India’s largest smartphone maker looks to Apple to reinvent itself

Micromax founder and CEO Rahul Sharma. Photo credit: Micromax.

Micromax, India’s biggest smartphone maker, wants to move away from the industry’s testosterone-driven hardware specs battle, and wants its Yu brand to drive that change.

For that, it is taking a leaf out of Apple’s playbook.

India is arguably the second biggest smartphone market in the world, but growth has chiefly come from the US$100 smartphone categories. Everyone from Google to Samsung is trying hard to to stuff better and better specs into the phones to lure the first-time buyer.

See: Xiaomi speeds up its launches in India, debuts Mi5 phone

That conversation, however, is slowly changing as the likes of Xiaomi popularize frequent updates and customizable skins. Now, Micromax wants in.

“We want to move away from a hardware-centric model and open a new segment of how to experience a software-centric model,” Rahul Sharma, founder and CEO of the company, told Tech in Asia at a gathering for reporters ahead of the launch of Yu’s flagship phone, the Yunicorn.

Yu’s focus will be more on how to help users in their day-to-day life, rather than on specs like megapixels or processor strength, he said.

Will Micromax win the smartphone game with the amped up Yu? Photo credit: BagoGames.

The company launched its wholly-owned Yu brand in December 2014, targeting an evolved audience set, even as rivals from China upped their game and flooded the markets with their devices.

See: With 15 new smartphones in one day, Micromax goes to war on Xiaomi

“Micromax is a mass brand. With Yu, we are targeting tech natives, and all those guys who want to have a product which keeps on evolving,” Rahul said.

So, while the core Micromax brand lives by flooding the market with various affordable phones, Rahul is planning to notch up the Yu brand to lure gourmet techies.