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Budget phones under Rs 10,000 return as brands exit segment
The Economic Times··16 Sept
Smartphone makers are reviving low-memory models under Rs 10,000 as majors chase premium profits, executives told The Economic Times. Flipkart and Amazon sell Siavantage, Oneme and Zeno handsets with iPhone-like shells. An executive said the last 2GB RAM launch was in 2023 under Rs 6,000; similar models now fetch Rs 8,000-9,000 ahead of the festive season.
Prism
What It Means For You
- Shoppers in smaller towns may find sub-Rs 10,000 options as brands reuse smaller RAM chips.
- Online marketplaces already list unfamiliar labels with basic hardware at budget prices.
- Festive season launches could add more low-spec models if chipset costs keep premium phones expensive.
What's Happening
- Executives said demand for sub-Rs 10,000 phones remains strong at well over 40 million units.
- Itel and Lava have announced handsets with 2GB or 3GB RAM and 64GB storage.
- Google said this year it supports a Gemini version that runs on 2GB RAM devices.
Entry-level handset supply crunch
- Rising memory and chipset costs made sub-Rs 10,000 segments harder for large brands.
- Most brands have crossed Rs 30,000 price points even on hardware sold cheaper last year.
- High-end model demand is around 30 million units versus larger budget market size.
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