Coronavirus: India Lockdown Forces Smartphone Players to Defer New Launches

Brands such as Realme, Vivo and others are either delaying March launches or shifting sale dates deeper into April.

By IANS | Updated: 24 March 2020 21:16 IST

Coronavirus: India Lockdown Forces Smartphone Players to Defer New Launches

Vivo has delayed the launch of its flagship V19 owing to the pandemic

Highlights

Realme may go ahead with its digital-only Narzo series launch
Vivo has delayed the launch of its flagship V19 owing to the pandemic
India is currently witnessing a lockdown due to coronavirus pandemic

The Novel Coronavirus which has already hampered smartphone manufacturers 2020 plans in India owing to supply chain issues has now forced them to postpone new launches for an indefinite period as online retailers have begun shutting their warehouses in the country amid lockdown.

The lockdown has affected delivery and warehouse operations at Amazon and Flipkart's end –leaving smartphone players like Realme, Vivo and others to either delay March launches or shift sale dates deeper into April.

Vivo has delayed the launch of its flagship V19 owing to the current global situation and is yet to confirm the date and time for the launch.

Realme may go ahead with its digital-only Narzo series launch on March 26 but sale date will definitely shift for later.

Since retail stories are also shut at least till March 31, it is disruption all over for the smartphone brands.

According to Tarun Pathak, Associate Director, Counterpoint Research, from e-commerce perspective, the situation is more related to operational challenges.

"Delaying device launches or supply is very much owing to the demand which has declined significantly in the wake of lockdown. Additionally, there is lack of clarity among services that needs to be prioritised and subsequent movement across state borders," Pathak told IANS.

It makes sense for OEMs to defer their launches but, at the same time, support retailers who have been hit strongly.

"It has to be a collaborative effort from the government to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and other players in the ecosystem to support the partners involved," Pathak stressed.

According to Flipkart, its teams are working with the Centre as well as state authorities to ensure that it continues to serve the communities.

"There are operational issues on the ground which impact our ability to seamlessly service the communities as they stay indoors. We are working with the government as an industry to solve for these challenges," a Flipkart spokesperson told IANS.

The Centre has asked states to impose curfew wherever necessary. The country is under a lockdown as it gears up to fight the new coronavirus that has killed 10 people in the country. According to health ministry data, there are 492 confirmed cases in the country at present.

Health Warning: Please be responsible and safe, wash your hands regularly, follow social distancing

Vivo V19

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Solid design
Crisp AMOLED display
Good selfies
All-day battery life

Bad
Weak processor
Preinstalled bloatware
Expensive
Low-light video performance

Read detailed Vivo V19 review

Display 6.44-inch

Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 712

Front Camera 32-megapixel + 8-megapixel

Rear Camera 48-megapixel + 8-megapixel + 2-megapixel + 2-megapixel

RAM 8GB

Storage 128GB

Battery Capacity 4500mAh

OS Android 10

Resolution 1080x2400 pixels

More Vivo mobiles Vivo mobiles price in India

Realme Narzo 10

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Looks good, built well
Excellent battery life
Very good value for money

Bad
Average overall camera quality
Bloatware and spammy notifications

Read detailed Realme Narzo 10 review

Display 6.50-inch

Processor MediaTek Helio G80

Front Camera 16-megapixel

Rear Camera 48-megapixel + 8-megapixel + 2-megapixel + 2-megapixel

RAM 4GB

Storage 128GB

Battery Capacity 5000mAh

OS Android 10

Resolution 720x1600 pixels

More Realme mobiles Realme mobiles price in India

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