According to Bloomberg, India intends to restrict mainland Chinese smartphone makers from selling devices priced below 12,000 Indian rupees (about 1026 yuan, $150) in an effort to boost India’s homegrown cell phone industry.
According to people familiar with the matter, the move by Indian authorities is aimed at pushing the mainland Chinese cell phone giant out of the country’s low-end cell phone market due to growing concerns that brands such as realme and Transnational are squeezing the living space of local Indian manufacturers.
Data from Counterpoint shows that smartphones under $150 accounted for one-third of India’s sales in the second quarter ending June 2022, with Chinese companies accounting for 80 percent of shipments.
In addition, India has seen several enforcement actions against Chinese cell phone companies in recent times, including Xiaomi, Vivo and OPPO. on July 29, India also took down the India-only version of the Jedi Battlegrounds mobile game, Battlegrounds Mobile India, again.
Reports suggest that this move should not affect Apple or Samsung, as these two major manufacturers have higher priced phones. Representatives for Xiaomi, realme and Transmogrification did not respond to requests for comment. A spokesman for India’s Ministry of Science and Technology also did not respond to Bloomberg’s inquiries.
