Cheaper OnePlus smart TV launching in India on July 2; direct target will be Xiaomi and Realme (Image: Pete Lau/Twitter)
Last year in September, OnePlus forayed into the smart TV segment with the launch of the OnePlus TV Q1 and the OnePlus TV Q1 Pro. While these two smart televisions are premium offerings, starting at Rs 69,900, the brand is targeting the affordable segment for the Indian consumers.
OnePlus CEO Pete Lau announced on Twitter that the company will launch cheaper smart TV from OnePlus on July 2 for the Indian consumers. He tweeted, “It’s official. We’re making our premium smart TV experience more accessible to our Indian community.” Lau’s tweet clarifies that the company will not compromise on the offerings of its affordable TV and will offer premium features just as its expensive smart TVs.
Affordable OnePlus smart TV: What could be the price?
Earlier, OnePlus India’s chief strategy officer Navnit Nakra told the Economic Times that considering the rapid growth of the entry and mid-segments in India, the brand is planning to launch new TVs to diversify its offerings and reach a wider audience. As per the report, the OnePlus’ entry-level smart TV will be around $200 (15,000) whereas the mid-range TV will likely be in Rs 20,000 to Rs 40,000 range.
Realme smart TV 32-inch HD Ready. (Image source: Flipkart)
As per Counterpoint’s January-March report, India’s entry-level smart TV segment (below Rs 20,000) amount to 45 per cent of the overall smart TV market, recording a whopping 80 per cent on-year growth in the first quarter of 2020. The mid-level segment (up to Rs 40,000) cornered 33 per cent market share.
A lot of smartphone manufacturers and brands are now making smart TVs in India. Brands like Realme, Nokia, and Motorola recently launched smart TVs with their name in the Indian market. Xiaomi also has a number of TV offerings in India and Aiwa also made its comeback to the country last year. Currently, Samsung leads the overall TV segment and Xiaomi leads the smart TV segment.
As per the ET report, Tarun Pathak of Counterpoint Research expects the demand for TVs to come back in the second half of 2020. Nakra told the publication that with better connectivity and OTT content availability, the smart TV segment is growing across segments and OnePlus is looking at new product lines to reach more customers.