Key Takeaways
1. Honor has hinted at the upcoming launch of the Honor X9b phone in India but has not officially released it yet.
2. The brand made its official return to India in August 2023 through a licensing agreement and launched the Honor 90 in September 2023.
3. Recent rumors suggested Honor might exit India, but the company clarified it is committed to the Indian market and plans to launch four new smartphones soon.
4. Madhav Sheth is involved with both Honor and Alcatel, and he is working on launching new phones under the “NxtQuantum” brand.
5. Honor India emphasizes its dedication to the Indian market and its intention to continue investing in innovation and product development.
Honor has hinted at the upcoming launch of the Honor X9b phone in India since February, but it hasn’t been officially released yet. The latest teaser for the device was shared on March 12, and there have been no new updates from the ExploreHonor X account since April 22. This situation, combined with a message that appeared to come from the Explore Honor Team Admin, suggested that the brand might have stopped its operations in India. Nevertheless, a recent announcement from Honor India indicates that the company is still active and plans to introduce new phones shortly.
Four New Phones Coming Soon
To jog your memory, Honor launched the Honor 9A and 9S in July 2020, and since then, it has not released any new phones in India. However, the brand didn’t completely disappear from the Indian market as it continued to offer other products, such as wearables and tablets. In August 2023, Honor made its official return to India as Honor Tech India (Explore Honor) through a licensing agreement with PSAV Global, led by CEO Madhav Sheth. After re-entering the market, the company introduced the Honor 90 in September 2023.
New Developments in India
Recently, it seemed that the brand might once again be halting its operations in India. Madhav Sheth is now also linked with Alcatel and is the founder and CEO of NxtQuantum Shift Technologies, where he intends to launch new phones under the “NxtQuantum” brand. On April 8, he tweeted about meeting with the Honor Team to discuss new strategies and the future, later stating that “Honor has received approvals for launching five products in India.”
Clarifying the Rumors
Despite earlier rumors suggesting that Honor was exiting India, a recent post on X clarified that “Honor’s isn’t going anywhere or merging with any other brand.” To counter these claims, CP Khandelwal, the Brand Custodian for Honor India, shared a message stating: “WE’VE NOTICED SOME FALSE CLAIMS CIRCULATING ONLINE ABOUT HONOR EXITING INDIA. LET’S SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT – ‘HONOR INDIA IS HERE — AND THRIVING.’”
In this message, Khandelwal confirmed that the brand is fully dedicated to the Indian market, dismissing the recent rumors of a possible exit. He also mentioned that Honor is gearing up to launch four new smartphones soon. Honor reiterated that India is a vital market for its global growth, with continuous investments in innovation and product development. The company is actively engaged in India and aims to enhance its presence, reaffirming its commitment to grow alongside Indian consumers while providing advanced technology.