From Obi Mobiles to Xiaomi: Smartphone newbies arrive in India with great expectations

Earlier this week Xiaomi made the wholly expected India debut and a few days later we have Obi Mobiles, backed by former Apple CEO John Sculley’s Inflexionpoint.

Both companies have launched interesting products, if in different segments. While Xiaomi has gone for the kill with the super high-end Mi 3 and other amazingly priced entry-level and mid-range phones , Obi has stuck to a tried and tested formula put in place by the likes of Micromax and Karbonn, with a 5-inch octa-core phone priced attractively.

These are two different launches, and it says a lot about each company’s mindset. While Obi has played it safe, Xiaomi has stuck to its reputation of being a disruptive company. But despite these differences, one common theme is that both are attempting to change the perception of budget phones.

As we said after the big Xiaomi event, the company has outlined its after-sales service and customer care strategy very well. Obi has followed suit with a tool on their official website. This is similar to what Micromax, and Karbonn are doing on their sites now, but Obi has made the right noises from the word go. In fact, Obi has done more than what we have heard from Intex, Maxx, WickedLeak and the likes, who have been around for a long time.

The company said that it has set up 95 service centres around the country. On the website, you can pick your state and city to know where the service centres in your area. A quick look showed third-party service centres, which is exactly what other Indian brands are doing. While Xiaomi said it will be setting up dedicated stores in two cities, Obi has not outlined any such plans.

The Chinese megabrand has a great advantage here of being a known entity, while Obi will have to start from scratch, establishing a brand identity and positioning its devices accordingly. They do have a very distinct looking product that stands apart from the Indian devices. This is thanks largely to the in-house design and testing team.

In a market that has flourished on the back of generic looking devices, this advantage could be blunted. Obi and Xiaomi have come with great expectations, and it remains to be seen whether these new distinctly non-Indian brands can make a dent in the fiercely-competitive market.