Last September OnePlus got into the TV market by launching OnePlus Q1 and Q1 Pro. Both TVs were premium range TVs with a starting price of 69,999. Specification and performance-wise both TVs were really good. But that was not enough to present itself as a strong competitor in the Indian TV market which is largely dominated by entry-level and mid-range TVs. That’s why OnePlus is prepping to launch an affordable one in India on the 2nd of July.
OnePlus CEO Pete Lau announced on Twitter that the company will launch affordable smart TV 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.” That’s means rather than cutting corner OnePlus want to give a premium feel at an affordable price.
OnePlus will compete against the liking of Xiaomi, Realme, Vu, and other affordable brands. According to the counterpoint research, India’s smart TV market in January-March, the entry-level segment accounted for up to 45% of sales, and mid-range for around 33%. Together these two segments accounted for almost 80% TV sales in India.
This the reason Xiaomi and Realme have targeted these two segments. Recently Realme has launched two models, 32-inch and 43-inch models, priced at Rs 12,999 and Rs 21,999, respectively. So OnePlus also has to offer something at this price point to grab the market share. And 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.
The Indian market has shown brands from time to time that your brand value can’t save you if you can’t offer affordable pricing. Last year OnePlus tried to target a small portion of the market which was already dominated by LG and Samsung. So this time they want to target the affordable section to leave an impression in the Indian TV market.
