‘People Are Now Ready To Buy Costlier Smartphones’
Nubia recently launched N2 in the Indian market and Nubia Z17 is all set to come in the market. The mobile brand’s good sale figure on the Amazon Prime Day is a good sign for the new entrants. In an exclusive interview with BW Businessworld, Dheeraj Kukreja, Marketing Director, Nubia and Eric Hu, Country Manager, Nubia spoke about competition in the Indian market, rising purchasing power of the Indian middle class, GST rollout and more. Edited Excerpts:
You are a new entrant in the Indian market, so, what are your aspirations and challenges?
Dheeraj - Our aspiration is to be among the top five players within the next five years while the biggest challenge is to communicate our strengths to our potential customers.
Eric - We have our own Nubia user interface (UI) which we keep on upgrading, we do not operate on the stock Android, and so you don’t have to worry about which operating system you are working on. People are not aware of this new operation. So, reaching to them is a challenge. It takes some time to make people know more about us.
What are the strengths of Nubia?
Dheeraj - We have three highlight points which make us better from our counterparts. One is our own UI, second is the design and third is the photography feature that we provide. Then, there is neo-power optimization tool; one thing is you increase the battery units and the other option is to take out the maximum juice of the battery. So, rather than making a battery bulky, we make 3000 milliAmpere hour battery more usable. Same is the case with our camera; it is very easy to switch to a greater megapixel camera but we focus on giving you better image with the same megapixel camera. You can do much more than just clicking a photograph with our camera. So, when you experience our product, you will see how our products make things easier.
What’s your strategy for surviving the competition of the Indian smartphone market?
Dheeraj - Our strength is our product. We are very confident of our product. We were launched in 2012 in China. Since then, we have taken mobile photography to a different level. Every time there is a new launch, you will see something new in terms of design, in terms of photography or in terms of user interface. So, we think our product will easily survive the competition.
Recently, Nokia and Xiaomi joined hands, do you think they can take the lion share of the market?
Dheeraj - I can’t talk about other products but I can definitely say that we have been improving since the last five years. You will see us improvising with every new launch.
The purchasing power of Indian middle class is rising, so, what’s in your basket for the Indian middle class?
Dheeraj - Before our launch in India, we did a research and found that people are now ready to buy costlier mobile in comparison to previous years. Our average price is Rs 16,500; we know this is where the future lies, so we are already targeting this area. Right now, we have a range that starts from Rs 7000 to Rs 30,000.
How do you see the goods and services tax roll out for your business?
Dheeraj - Yeah, the imported mobile phones have become a little costlier with the roll out but the company has decided not to shift the burden to the Indian consumers. We haven’t increased our prices and we are running discounts as well.
Will you stay limited to online platforms or we may get to see Nubia in retail stores as well?
Dheeraj - We have an exclusive tie-up with Amazon but Amazon is also pushing for the offline market. We are in close discussion with them as to how can we hit the offline market as well.
How has been the response in India?
Eric - Nubia was formally launched last year in October and till now we have launched nine models and we can say that feedback and review is good. That means people are finding our product good.
There’s a new technology coming in say, after every six months in the smartphones. So, how important is innovation to sustain in the market?
Dheeraj - In 2012, the photography of stars was done by Nubia Z5. It was the first image of Milky Way clicked by any smartphone. So, the zoom and the detail which our camera offers make our device unique. So, we can assume the level of our innovation.
There has been an increasing focus on artificial intelligence (AI) within the smartphones, so, how does take this forward?
Eric - We have already introduced AI in our models. It helps to take better images. We are also working to expand AI in our handsets.
Since, India is rapidly switching from 3G to 4G, the role of processors for providing a smooth internet experience has increased. Is Nubia ready on this front?
Dheeraj - We offer split screen, so, you can work on both screens simultaneously. You can work on multiple tabs and there will be no deadlock situation on the phone. You can play two heavy graphic games simultaneously. Our processor allows you to do things that others won’t offer.
Will we see Nubia contributing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ programme?
Eric - Yes, we have already discussed manufacturing in India with many local manufacturers. Currently, we are negotiating with their terms and conditions.
So, will that bring down the cost of Nubia smartphones?
Eric - Absolutely, with the new tax regime the price will be cheaper than the price of imported units from China. So, we will pass this benefit to customers.
