NEW DELHI, July 9: Tech giant Samsung on Thursday said it has started manufacturing smartwatches in India at its Noida facility as part of its ‘Make in India’ efforts.
The South Korean company, which has its largest smartphone manufacturing facility in Noida, has also launched a new 4G-enabled smartwatch priced at Rs 28,490 that will be manufactured locally.
“The Aluminium edition of Galaxy Watch Active2 4G is our most affordable 4G watch now. It’s also the first smartwatch to be made in India. With Galaxy Watch Active2 4G, we have also started manufacturing our entire range of 18 smartwatches in India as part of ‘Make for India’ programme,” Samsung India Senior Vice President, Mobile Business, Mohandeep Singh said in a statement.
The company, however, did not provide details around manufacturing capacity for these devices or the investment made.
In June 2017, Samsung had announced a Rs 4,915 crore investment to double its manufacturing capacity for smartphones and refrigerators at its Noida (Uttar Pradesh) plant. In 2018, the company said it will double its annual handset production capacity to 120 million units by 2020 from the Noida plant.
The Galaxy Watch Active2 4G Aluminium edition adds to Samsung’s 4G smartwatch range that comprises three sizes (42mm, 44mm and 46mm) and two unique design templates (elegant classic and modern minimalistic), the statement said.
The 18 smartwatches being made in India are priced between Rs 19,990-35,990.
The Galaxy Watch Active2 4G comes with e-SIM connectivity that helps users stay connected for calls, messages and notifications. It will be available from July 11 onwards across retail stores and online portals.
According to research firm IDC, the India smart wearables market clocked 80.6 per cent year-over-year (y-o-y) growth to 4.2 million unit shipments in the March 2020 quarter.
Watches observed a y-o-y growth of 43.3 per cent in the said quarter with about 2,09,400 watches being shipped in the country, it added. (PTI)
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