Sony keen to dominate premium smartphone segment by March 2014

Claiming to rule the premium smartphone segment in India by March 2014, Sony India said that it planned to launch new models every month and might also consider launching tablets in the long-term.

Todato Kimura, the head of marketing at Sony India said, the Japan-based company was expecting nearly 30 per cent growth in the smartphone  segment in India and aimed to be among top three players in the smartphone  market.

He added, Sony wanted to lead the premium smartphone segment. He was speaking on the sidelines of Sony Xperia Z1 launch in Hyderabad yesterday.

The company markets several smartphones priced over Rs30,000 which fell under the premium  segment in India. Replying to a question as to whether the company had plans to launch tablets, Kimura confirmed the plans for the long term, but denied any plans for the near future.

Of the 10 smartphones models the company sells in the Indian market, five fell under the premium category.

Aware of the fact that it would need to look beyond the premium segment to drive growth, Kimura said they would look at launching smartphones in the range of Rs14,000-20,000.

The company, which is amongst the top three players in the premium smartphone segment, plans to launch of an upgraded version of its Xperia M model, which is priced at about Rs13,000.

According to Kimura, the new model would be priced in the range of Rs20,000 and would have more features than the Xperia M. He added, the company planned to launch it sometime next month, before Diwali.

Though the company had, so far focused on the high-end segment, it would now be expanding its portfolio in the sub-premium segment, below the Rs30,000 price range.

He said he could not reveal how many models the company would be launching (in this category), but ''you can expect a few this year.''

Meanwhile, Sony is in the process of rolling out its latest Xperia Z1 model priced at Rs44,940 across the country and would be also launching a new smart watch model, priced Rs14,990, which would be compatible with smartphones having Android, with a one-touch connection with the mobile device.

Adding that the product was also being shipped currently he said it would be available at stores from October.

The tough economic conditions apart, the company, which clubbed its electronics business with its mobile arm, expects a 30 per cent growth over last year's revenue of about Rs8,000 crore.