Microsoft's Onam offer for Kerala market: Lumia 530 launch, Lumia 630 giveaway

With the affordable smartphone segment growing exponentially in India, Microsoft Devices on Tuesday launched the Lumia 530 dual SIM in Kerala market as part of its ‘Onam’ festival launch.   Consumers purchasing from the array of Lumia devices will get a chance to participate in the ‘Onam’ scratch and win contest and win Lumia 630, free or assured cash back of up to Rs 1,000 on select devices, T S Sridhar, Director-South, Nokia India, a subsidiary of Microsoft Mobiles Oy, told reporters here.   There will be 400 Lumia 630s to be won over the one month, he said adding 31,000 prizes, including cash, would be given away during the period. This is the first time Microsoft Devices is making offerings during ‘Onam’. The new Lumia 530 provides a entry to Windows Phone 8.1 with a quad core processor delivering faster and smoother user experience, Sridhar said.   As the affordable smartphone segment is primarily driven by the youth, Microsoft Devices is offering a wide range of special offers. Consumers shopping online through the Windows Phone Snapdeal app on Lumia 530 will get Rs 3000 off from Snapdeal. They can also win six free movie tickets from BookMyShow when they book seats to any show through the app.   “Consumers today have evolved way beyond basic requirements and functions. Even in the affordable smartphone segment, consumers are looking for better and enhanced functionalities. Good imaging experience, display, longer battery life and a smarter OS experience are all important factors that go into choosing a phone. Thus in the last few years we have focused on creating great user experiences which customers can enjoy,” Sridhar added.   Increasingly, consumers are looking at buying affordable smartphones that cost less than Rs 12,000 but still come packed with all features of high-end smartphones. The affordable smartphone category (Rs 8,000 - Rs 12,000) is witnessing tremendous growth, according to Strategy Analytics.   According to IDC, India witnessed the highest growth in smartphone sales across Asia Pacific at over 186 per cent during Q1 of 2014 and is expected to grow at a similar pace. The sub-Rs 12,000 category in smartphones contributed 78 per cent in first quarter of 2014 (IDC Report).   PTI