Asus has been a known name in the laptop market in India for some time now. The company is known for selling slim and high-performance laptops that come in a variety of shades and sizes. While the PC maker has its ZenBook models to deliver a premium experience, it also has ROG and TUF laptops for gamers and VivoBook for customers looking to get affordable options for their computing needs. Asus also offers a distinct range of form factors — starting from traditional-looking laptops to 2-in-1 models. We take a look at its plans for the Indian market.
On this week’s episode of Gadgets 360 podcast Orbital, host Akhil Arora joins Executive Editor Jamshed Avari to talk with Arnold Su, Business Head of System Business Group for Consumer and Gaming PC at Asus India, about how the Taiwanese giant is doing its business in the country and what all it is planning to bring to the market in the coming future.
Su tells us that for Asus, India has grown much faster than other markets around the world despite facing challenges since the beginning of COVID-19 in 2020. He underlines that the growth has been observed across all major segments, including gaming, thin-and-light, and 2-in-1 form factors.
In 2019, the 2-in-1 segment was only four to five percent of the entire India’s PC market, but it grew more than 10 percent in 2021, the executive notes.
Unlike the growth of segments including the gaming and 2-in-1 form factors, Asus’ affordable ranges of laptops in India have not received a significant response from consumers.
Su says that there are only 15 to 20 percent of consumers who pick sub-Rs. 40,000 models in the country. However, Asus is trying to address the demand for affordable laptops as well.
“What Asus is trying to do is we know if you want to go for the latest technology, you may need to go to the flagship model, but it’s not easy for most people to afford the flagship model,” says Su. “So, what we try to do is we bring those features to the mainstream or even entry-level segment and let people here can also experience the latest technology.”
On what new models Asus is planning to bring to India, Su says that the ROG Flow Z13 and ZenBook 14X OLED Space Edition that were introduced at CES 2022 will be amongst the new offerings entering the country soon.
Asus ZenBook 14X OLED Space Edition First Impressions: ‘Mir’ Than Meets the Eye
He also touches upon the potential of exploring the market of foldable laptops with the ZenBook 17 Fold. The laptop was launched globally at this year’s CES. It comes with a 17.3-inch display that can be folded into a 12.5-inch screen.
“This is our commitment to Indian customers,” notes Su. “Whatever we launch globally, we will definitely bring to India and this is already happening over the past few years.”
Alongside revealing the launch plans, Su talks about how smartphones have become a challenge for the PC market. We also discuss how Asus as a brand is received in India.
You can listen to all this and more by hitting the play button on the Spotify player embedded above.
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