Samsung claims it’s still on top in India in reaction to ‘Micromax is No. 1′ claims

Just a week back, a research firm announced that Samsung India had lost its spot as the leading mobile phone maker in Q2 2014 to Micromax. Well, the company hasn’t taken the information lying down and has responded stating the claims to be untrue and that it still holds the top position in the mobile market.

Samsung’s President and Chief Executive for South-West Asia, BD Park, has disclosed this information to The Economic Times and has also stated that the company still holds a market share of almost 50%. And in the smartphone category, it apparently has a market share that’s twice the amount of the next competitor’s, which is obviously Micromax.

This information shared by BD Park was based on the company’s internal research and data form an undisclosed firm. He also went on to suggest the possibility of there being ‘some business motive behind release of such kind of data.’ The report which was published by Counterpoint Technology last week disclosed that Micromax managed to earn the top spot in India for Q2.

Also see: Micromax ranks second in Indian smartphone segment, may soon dethrone Samsung

However, CMR (CyberMedia Research) disclosed that the South Korean conglomerate was still in the lead, but the gap between it and the second place holder was slowly closing. While this data is highly contradictory, both research companies are sticking to their findings. Then there’s the India-based GfK which disclosed that Samsung possessed a smartphone market share of 42.5% with the overall total being 40.5%.

Even if Samsung India continues to reign supreme in the Indian smartphone market, Micromax and other OEMs are still trying their best to overtake the giant. And who knows, we might even see that happen in the near future with the Korean company slowly losing its pace.

Idea Ultra+ and Fab 3G smartphones launched for Rs 8,300 and Rs 4,999

To further push the adoption of 3G Internet in the country, Idea has launched two affordable smartphones with special plans on its network. The Idea Ultra+ and Idea Fab have been launched for Rs 8,300 and Rs 4,999 respecitvely. Both are aimed at first-time smartphone buyers.

The Idea Fab a basic dual-SIM smartphone, featuring a 4-inch display with a decent resolution of 800 x 480 pixels. It packs a 1.2GHz dual-core processor with 512MB of RAM. There’s an outdated 3.2 MP main camera and no front camera, so picture quality might not be at par with the more expensive phones in this segment. Idea claims that the phone’s display is protected with Gorilla Glass, so it should be pretty resilient to scratches and minor drops. The Idea Fab runs on the Android 4.2 Jelly Bean operating system. Even at a budget price, it includes all the necessary connectivity features such as 3G, Wi-Fi and GPS.

The Idea Ultra+ comes with more features compared with the Ultra Fab. It’s a dual-SIM smartphone with a faux-leather finish on the back. Powered by a 1.3 GHz quad-core processor and 1GB RAM, it features a 5-inch display with a resolution of 854 x 480 pixels. There’s a 8MP camera and it packs a larger 2000 mAh battery. Like the Idea Fab, the Ultra+ lacks a front-facing camera. Internal storage is limited to just 4GB, though you can expand it up to 32GB with an external memory card. The Idea Ultra + also runs on the older, Android 4.2 Jelly Bean operating system.

Idea users get additional 3G data benefits such as 1.6 GB of free 3G data and free Idea TV for 3 months. Existing subscribers can sign up for the plan at Rs. 259 , while new subscribers can buy it for Rs 261.