A consumer checks out smartphones (Reuters)
A consumer checks out smartphones (Reuters)Reuters

In a bid to gain formidable market share in the burgeoning Indian smartphone market, popular Chinese handset makers OnePlus and Xiaomi have initiated a smartphone price war in the subcontinent.

Xiaomi Mi4:

Less than a week ago Xiaomi slashed the price of 64GB Mi4 from ₹23,999 to ₹19,999 in India. Now, the company has announced discounts on 16GB variant. Prospective buyers can bag the model for just ₹14,999, ₹5,000 less than the original price at Xiaomi's official e-Store, Mi.com/in (HERE).

Furthermore, Xiaomi's e-commerce partner Flipkart is also offering an exchange deal on the 16GB model and 64GB model with up to addition ₹5,000 cashback offer. Interested buyers, who are ready to part with their old handset, can get Xiaomi Mi4 16GB and 64GB variants for as low as ₹9,999 and ₹14,999, respectively [HERE].

OnePlus One:

Last week, Xiaomi's rival OnePlus One also had reduced the flagship smartphone 'One' (both Silk White-16GB and Black Sandstone 64GB models) by $50 permanently, but it was not in effect in India until 18 June.

OnePlus' online seller affiliate Amazon India is offering a one-day ₹2,000 discount on the 'One' 64GB Black Sandstone model [HERE]. We believe, the companies may like to wait to see Thursday's response and will probably introduce the offer again in coming days.

The price war between OnePlus and Xiaomi will continue to escalate in the coming months as they both are on the verge of unveiling their 2015 flagship smartphones OnePlus 2 and Mi5 later this year. This price war between the two companies is likely to have a ripple effect on other domestic and MNC firms to tone down the price of their devices to attract buyers. This is an exciting time for budget-conscious consumers, who will be spoilt for choices with so many feature-rich phones offered at dirt cheap prices.

Key specifications of OnePlus One and Xiaomi Mi4:

Models OnePlus One Xiaomi Mi4
Display
  • 5.5-inch full HD (1920x1080p) IPS LCD screen with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 shield
  • Pixel density: 401 ppi (pixels per inch)
  • 5.0-inch full HD (1920x1080p) screen with Sharp / JDI OGS (One Glass Solution) full lamination
  • Pixel density : 441 ppi (pixels per inch)
OS CyanogenMod v11S based Android KitKat v4.4 Android v4.4.3 KitKat with MIUI v6.0
Processor 2.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 series quad-core CPU 2.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 series quad-core CPU
GPU Adreno 330 Adreno 330
RAM 578MHz 3GB LP-DDR3 RAM 3GB LP-DDR3
Storage capacity 64GB/16GB 16GB/64GB
Camera
  • Main: 13.0-megapixel Sony Exmor IMX214 camera with 6 physical lenses, f/2.0 aperture, dual-LED flash
  • Front: 5.0-megapixel (80-degeree) wide-angle camera
  • Main: 13.0-megapixel Sony IMX214 camera with 6 element lens, f1.8 aperture, real-time HDR, 4K video recording, CMOS sensor, 0.3-second auto-focus feature
  • Front: 8.0-megapixel Sony (IMX219) 80-degree wide-angle camera with 5 element lens, f1.8 aperture
Battery 3100 mAh 3080 mAh (Li-Ion Polymer) with quick-charge 2.0 technology
Network 3G & 4G-LTE 2G & 3G
Add-ons Bluetooth v4.1, Wi-Fi Dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4G/5G) 802.11 b/g/n/ac, NFC 65T (software card emulation, payment methods and multi-tag support), internal GPS antenna + GLONASS, LED notification indicator, downward facing dual stereo speakers (JBL) water-repellent nano-coating, IR-blaster, stainless steel frame, Wi-Fi (802.11 ac; dual-band: 2.4/5.0 GHz), Bluetooth v4.0, Bluetooth HID, and other standard connectivity features
Dimensions 152.9 x 75.9 x 8.9 mm 139.2 x 68.5 x 8.9 mm
Weight 162 g 149 g
Price
  • 64GB: ₹21,999/- (New Price: ₹19,999 ; only on 18 June)
  • 16GB: ₹18,999/-
Old Price:
  • 64GB: ₹23,999/-
  • 16GB: ₹19,999/-

New Price:

  • 64GB: ₹19,999/-
  • 16GB: ₹14,999/-

Exchange offer:

  • 64GB: up to ₹14,999/-
  • 16GB: up to ₹9,999/