Time for Atmanirbharta in smartphones, too? New ‘make in India’ AI+ phone to take on industry giants

It’s time for some ‘atmanirbharta’ in mobile phones, too. After feting the Nokias and Samsungs of the world, and having watched the war of the smartphones where Chinese brands like Xiaomi and America’s Apple were the star contestants, India is also stepping into the ring.

 

Say ‘namaste’ to what its makers claim is India’s first smartphone designed and built entirely within the country—the AI+.

 

“In a market worth 5 lakh crore rupees, no Indian brand has more than 3 per cent market share,” said Madhav Sheth, founder of NxtQuantum Shift Technologies, as he unveiled what is billed to be the first truly ‘Make in India’ phone, which follows all of India’s data privacy policies. This includes end-to-end data governance, with all user data stored within India on MeITy-approved cloud infrastructure (albeit hosted by Google Cloud).

 

The AI+ phone models—two of which were launched on Tuesday afternoon, also boast India’s first sovereign mobile operating system. The company claims the OS is auditable, policy-aligned, and governed by applicable Indian laws.

 

Interestingly, while the promoters emphasise the indigenous credentials, they also note that the supposedly sovereign OS is built on Android, the ubiquitous global operating system from Alphabet, America’s largest technology company.

 

In fact, two America-linked giants were present in person at the event to cheer on this ‘desi’ challenger. Google Cloud’s newly anointed India head, Sashikumar Sreedharan, as well as Walmart-backed Flipkart’s mobile division vice-president, Smrithi Ravichandran.

 

Flipkart is partnering to launch the phone this weekend—the 4G model Pulse will go on sale from Saturday noon (12 pm) on Flipkart at a 500 rupee discount on its original price of ₹4,999 (for 4/64GB; price is ₹6,999 for 6/128GB configuration) while the 5G-enabled Nova, the other model, will go on sale from Sunday noon at the introductory discount of ₹7,499 (6/128GB; ₹9,499 for 8/128 GB). The discounts are valid only for the first day.

 

The Flipkart offer (it coincides with the start of the GOAT sale of the e-commerce giant this weekend) also includes an exchange bonus on all phone models, working or dead, under its Prexo programme.

 

“India isn’t assembling phones anymore, it’s building its own digital foundation. AI+ smartphones are all about putting control back in the hands of Indian users,” said Sheth.

Sci/Tech