Itel Mobile, a phone brand owned by Chinese company Transsion Holding, has emerged as the top smartphone brand in 2019 in the under-Rs 5,000 category in the offline channel, according to Counterpoint Research reports for the fourth quarter of 2019.
Itel has also topped the chart as the best feature phone brand in Q4 2019, followed by Samsung.
It witnessed exponential growth in the second half of the year due to its A46 (2 GB+32 GB) phone, that acted as a major catalyst to propel the brand. Itel is also seen to have grown because of its budget-friendly mobility experience, widespread distribution network, and innovative marketing connect and engagement programmes.
Attributing the success to customers, Arijeet Talapatra, CEO, Transsion India, said: “It gives us immense pleasure to be recognised as leaders in both the feature phone and smartphone segments. I would like to thank our customers who have bestowed their trust and confidence on us in giving them a superior mobile experience at the most affordable price range.”
According to Tarun Pathak, Associate Director, Counterpoint Research, Itel has been able to cement its position as a leader in the feature and smartphone space because of its consumer-centric approach.
“A differentiated product portfolio, robust distribution and post-sale experience backed by innovative marketing strategy are the key pillars behind Itel’s continued success story in India,” said Pathak.
In three years after its launch in India, the brand crossed the milestone of five crore customers.
Itel has partnered with UP Yoddha, a leading Pro-Kabaddi League team. It also holds extensive campaigns on social media platforms including TikTok.
Recently, the brand also launched Itel A25, which has been claimed to provide premium features in the entry-level smartphone range. Some of the key features include a 3000 mAh battery, face unlock, multi-language support, Google lens, 1 GB RAM and 16 GB storage memory expandable up to 32 GB. It is priced at Rs 3,999.