Microsoft is gearing up to make its presence felt in the Indian market with the launch of high-end Windows 10 Mobile smartphones, expected to be soon after the launch of Windows 10 Mobile later this year.
Microsoft India this year has been focusing more on the budget segment in the country. The company has primarily launched sub-Rs 10,000 smartphones in the Indian market to strengthen its budget, offering aggressively. Mehta said the firm had seen success in this segment.
In a report, the Wall Street Journal cites a Microsoft India executive to claim the firm plans to launch top-end smartphones running Windows 10 Mobile this year. Ajey Mehta, Managing Director at Microsoft Mobile Devices, India, told WSJ, “If we want to build Microsoft as a strong consumer brand, we need a presence at the flagship, high-end segment,” speaking about the company’s intentions for the Indian market.
Details about the Windows 10 Mobile-based smartphone expected to launch in India is limited as of now. Preliminary leaks have suggested that two high-end Lumia smartphones are expected to be revealed later this year. Currently, codenamed‘Cityman’ and ‘Talkman,’ both the Lumia smartphones, are targeted at the premium segment. We can expect Microsoft to launch both the handsets as the platform lead devices for Windows 10 Mobile.
This year, some of the smartphones launched in India include the Lumia 430 Dual SIM, which was launched at Rs 5,999; Lumia 640 XL Dual SIM at Rs. 15,799 and Lumia 540 Dual SIM at Rs. 10,199. Apart from the Lumia-series, the company also unveiled the affordable Internet-ready Nokia 215 Dual SIM feature phone, priced at Rs. 2,149.
Microsoft India even introduced back in March a ‘Smart Exchange offer’ for its existing Ashaconsumers to upgrade to the Lumia 435 Dual SIM smartphone.
