Microsoft mobile phone business in its earlier avatar of Nokia had not focussed much on the lower end of the smartphone market. The firm now sees a big opportunity in the ₹4,000-12,000 segment that grabs a share of about 78 per cent in the overall smartphone segment.

The company has just launched two phones in the Lumia series – 435 (₹5,999) and 532, the price of which is yet to be decided.

Showcasing the new phones here, TS Sridhar, Director (South - Nokia India Sales), said the handsets come with important features that the Lumia phones in the high-end segment have.

“The country sold 44 million smartphones in 2013 and this number is expected to grow two times this year. Bulk of this will happen in the price range of ₹4,000-12,000,” he said.

Asked about the stiff competition in this segment from the local players, he said there was always demand for Microsoft products among the people. Moreover, these models would come with built-in Skype and Microsoft Office suite.

“The new phones would bring Windows Phone 8.1 to the users in the lower end of the smartphone segment. The users can read, review, edit and share on the go with Office tools,” he said.

The Redmond-based firm is planning to roll out the models in key markets this month. Both devices will be available in single and dual- SIM variants.

The firm is also planning to roll out Microsoft-based retail outlets. It opened one in Hyderabad on Wednesday.

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