On the day HTC One M8 started selling in India, Sony upped the ante by launching its new premium flagship, the Xperia Z2, at the same price of Rs 49,990. However, Sony also added its new SmartBand to the deal in a bid to make wearable devices more popular in India.
The Sony Xperia Z2 will stand out for its dust-proof and water-proof body, 20.7MP camera with 4K video recording capabilities and the access it gives to loads of Sony content.
Kenichiro Hibi, Managing Director of Sony India, told indianexpress.com that pricing was intentional as they wanted to remain competitive in the flagship segment. “The phone is packed with the all the latest technology that Sony is proud to offer. We want customers to feel what is next for the mobile phone segment,” he added.
Significantly, Sony is trying to make wearable devices more popular in India with bundling its SmartBand with the Sony Xperia Z2 and pricing it at Rs 5,990 when bought without the phone.
Sony has priced SmartBand at Rs 5,990 when bought without Sony Xperia Z2.
“Most customers don’t know what wearable devices are. Our intention is to let customers use these devices and know how they can impact your life,” Hibi said, explaining the aggressive pricing on the bands. The Sony SmartBand will run with all Android KitKat smartphones through the Lifelog app which will keep tabs on everything happening in a person’s life. Hibi said Sony wanted to leave the choice to the customer and not limit them to using the SmartBand just with a Sony phone.
Asked if it was becoming difficult with so many new players entering the Indian market, Hibi said: “Having more players will help smartphones penetrate the market more and that is good.”
Sony India claims a 10 per cent market share in smartphones and is targeting sales of Rs 5,500 crore this fiscal.
