Vivo on Tuesday said that it will start exporting smartphones out of India by the end of this year. The Chinese smartphone maker also told The Hindu that its association with lens-maker Zeiss will continue.
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The smartphone maker is optimistic about the 5G roll out as well. Vivo has partnered with Reliance Jio for latter’s GamesCloud to offer 5G gaming experience to its users. The company also said that the manufacturing of 4G and 5G devices to continue as it is today. Vivo’s 5G smartphone range generally begins above ₹20,000 except Vivo T1 5G smartphone.
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On the question of whether a pan-India rollout of 5G would bring down the cost of handset, Paigham Danish, Head of Business Strategy at Vivo India, said “There are many components that define the price of a phone. So, it will be premature to say that the prices will come down of the 5G phones.”
Vivo is currently able to meet the demand in the Indian smartphone market, and is also aiming to start export handsets out of its Greater Noida manufacturing unit. “We are planning to increase out manufacturing output,” Danish noted.
Vivo is expected to launch its first foldable smartphone, the X Fold, in India next year | Photo Credit: Haider Ali Khan
In response to a question on whether Vivo’s 4G handsets will be exported first as demand for those pieces could drop following a hike in sales of 5G smartphones, Danish said the company will evaluate these things once it gets ready with the export, which is expected by the end of 2022.
The BBK Electronics owned company is expected to bring the next generation of X-series, Vivo X90, in association with Zeiss next year. The company also aims to commercially launch its first foldable smartphone in India next year. It launched its foldable phone at the end of September in China.
On the questions of broadening its ecosystem with smart TVs, and other gadgets, Danish said, “Vivo is solely focus on smartphones. We have no plans to launch a smart TV or venture into other verticals as of now.”