India's smartphone manufacturing revolution has a peculiar problem. India has built the factories, but it has not yet built a smartphone brand of global scale. Desi brands such as Lava and Micromax have failed to compete with Korean and Chinese brands such as Samsung, Vivo, Xiaomi, Oppo and Realme.
This gap is now the target of a Rs 62,500 crore Mobile Phone Manufacturing Scheme announced a few days ago, which offers incentives not just for making phones but for developing Indian-owned intellectual property, design and brands. Electronics minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has said India could see its first strong indigenous mobile brand by mid-2027. The ambition is significant because India is attempting it after a decade in which Chinese brands have transformed the economics of the smartphone business.
