Micromax Mobiles has launched its latest smartphone in India called the “Superfone”. As the name suggests, Micromax is trying to establish itself into a new orbit with its latest offering. Micromax A85 Superfone is powered with 1 GHz dual core NVIDIA Tegra2 processor and Android 2.2 OS, which can be upgraded to 2.3 (Gingerbread). In addition, Micromax brings a new feature to the plate, gesture control, which means you just have to wave your hand to command the phone. It can be used to answer/reject /silence incoming calls, or turn on the speaker during a call. It also allows users to scroll/navigate through emails, contacts, photo gallery and music playlists using hand gestures. The device has a 3.8” Gorilla glass capacitive touchscreen (480X800 pixels), 5 MP rear camera, VGA front camera and supports 3G and Wi-Fi both.
Other than Android 2.2 OS, the specifications undoubtedly are impressive, especially the innovative gesture control feature. But the big question remains, will the price sensitive Indian consumers shell out INR 18,990 ($360) to buy a smartphone from Micromax when they can get an iPhone3GS or the latest Blackberry Curve smartphones(9350 and 9380) for INR 20,990 ($400) and a number of devices from Samsung and Nokia within the same price range? Micromax is undoubtedly one of the most established local players and the most innovative of the lot. But it still carries the perception of a brand targeting the lower end of the market. An upward brand extension is always difficult, especially when the success factor of the brand has primarily been low-cost devices. It would be a tough battle ahead for Micromax to move out of its comfort zone and establish itself in the mid/high end segment competing directly with the established global players.
