3G smartphone demand declining, handset makers like Samsung, Micromax and others to launch only 4G phones

Third-generation (3G) smartphones are headed for a quick exit in India, with prices of the more advanced 4G devices plunging and plans by large manufacturers to completely withdraw from the segment in six months.

Samsung Electronics, Oppo, VivoBSE 0.00 %, Lenovo-Motorola, HTC, Micromax Informatics and Panasonic have decided that they will now launch only 4G smartphones and some of them are clearing out their 3G smartphone stocks, four senior industry executives said.

Retailers said demand for 3G smartphones has been declining over the past two or three months, in the run-up to the launch of services by Reliance Jio Infocomm.

Jio, which started commercial operations earlier this month, is offering 4G data and voice services free with almost all major smartphone brands until the end of the year. It has also cut the price of its entry-level 4G Lyf smartphones to Rs 2,999 from Rs 3,999.

Other smartphone makers may follow suit, bridging the gap with entry-level 3G smartphones that are priced upwards of Rs 2,500.

"We are not placing any new orders for 3G smartphones. Manufacturers are not importing any new 3G phones," said Subhash Chandra, managing director of south-based retailer Sangeetha Mobiles.

Samsung, the country's largest cellphone maker, has only three 3G smartphones in its portfolio and the remaining 22 models are all 4G. While the company did not confirm when it will exit 3G handsets, it said 4G phones are becoming the mainstream.

Sales of 4G devices are picking up because there is already a large base of smartphone users using 3G/2G smartphones, said Manu Sharma, vice president (mobiles business) at Samsung India Electronics.

"Hence, they would want to take advantage of the 4G offering with higher speeds and reduced data tariff plans. The ecosystem of content, services and applications has evolved significantly, which is fuelling adoption," said Sharma.

Chinese rival Oppo India will transit to a completely 4G portfolio from 2017 by discontinuing its sole 3G model, company president Sky Li said. HTC president (South Asia and India) Faisal Siddiqui said with 4G smartphone prices plunging in India, it will exit 3G smartphones by March.

Handsets that support 4G accounted for 65 per cent of smartphone shipments in India in the quarter ended June and are projected to reach 90 per cent of the market by the same period next year, according to Hong Kong-based tracker Counterpoint Technology Market Research.

Counterpoint's senior analyst Tarun Pathak said a maturing component ecosystem will lower the pricing of entry-level 4G handsets to about $40 (about Rs 2,600) by the end of 2016.

Moto G4 and G4 Plus Review

Three years ago, Motorola gave smartphone shoppers an affordable new budget option in the form of the first-gen Moto G. In the years since, we've seen the Moto G really grow up, in more ways than one. Not only has the Moto G grown from a 4.5-incher to its current 5.5-inch screen size, but it's also become a more and more capable handset, and one delivering an ever-growing number of configuration options.

That's more true than ever in 2016 with the arrival of the Moto G4 family, offering three distinct base models, including the Moto G4 Plus, which pushes the limit with some flagship-caliber specs like 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, laser-assisted auto-focus, and a fingerprint scanner. While it's always nice to see a manufacturer making its phones more capable, has the Moto G lost some of its mid-range underdog charm along the way?

We've been spending some time with two of the three new Moto G4 models, the standard Moto G4 itself and the higher-end Moto G4 Plus, in the interest of finding out. Is this family still a smart choice for smartphone shoppers looking to keep costs low? Is it worth splurging on the Plus model's upgrades? Read on to find out.

In the box:

Moto G4 (Plus)
Micro USB cable
TurboPower charging adapter
Introductory guide
Safety notice

The Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus are two phones cut from the same cloth, with nearly identical appearance. Both phones represent a significant departure from last year's Moto G design, dropping the speaker underneath the display and instead moving it up top to the earpiece, and revamping the rear dimple/camera layout: while the iconic Motorola dimple is back, this time it's a part of the removable back panel itself, and lives separate from the camera assembly above it.

That removable back panel may allow for some after-market Moto G4 customization, but the real action takes place before you even get the phone out of its box. Motorola's Moto Maker online tool allows shoppers to personalize their handsets with options for alternate front bezel colors, camera accents, and yes – even the back panel (which you can also get engraved with a short message). It would have been nice for those back panels to feature a range of material options in addition to the all colors currently available, but for a budget phone the variety available isn't bad at all.

While the Moto G4 is far from alone in the 5.5-inch space, there's something about Motorola's design that makes these handsets feel slightly larger than most – and if we were forced to try and pin that down, the big, round curves around the handsets' edge may have a lot to do with that. Despite their size, these phones feel seriously light, and we almost wish they came in a little more substantial than they do with their shared 155g mass.

Motorola's clear that neither G4 is waterproof nor intended to be submerged, but the phones still get a water-repellant nano-coating to help keep them functional through the occasional light splash – just don't go nuts.

Hello Lenovo Moto is Coming

Once one of the pioneers of the tech industry, Motorola has seen some tough years lately. Earlier owned by Google, in 2014 Lenovo completed Motorola’s acquisition from its former owner.
All this while the name Motorola has lived around, however, in a recent announcement, Lenovo confirmed that it has plans to rebrand Motorola. Lenovo wishes to do away with the name ‘Motorola’ and go with ‘Moto’ instead. All high-end devices will carry the name ‘Moto’. The company also quoted specimen names like ‘Moto by Lenovo’.