Chinese tech giant Xiaomi on Thursday said component supplies from China are returning to normalcy after weeks of shutdown on account of coronavirus outbreak, and expressed hope that the "tough part" was over.
The company, which accounts for the largest share of smartphone shipment in the country, also launched Redmi Note 9 Pro Max and Note 9 Pro in India for Rs 12,999 onwards.
"These are exceptional times, and we are constantly monitoring the situation. All component supplies (for smartphones) are back to normal levels. It is our expectation that the tough part of component supply is over. Our global teams rallied together to ensure that demand is met," Xiaomi India Chief Operating Officer Muralikrishnan B told PTI.
He added that while there is pressure on component pricing because of the coronavirus situation and depreciating rupee, Xiaomi is trying to "not pass it on" to customers.
The Indian phone industry relies heavily on components and sub-assemblies from China, which has been the epicentre of coronavirus outbreak. The number of new cases in China are declining but are on the rise in other parts of the world. Declared as a pandemic by World Health Organisation, coronavirus has claimed over 4,600 lives worldwide.
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In India, 74 cases have been reported so far. The government has taken strict measures, including suspension of all visas (except a few categories such as diplomatic and employment) till April 15 to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Talking about the new smartphone lineup, Muralikrishnan said the company is hopeful of these devices would do better than the predecessor.
"We launched the Redmi Note 8 series in October and have sold 6 million units in five months. While I can't give forward looking statements, I think the Note 9 Pro and Note 9 Pro Max - with flagship features - will do better than that," he added.
The devices feature 6.67-inch display, octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 5,020 mAh battery, and NavIC support. The Redmi Note 9 Pro Max has 64MP quad camera setup, while Redmi Note 9 Pro has 48MP quad camera setup.
According to data from research firm IDC for the October-December 2019 quarter, Xiaomi has become the numero uno handset brand for the first time, including smartphones and featurephones, replacing Samsung that held the position for several years.
Xiaomi was also the market leader with annual shipments of 43.6 million units in 2019, the highest ever smartphone shipments made by any brand in a year with a growth of 9.2 per cent, as per IDC data.
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