Meizu to make a comeback in India with 3 new phones next month

Chinese smartphone brand Meizu is set to make a comeback in the Indian market in the first week of December, according to sources.

Meizu plans to launch as many as three new smartphones including M16-TH which will compete with OnePlus 6T in the affordable premium segment. The company is also planning to launch two other two phones, which will, most likely, be targeted at the budget segment currently cornered by another Chinese handset maker--Xiaomi.

The Alibaba-backed company entered the Indian market in 2015 with M1 Note. The smartphone was priced at ₹19,999 and came with features like 64-bit Helio X10 octacore processor, 16GB built-in storage, and in-house mCharge fast charging technology.

The aggressive pitch for India from Meizu comes after a period of relative silence. The last phone Meizu launched in India was the Pro7, with dual-screen feature. Meizu's return to the Indian market comes at a time when Chinese players like Xiaomi and OnePlus have grabbed the majority of market share in the budget and premium segments respectively.

According to the latest Counterpoint Research report, Xiaomi was the biggest smartphone brand in India with 23% shipments market share.

OnePlus has currently captured over 30% of the premium smartphone market in India. Its OnePlus 6 was the highest selling flagship model for the company within five months of the launch, according to a separate Counterpoint Research report.

For Meizu, plans for India won't be limited to these 3 launches. Sources say the company already has plans for two more launches as soon as January next year.