At an event in Visakhapatnam, Xiaomi launched its first handset manufactured locally in the country, the Redmi 2 Prime. The Chinese manufacturer stated last year that it was looking to set up a facility in India, and with the government looking to boost manufacturing through the "Make in India" program, Xiaomi was able to get a deal fast-tracked.
From Xiaomi's global VP Hugo Barra:
Redmi 2 Prime is the first smartphone from Xiaomi to be assembled in our facility in Sri City. We would like to thank Andhra Pradesh government for helping us to start local manufacturing within just six months. Initial talks started in February and today we have already started to sell the Redmi 2 Prime. As for the hardware on offer, the Redmi 2 Prime features a 4.7-inch 720p screen, Snapdragon 410 CPU, 2GB RAM, 16GB internal memory, 8MP camera, 2MP front shooter and a 2,200mAh battery. The device will be available for ₹6,999 ($110) in the country.
Xiaomi is collaborating with Foxconn in assembling the phone in India, which Barra said was similar to the arrangement both organizations have in Brazil:
The unit in Brazil and the one here are exactly the same. It took us about three times more the time to start manufacturing in Brazil than in India.
Initially, all the components will be imported from China as the manufacturing segment is still in its nascent stages:
This is like the typical chicken and egg story. Unless there is any smartphone manufacturing happening in the country, you cannot expect to get components locally.
Xiaomi has mentioned that it will source locally for packaging and accessories in the future, and will look to scale up production at the factory based on the demand.
The Indian government's push to boost hardware manufacturing has attracted interest from several global vendors, including Sony, HTC and Samsung. Hardware manufacturing was generally limited to phones that were being exported out of the country, as was the case with Nokia's iconic Chennai facility, which accounted for a majority of Nokia handsets sold in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
That's set to change in the coming months and years, as the government recently signed off on Huawei's bid to manufacture and sell phones locally. Foxconn has also entered into a five-year agreement that sees the vendor establishing 12 factories in the country, bringing in an investment of $5 billion.
Source: The Indian Express
Reader comments
The Redmi 2 Prime is Xiaomi's first locally manufactured phone in India
I wish the US market would still see phones that size. When is the backlash against huge phones going to start (don't think it won't; consumers only need one popular phone that size and the 'new' trend will start)?
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This message brought to you via the sarcasm keyboard available for download at the Google Play Store.
LG-G2 on Lollipop.
"When is the backlash against huge phones going to start"
It won't. The reason is that because 5' phones are now actually smaller than 4' phones from 2-3 years ago. The bezels are almost gone, the speaker grilles are tiny, the physical home buttons are gone, and even fingerprint scanners are now being put on the rear. So even if you are absolutely adamant about one handed operation AND have tiny hands, actually using a 5' phone today is little different from using a 4' phone a few years ago. None other than Apple realizes this, which is why the Apple 5c was their last 4' phone. Instead of offering an Apple 6 Mini (which they were heavily rumored to before they shot it down) they are going to work on making the bezels on their 4.7' phone smaller, until their 4.7' phone is almost as small as a 5c (it is already about the same size as an iPhone 4 and smaller than an iPhone 3).
I think that the 5' and 4.7' phones that you mention are called televisions.
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Where are the specs...??
Nevermind git it.
Honest question here, do people in India actually read an American/UK site for Android, isn't there an Indian site for Android stuff? Cuz there's a lot of Indian stuff reported on here that for the majority of us is irrelevant. It would seem. Correct me please if I'm wrong.
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Yes, we actually do. I have been an ardent reader of Android Central and the Mobile Nations sister-sites for the last 3-4 years. I have a lot of friends too whose daily habits include spending some quality time on Android Central. Thanks for the Indian news content AC, keep up the good work!
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OK thank you
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Yes, I am an Indian living in United States since 2001. I dont mind any news from any country, if it interests you read or just move on to another post.
android central. good work. keep it up!!!
Android central is a global website with USA readers only making 40% of readership, India ranks second for page hits on this website, i hope you got the answer.
With specs like these and the price, it will be impossible for Indians to consider the Moto G 2015 at twice the price.
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Even better idea is to go online EBay or Amazon and buy one of these great phones for far less and unlocked
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Here is how you can root redmi 2 without computer in easiest way possible http://www.beingtricky.com/root-xiaomi-redmi-2/