Micromax Informatics

Micromax Informatics is an Indian company that manufactures smartphones and consumer electronics, headquartered in Gurgaon, Haryana, India. It was established as an IT software company operating in the embedded devices domain. It later entered the mobile handset business. Micromax Informatics Limited is one of the leading consumer electronics companies in India and the 10th largest mobile phone player in the world.
By 2010, Micromax was one of the largest domestic companies making handsets in the low-cost feature phone segment in India. As of Q3 2014, Micromax is the tenth largest smartphone vendor in the world. The company is facing stiff competition from Chinese companies that are penetrating the Indian market. The company also owns YU Televentures, which sells the products under the brand name YU. It has recently launched its new mobile phone series IN.
History.
Micromax was incorporated as Micromax Informatics Ltd. in the year 2000 by Rahul Sharma and Rohit Patel. It began selling mobile phones in 2008, focusing on democratising technology for masses to compete with international players.
The company has also introduced handsets (budget and flagship) with innovative features. For instance, Micromax's co-founder Rahul Sharma once saw a public call office being powered by a truck battery because of frequent power cuts in its locale. This prompted him to launch a feature mobile phone with a long battery life. This was the X1i phone, Micromax's first telephone with a month-long battery back-up.
In 2014, Micromax's sales in India exceeded those of Samsung. It became the mobile telephone manufacturer to ship the most telephones in one quarter in India. On 24 January 2014, Micromax became the first Indian mobile company to sell in Russia. In 2020, Micromax made a comeback in the Indian mobile industry with a new sub-brand "IN".
Segments.
Consumer Electronics.
Known for mobile handsets and LED TV panels, Micromax is also expanding its portfolio in the consumer electronics segment, targeting the "premium economy" consumers.
Products.
Funbook series.
Micromax entered the tablet computer market with the debut of the Funbook series.
Funbook Pro (HD display, finger print sensor) with Snapdragon processor &18GB RAM, runs Android One
Canvas Knight A350 and Canvas A1.
Micromax launched its first eight-core flagship smartphone, Canvas Knight A350, in March 2014 for the Russian market. In the same year on September, Micromax launched the Android One smartphone, Canvas A1.
Canvas Silver 5, Canvas Win W092 and Canvas Win W121.
Micromax launched Micromax Canvas Sliver 5, which it claimed was the slimmest telephone in the world on 17 June 2015. The company is an official Windows Phone 8.1 hardware partner. In June 2014, it launched two Windows smartphones, the Micromax Canvas Win W092 and the Micromax Canvas Win W121.
Canvas Amaze 2.
On 8 June 2015, Micromax announced the launch of Micromax Amaze 2. The device has a 5-inch IPS display with resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. The smartphone is powered by a 1.4 GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor with 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal storage.
Canvas Unite 4 and Canvas Unite 4 Pro.
A year later, Micromax announced the launch of Micromax Canvas Unite 4 and Canvas Unite 4 Pro. Both these smartphones run on Indus OS 2.0. The Canvas Unite 4 is powered by a 1.0 GHz quad-core processor with 1 GB RAM. The Micromax Canvas Unite 4 Pro had more powerful specifications, featuring a 1.3 GHz quad-core processor with 2 GB RAM.
Canvas Mega 2.
In 2016, Micromax Canvas Mega 2 was launched and shipped.
Bharat series.
Micromax has rolled out basic smartphones with 4G capabilities under the Bharat series. So far, the company has already launched Bharat 2 - which is considered as one of India's cheapest 4G mobile phones.
Dual 4 & Dual 5.
Micromax has announced the entry of Micromax Dual 5 and Micromax Dual 4 in India.
Canvas Infinity.
Later in August 2017, Micromax launched its first bezel-less smartphone with an aspect ratio of 18:9. This device called Canvas Infinity still fell within the budget category.
Infinity N11.
Micromax Infinity N11 smartphone was launched in December 2018.
YU ACE TV.
Following the latest 18:9 trend, the smartphone features a 5.4-inch HD+ Full View display with the screen resolution of 720 pixels. Powered by a 1.5 GHz quad-core MediaTek 6739 processor, the device runs on the latest Android Oreo operating system. Furthermore, backed up by 2 GB RAM + 16 GB internal storage, the handset will later be launched in 3 GB RAM + 32 GB storage variants as well.
Canvas 3 TV.
Running Android Nougat OS, Micromax Canvas 3 allows media sharing and wireless smartphone control. The TV comes in different screen sizes: 32-inch, 40-inch and 50-inch.
IN Series.
The IN Series, IN Note 1 which has Helio G85 and 128GB internal storage, the IN 1B has 5000mAh & 32GB internal storage and has Helio G35 and the IN 1 has 5000mAh battery, 6/128GB Storage and has G80.
Manufacturing in India.
Products manufactured.
Mobile phones, LED TVs, LED lights and Tablets. The Government would be providing land to Micromax for setting up the centre, which has a capacity to produce 10 lakh devices a month, which include mobile phones, LED TVs, LED lights and Tablets. It presently employs 700 people. The firm's first facility in Uttarakhand has a capacity to produce 16 lakh devices.
Manufacturing hubs.
Micromax have three factories - Bhiwadi (Rajasthan), Rudrapur (Uttarakhand) and Telangana. In Bhiwadi, the SMT (surface mount technology) line is already operational and trials are running in Rudrapur. For Telangana, the machinery is under import. Altogether, Micromax will have a capacity of about 30 lakh a month for mobile phones.
Manufacturing.
Micromax started manufacturing LED televisions and tablets at its factory in Rudrapur (SIDCUL), Uttarakhand, in April 2014. , Micromax was set to start a manufacturing plant in Rajasthan's Alwar district after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Government of Rajasthan and Bhagwati Products Ltd.
YU Televentures.
The first product, to be launched under a newly floated wholly owned unit, YU Televentures, is a smartphone with operating system from US-based Cyanogen Inc. through which Micromax aims to move beyond the business of mobile phone hardware that has become more or less standardised.
Projects and Partnerships.
In November 2014, Micromax partnered with Cyanogen Inc. to provide Cyanogen-based smartphones in India, under the brand name YU.
As of 10 April 2016, Micromax announced a strategic partnership with digital payments company TranServ and major global payments technology company Visa to offer the next generation of payment solutions in India.
Endorsements.
Actors Akshay Kumar and Twinkle Khanna were the first celebrities to endorse Micromax Mobiles. Hugh Jackman was the brand ambassador of Micromax and appeared in a commercial in 2013 for its first flagship smartphone, the Canvas Turbo A250, and for the Canvas 4 and Canvas Sliver 5 thereafter. In July 2013, actress Chitrangada Singh posed for the Canvas 4 smartphone in New Delhi. Vighnesh Pande endorsed Micromax Canvas Unite 4 line of smartphones in 2017.
Key awards and achievements.
Micromax was recognized as an Emerging Company of the Year by V&D 100 Awards.
In 2017, Rahul Sharma was conferred the Transformational Business Leader of the Year.
Controversies.
Patent litigation.
In March 2013, Ericsson sued Micromax for infringement of Ericsson's eight patents registered in India that were essential to the 2G and 3G standards. The Delhi High Court ordered Micromax to pay royalty amounts to Ericsson based on the percentages of the net selling prices of the devices incorporating 2G and 3G standards. Around the time that Ericsson filed its patent infringement suit, Micromax filed a concurrent complaint with the Competition Commission of India (CCI), alleging that Ericsson had abused its allegedly dominant position by imposing exorbitant royalties for the use of its SEPs, thus violating the Competition Act 2002. As of February 2016, the CCI had yet to issue a final determinative ruling on the basis of Micromax's allegations.
In late 2014, Delhi High Court ruled that sales of the OnePlus One smartphone are blocked in India because Cyanogen OS signed an exclusive deal to sell Micromax mobile telephones only in India, although OnePlus One had a worldwide licensing deal. This move was seen as a monopoly to stem the sales of OnePlus One and other smartphone brands. However, the High Court lifted the ban, allowing OnePlus One to be sold in India as the licensing deals with Cyanogen are different for both parties.
Stealthy installation of adware.
In early 2015, a Reddit user found adware installing itself stealthily on their Micromax Canvas Fire A093 telephone without permission. The adware was also using excess telephone resources such as data, memory storage, and battery life. Further investigations by the XDA community found the advertisements were created by Adups, an AdPush company based in China.