Phicomm to invest $100 million in India on R&D and Marketing

phiccom india

China-based mobile handset maker Phicomm, which entered the Indian market with the launch of 4G smartphone Passion 660 on Wednesday, will invest USD 100 million over the next three years on R&D and marketing.

The 4G smartphone Passion 660 is a device that comes with mid-range hardware including a full-HD display, Qualcomm’s 64-bit Snapdragon 615 octa-core processor and 2 GB RAM.

It’s worth noting that the Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 smartphone segment is already getting crowded and it will be tough for Phicomm to match up to rivals and offer a better experience.

To differentiate its offering from others, the company has thrown in a barometer and dedicated pedometer feature. But will that be enough for the Passion 660 to be able to compete with the likes of YU Yureka, Xiaomi Mi 4i and ZTE Nubia Z9 mini.

The company is also exploring manufacturing in India though the final call is yet to be taken.

“For the next three years, we plan to invest $100 million, including the local team, R&D centre and marketing”, said Min Zheng, CEO, Phicomm.

Zheng further added that the company is targeting the youth to expand presence to grab 5 per cent share of mobile handset market in five years in the country.

“We have got IT, manufacturing and design, everything in-house, which gives us maximum flexibility to customize according to customers demands,” Zheng said.

The company is planning to launch three-four devices this year in the price range of $200-300.

The smartphone launched Wednesday comes with a price tag of Rs 10,999 and will be available on Amazon from June 9.

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Nitin Agarwal

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