Handset makers on launch spree

New Delhi: Mobile companies including Samsung, Xiaomi and LeEco on Thursday announced slew of new initiatives and launches as they look to tap  India expected to be one of the fastest growing smartphone market in 2016.

Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar unveiled a smartphone and a two-in-one notebook of technology company Smartron. The Master Blaster has invested in the company. He will be the brand ambassador of the company.

Samsung  launched a new smartphone — Galaxy J3 — priced at Rs 8,990, designed specifically for bike riders in India. The handset features a ‘S Bike mode’ that has been developed by the India team. Once activated, callers are notified using an automated answering machine that the user is riding and cannot take the call.

Chinese  tech major Xiaomi on Thursday unveiled its latest flagship Mi 5 in India within a month of its global debut showing the growing importance of the country for the company.

“We are excited to bring to India the most beautiful device we have unveiled so far, and only within a month of its global launch. It has been in the making for 19 months, and has several tech breakthroughs built into it,” said Hugo Barra, vice-president, Xiaomi.

Another Chinese firm LeEco said on Thursday that the company will set up cloud infrastructure in 10 cities across India at an investment of $10 million  so that its customer  can access content, like live events and video-on-demand on their devices.