Infinix forays into smart TV segment in India.
Chinese smartphone maker Infinix on Monday announced its foray into the smart TV segment in the country with its range of 'Made in India' TVs. The company, which has introduced 32-inch and 42-inch display variants, will compete against peers like Xiaomi, Realme and Motorola from the smartphone segment.
"We have been working on introducing our smart TVs in the Indian market for some time but that was delayed because of the pandemic.
We are finally bringing in our TUV Rheinland certified devices that have the safest viewing experience as it controls the blue light wavelengths emitted during watching TV," Infinix India CEO Anish Kapoor told PTI.
These smart TVs are made in India with a local partner and will go on sale from December 18, he added. The 32-inch smart TV will be priced at Rs INR 11,999, while the 43-inch variant will cost Rs 19,999.
"The Infinix X1 series TV comes with super narrow bezel, which gives it an elegant look to the TV and provides a higher screen-to-body ratio for an immersive viewing experience," Kapoor said but declined to comment on the targeted sales numbers.
Kapoor noted that there has been a significant increase in screen viewing time during the COVID-19 period. "Our smart TV series are for the aspirational users who don't want to compromise on style and specifications while also looking for a value for money offering.
The X1 Smart TV series like other Infinix products is also 'Made in India' and reaffirms our proposition of giving the best value for the price," he added.
A number of smartphone players such as Xiaomi, Samsung, LG, Micromax, Motorola and Realme also have smart TVs in their product portfolio. Premium smartphone maker OnePlus also joined the bandwagon with its smart TV models across various price points.
The Indian television market is estimated to be about 12. 5 million units annually, in which Samsung, Sony and LG control an estimated three-fourth market share.
According to Counterpoint Research, shipments of TVs in India grew 15 per cent annually to reach the highest-ever 15 million units in 2019, and the growth was mainly driven by budget smart TVs, with 32-inch TVs the leading segment.
The report had noted that smart TV was the fastest-growing segment, growing 25 per cent year-on-year.
The smart TV market in India was mostly driven by brands like Xiaomi, Samsung, and emerging tail brands such as TCL, Vu and others, which are leveraging their growing channel presence both online and offline to target new users and upgrade users, the report had added.
