Qualcomm Revives 5G Budget Phones in India: News18

Indian users can finally expect brands to launch affordable 5G phones that will help them use the new high-speed network in the country. Most people say that if you spend Rs 12,000 these days, you’re getting a budget 5G phone, and they’re mostly right. But things are gradually changing with 5G smartphones in India, and more entry into the budget market will soon follow.

Qualcomm India President Savi Soin recently spoke to ReturnByte about his company’s relative absence from the country’s sub-Rs 10,000 mobile segment with 5G phones so far. The company has been working hard on its mobile chipset with Gen AI features, but all the good stuff is reserved for the premium segment.

Qualcomm says that it has been working behind the scenes with its partners and soon we will see smartphones launched in the budget segment. As Savi points out, the market is maturing and the number of 5G phones in the country is growing rapidly.

We’ve heard from brands about their plans to launch affordable 5G phones, but most of them have remained quiet on a specific timeline, with the exception of the likes of Lava. People are eager to see popular names like Xiaomi, Realme and many of them bring affordable 5G deals now that 5G services are available in most nooks and crannies of the country.

It helps that more than 100 million 5G users don’t pay a premium for 5G data plans, but instead get 5G (at least with an icon) on 4G data plans. The Indian mobile segment has seen a dramatic shift in purchasing habits, with more and more people willing to pay a premium for smartphones rather than compromise on budget.

That being said, you still have over 300 million feature phone users who are happy to jump to 4G or 5G if quality phones are within their budget, and according to Soin, that day is not far off.