<div><strong>By Puneet Mehrotra</strong><br><br><table style="width: 200px" align="left" border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2"><tbody><tr><td><img alt="" src="http://bw-image.s3.amazonaws.com/puneet.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 300px; margin: 1px;"></td></tr><tr><td><em>Puneet Mehrotra</em></td></tr></tbody></table>In the last 24 hours, 3 international mobile phone companies have launched their latest models in India. In the coming week tech major Google launches its next edition of its bestseller Nexus series, Nexus 5x and a tablet 6P. Meizu, one of the leading smartphone brands in China, today announced the opening of registration for its latest budget friendly offering, the Meizu m2 on Snapdeal. Oneplus 2 is selling only by invitation on amazon. India as the one of the biggest mobile phone markets is beginning to make its presence felt.</div><div> </div><div><strong>Mobile Menu this week</strong></div><div>Let’s begin with the latest offerings in the last 24 hours.</div><div> </div><div><strong><img alt="" src="http://bw-image.s3.amazonaws.com/motoxstyle-300.jpg" style="width: 300px; height: 250px; margin: 1px; float: right;">Motorola’s Moto X Style</strong></div><div>Motorola launched Moto X Style yesterday. If you are looking for a phone that offers powerful performance and looks gorgeous all at the same time, Moto X Style maybe a good choice. Priced at Rs 29,999 for 16 GB and Rs 31,999 for 32GB Moto X Style has has a sleek metal frame and curved back. A 21 megapixels camera gives decent pictures. Battery is 3000 mAh with 8 hours of battery life from 15 min charge.</div><div> </div><div><strong>Coolpad Note 3</strong></div><div>Coolpad launched its first fingerprint smartphone Coolpad Note 3 on Amazon.in today at Rs.8999. The fingerprint sensor which is the key highlight of the device is placed at the back.<br> </div><div>Coolpad Note 3 is equipped with 5.5 inch HD screen, bundled exclusively for the Indian market. The device is upgraded with 3GB of RAM along with 16GB of in built storage which supports 4G LTE. The camera is 13 mega pixels. Battery is 3,000mAh battery which means it should give a great running time.</div><div> </div><div><strong>Gionee LifeE8</strong></div><div><div>Gionee’s LIFE E8 comes packed with24 MP rear camera, which will be able to produce photographs up to 1200Mpxl in resolution. E8 is the first Android smartphone to offer Lossless zoom that maintains image quality even at 3X zoom along with host of enhanced camera features for producing a professional level images on the go. Some of the key features of the ELIFE E8 include One dedicated shooting button, 8 MP front camera, magic focus among others. Some of the other features are Dual Speaker, HIFI Sound, 3500 mAh Battery and fast charging. Gionee LifeE8 is priced at Rs 34,999.<br><br><strong>Made In China Out, Make In India In</strong><br>Interestingly it’s no longer Made in China for the Indian market. Take for instance the case of Coolpad which is investing Rs.300 million in India. Coolpad has also partnered with Videocon to manufacture smartphones in India.<br><br>Motorola has setup local manufacturing of smartphones in Sriperambudur, Chennai. For current financial year, Lenovo and Motorola will generate a capacity of 6 million units. The Moto E has already started rolling out from the plant and the K3 note will follow very soon. Housing 1500 employees for manufacturing lines, quality assurance, product testing, etc. Both Lenovo and Motorola will have separate manufacturing lines at the same facility.<br><br>Gionee is investing about Rs.330 crores over next 3 years. Xiaomi has tied up with with Foxconn to start assembling phones in India. Xiaomi Redmi2 Prime smartphone, began rolling out from a factory in Sri City in southern Andhra Pradesh two months ago.<br><br>Interestingly India is now the 2nd biggest market outside China for Xiaomi.<br><br><br><strong>The Last Word</strong><br>India as one the biggest mobile phone markets is one of the most attractive destinations globally. Our population is turning into our strength especially with the first screen being a smartphone. While manufacturers are seeing Make in India to cut costs and grab a bigger slice of the world's one of the largest smartphone markets, the consumers have never had it so good. Interestingly a new mobile phone is no longer an annual or biannual affair any longer. I remember having used my first mobile phone for almost 4 years. The Indian consumer is simply spoilt for choice as far as mobile phones are concerned. I wish the mobile phone success story could be copy pasted to the better “connectivity” story so that we have lesser call drops and better productivity. Any Idea, Airtel Vodafone for better Aircel?<br><br><em>Puneet Mehrotra is a columnist on technology. puneet.im puneet@tbe.in</em></div><div> </div></div>
