HonorTech confirmed to relaunch Honor phones in India with plans to invest Rs 1,000 Cr

Chinese smartphone brand Honor will relaunch in India through a licensing deal with a local company and are aiming to start domestic manufacturing by early next year, its country head told Reuters.

Honor had stopped selling its smartphones in India and reportedly retreated last year amid a limited marketing budget and less prudent portfolio management. India was never a focus market for the previously owned Huawei brand and completely dropped off in 2020 amid Huawei's licensing issues with Google.

Honor's Resurgence in India

India was never a focus market for the Huawei Technologies owned Honor until 2020 when it was forced to spin off the brand and reassess strategy, said Neil Shah, vice president at Counterpoint Research.

However, since going independent, Honor now has access to Google's Mobile Services again and is now setting its site on the world's second-largest smartphone market.

Honor's comeback is underpinned by a licensing deal with a newly formed Gurugram based firm HonorTech for an undisclosed agreed upon cost tied to the transfer of technology and hardware.

Honor Smartphones in India

HonorTech will launch three variants of Honor phones in India, with the mid ranged Number series expected to arrive by September. The company, wholly owned by local shareholders, will make, sell, and service Honor branded smartphones in India.

Madhav Sheth recently teased the imminent launch of Honor smartphones in India. The phones will be eventually manufactured in India, CEO Madhav Sheth said, without disclosing further details.

The biggest challenge with the (Indian) government in the past was how could a Chinese brand be accountable in India, said Sheth, a former executive at rival Realme who was credited for its India expansion.

Competition and Market Share Goals

Of late, Chinese businesses have struggled in India with the government banning several apps and stepping up scrutiny on investments to stave off takeover moves from its neighbour. Honor will compete with the likes of Samsung Electronics - the top seller in India with a near 20 percent market share - followed by Vivo, Xiaomi, Realme, and others, per Counterpoint Research.

HonorTech aims to capture a 5 percent share of India's smartphone market by sales volumes in 2024, with a revenue of at least Rs. 10,000 crore ($1.20 billion), Sheth said. Honor's relaunch in India through a licensing deal marks its strategic comeback after retreating from the Indian market last year.

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