main driving force behind the success of company can be attributed to the dynamic nature of Rahul. Rahul Sharma is married to Indian Bollywood actress Asin. The company was started in 2000 as an eCommerce company. Since gadget industry was very lucrative at that time, Micromax pivoted to developing embedded systems. The company was providing best class products and services and hence got the attention of the world’s leading mobile company, Nokia. Micromax clinched a hardware deal with Nokia for their M2M (Machine-to-Machine) business which resulted in a huge success for the company.micromax

 The Unwavering Beliefs
But the road to success was not supposed to be easy. In 2013 their M2M business partner, Nokia sold their mobile business to Microsoft. Nokia, considering the excellent quality of products and services provided by Micromax Informatics,  offered them a new collaboration in Nokia Networks. But the Micromax team decided to decline the offer to collaborate with Nokia and walked away. Now being separated from Nokia they continued their existing business believing in their own products and capabilities.

Working independently in India, Micromax decided to manufacture their own hardware. With their services already being top notch, they soon collaborated with the Indian network provider giant, Bharti Airtel. Micromax’s first project with Airtel was to install payphones in the remote areas of Jammu and Kashmir. With their dedication and hard-work the project was completed successfully despite the rough geographical terrain.

Inspiration is just a different perception
Things were going smooth with company but it was not enough for the founders. Being chased by their passion and dreams to achieve new heights continuously they were always trying to grow their company. When such ideals are being followed, a small spark is enough to light a dazzling flame to blind the world.

When Rahul Sharma was on a trip to an interior region of West Bengal, he met a payphone operator, who was operating his business in an area with no electricity and very low network coverage. That network operator was using truck battery to supply power to the payphone. Rahul was amused by this innovative solution to the problem of power shortage but this encounter also made him think about the most common problem faced by the customers of mobile phones, fast draining batteries that required charging after few hours.

Rahul came up with the idea of entering the mobile phone market with mobile phones with battery lasting one month on a single charge. But his partners were reluctant to accept his idea as there was heavy competition in the mobile market. Not willing to give up, Rahul managed to convince them about the huge possibilities in the mobile market.

Expect the Unexpected
Though everyone agreed to the idea, it was decided to manufacture only 10,000 units initially and then observe the market’s reaction to their product. Hence, Micromax’s first ‘Stamina Battery’ phone was launched in 2008. In just 10 days, all phones got sold. The thing that astonished everyone was that their product went out of stock in such a short time without any serious advertising. It was publicized only through word-of-mouth.

Motivated with this huge positive feedback, company invested more money and resources in mobile phone market and soon launched more models. Considering the end users in India, Micromax’s all phones are designed keeping in mind the daily usage of common Indian customer. One of the main qualities of their products is their reasonable pricing.

While rising through the Indian mobile market and considering various options to help their customers in their everyday life, Micromax came up with the idea of dual-sim mobile phones. Providing this extremely useful feature to their customers this revolutionary idea had an ever changing effect on the mobile industry and created new niche in the mobile sector. Micromax’s popularity rocketed to new heights. To keep up with the extreme challenge being posed by Micromax many other top companies had to follow in the footsteps of Micromax and hence also introduced dual-sim mobile phones.

Soon after Micromax challenged all major mobile phone players globally  to became  world’s 10th largest phone manufacturing company. The company believed that if the end user are benefited from the product in one way or the other,  the product would definitely be a success. Which proved right for various devices that the company launched into the market worldwide.

Things fall but to rise up again
In 2014, Micromax was second largest mobile phone company in India, and was challenging the world’s top and the number 1 mobile phone maker in Indian market. Its founders decided to bring managers from outside to help the company go forward. In the fourth quarter of 2014, with full dedication towards the company’s betterment its executives and CEOs along with the innovative ideas outperformed, the Korean company, Samsung and took the No.1 spot in the Indian mobile market.

But soon after the appointment of new executives, problems arose. The creative and risk taking dynamic approach of Micromax founders like Rahul Sharma, was not easily comprehended by the new executives who used to rely more on the facts and figures. Thus, Alibaba (one of the huge investors of Micromax) left the client pool of Micromax and walked away from a $1.2 billion purchase of about 20% shares in Micromax.

Due to lack of funding some of the Micromax projects had to be shut down and by final quarter of 2015 its smartphone market fell to 13% from 22%. But with founders Rahul Sharma, Vikas Jain, Sumeet Arora and Rajesh Agarwal still controlling the about 80% of the company have kept the company in profit.

Facing tough competition now, Micromax plans to increase its production by 100% that is from about 1.5 million units every month to 3 million units per month. Micromax also plans to increase its business overseas. Already a top 10 brand in Russia, Micromax has been looking for a partner to help it expand outside India and to indulge more in the business of televisions and tablets.

The Battle Royale
With vendors from Dragon land  and other beasts like Samsung, Lenovo and Sony now taking the Indian market more seriously and introducing better products at cheap prices, the legendary Indian warrior Micromax has taken the fight head on and has been continuously rolling out products with performance at par with products from any other competitor, giving all competitors a run for their money around the globe. Today Micromax is a popular name in LED TV industry in addition to Smartphones.

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