What you need to know
- Honor is all set to make its re-entry into the Indian market, with the Chinese brand striking a local partnership with PSAV Global.
- PSAV Global will be in charge of marketing, distribution, and after-sales service of Honor phones in India.
- Honor has invested $120 million to kickstart the Indian business.
- Honor's Indian outfit is being helmed by Madhav Sheth, the former head of Realme India.
Honor had a good run in India before it was affected by the Huawei ban, but now that the brand is a standalone entity, it is looking ahead to rekindling the glory days. The Chinese manufacturer had a busy launch window over the last 12 months, rolling out the likes of the Magic Vs foldable, Honor 70, and more recently the Honor 90 series.
The brand is already seeing a lot of momentum in its home market, and is making inroads in the west. It's now looking to do the same in India, and to that effect, it struck up a partnership with local outfit PSAV Global, which has an extensive distribution network in India and a sizeable retailer base.
Under the terms of the deal, PSAV Global will deal with marketing, distribution, and after-sales service of Honor phones in India. Honor has invested the equivalent of $120 million (1,000 crores) to kickstart the venture, and the brand has lofty goals — it's aiming to generate a revenue of 1.2 billion by the end of 2024.
What's particularly interesting is who's overseeing Honor's journey in India: Madhav Sheth, the former head of Realme India. Sheth was pivotal in turning Realme into one of India's largest phone brands, and he will be looking to do the same with Honor. There's no mention of when Honor will launch its initial wave of devices in the region, but Sheth has confirmed that the brand will bring its entire portfolio of devices — including phones, smartwatches, IOT products, and foldables — to the region.
If I had to guess, the Honor 90 series would be the ideal contender for the brand to showcase its latest offerings, and Honor could follow it up with the introduction of the Magic V2 in the country sometime later in the year.
