Nowadays, due to border tensions between India and Pakistan, everyone on social media is posting and sharing about #Boycottchina, Boycott Chinese products, and tonnes more. People are now looking for alternatives to the Chinese phone; meanwhile, we have already covered 59 apps banned in India.
We obviously understand that it bundled a lot of emotions, but there were a lot of questions that had to be answered. Today, we are going to share a bit of knowledge based on our research. I really hope it helps you find your answer. It is essential to clarify where we are standing at this point in time, so let’s begin.
Active Smartphone Manufacturing
First things first, there are a few active smartphone manufacturers. India includes Apple, Xiaomi, Samsung, Oppo, Vivo, Realme, OnePlus, Asus, LG, Huawei, Lenovo, Motorola, HMD Global, Nokia, and HTC. This list contains the most popular Chinese manufacturers listed as top sellers for more than 6 years.
Non-Chinese and Chinese smartphones
The non-Chinese brands are HTC, Apple, Nokia, LG, Asus, and Samsung. The Chinese brands are OnePlus, Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, Huawei, Realme, and Motorola. If you consider buying an affordable budget smartphone from a non-Chinese brand, you can choose from Samsung.
Meanwhile, Asus and Nokia used to bring affordable budgets, but it has been a long time since they both launched their new smartphones. On the other hand, LG, just as you know, and HTC are likely to be dead in India. Moreover, if you want to buy a flagship-powered smartphone from non-Chinese brands, you obviously have no choice.
It was a huge opportunity, and Asus and Nokia should bring a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865-powered smartphone at an affordable price in India. There is no non-Chinese smartphone that you should consider buying.
Chinese smartphones offer incredible specifications at aggressive prices. We all know that there are some concerns about privacy and ad recommendations. Not to mention, these were really great smartphones launched by Realme, Redmi, and OnePlus. Ultimately, the Chinese smartphone was valuable for money.
How to avoid Chinese smartphones
Before that, let’s take a closer look at some credible things that smartphone companies use to manipulate. So here are the terms.
- Made in China
- Assembled in India (Chinese Device)
- Made in China (Non-Chinese Device)
- Made in India
Starting with Made in China, these devices use entirely Chinese resources. The best example was Nubia Red Magic, and these devices don’t bring a massive profit to India. Secondary Chinese devices assembled in India generate employment and provide good revenue for India. Smartphones such as Redmi, Oppo, Vivo, and Realme place a tag in their boxes.
While this comes under make in India, local resources and employment have been used, and these companies have made their offices, plants, and R&D centers, and both sides were profitable. Moving to non-Chinese smartphones made in China, such as the Apple iPhone, there was some news about Foxconn’s announcements in 2015 to build 12 factories in India to generate 1 million, and today, we have 2 facilities.
Apple should now be inspired by Samsung. Samsung has the world’s largest mobile factory, so Foxconn should consider it. Moreover, Samsung designed its PCBs in India, among other things. According to reports, Samsung might also invest $500 million in a display plant in India. There has yet to be any news from Apple, but it takes a few years. It further reduces dependency on China and generates employment in India.
Lastly, made-in-India smartphones like Micromax apps are not Indian; instead, they are Chinese smartphones. They used to rebrand Chinese smartphones sourced from China, and we don’t have a made-in-India smartphone now. This is the thing we need to focus on and push, and the government also needs to invest in Indian companies so they can use products like sensors, cameras, displays, SOC, memory batteries, and some other components for a whole decade.
This is not overnight; instead, it should be a slow process to access. Not to mention, and this is a fact, China is the largest factory in the world. India depends on China not only for smartphones but also for almost everything.
How much does India depend on China?
Therefore, here are the stats we depend on China for pharmaceuticals: 60% toys, 90% automobile components, 50% bicycle market, and 90% solar power equipment. On the other hand, Chinese investors invested in the most popular Indian apps, such as Byju’s, OLA, Dream 11, Flipkart, Hike, Swiggy, Niyo, Ganna, Doubtnut, Khatabook, MX Player, Pocket FM, Practo, and MyGate by Tencent.
Alibaba invests in Paytm, Bigbasket, Paytm Mall, Snapdeal, Zomato, Healofy, Ticketnow, Rapido, Vidooly, and XpressBees. Notably, Hungama, Sharechat, Rapido, ZestMoney, Oye! Rickshaw, City Mall, and Marsplay Internet by Xiaomi. There was more to go, suggesting a lot of Chinese investments in Indian companies.
India needs a better government policy that inspires and supports Indian companies to survive. More investments in startups. Focus on R&D and innovation. We already said it takes time, but we can win by slow and steady moving. The boycott was more likely a social campaign, and it is important to look down more practically.
Hopefully, you have seen more practical things. Let’s share your options and have a positive discussion. Thanks for being with us. We would like to know your valuable opinion and feedback. If you have any queries, share them with us in the comment section below. Stay tuned for more updates in the future.