iQOO is not just a random collection of letters. And no, it is not a different spelling of IQ (intelligence quotient). It actually stands for “I Quest On and On,” reflecting the brand’s commitment to keep improving. The Indian branch of the brand will be based in Bengaluru. That makes it the third major phone brand to be headquartered in the city many people call India’s Silicon Valley (Xiaomi and OnePlus are the other two at the time of writing). Initially seen as a sub-brand of Vivo, iQOO is, however, going to be an independent entity in India and globally. And this extends to everything from its product development to service centers and retail stores. Yes, it will even have separate service centers and will not be “leveraging” those of Vivo, a brand with which many associate it. “Vivo and iQOO are independent brands. We are competitors,” Gagan Arora, Director-Marketing, iQOO, told us. The brand will be launching its first phone in India in February 2020. Although details are scarce at the moment, we have been told it will be a global launch and will be the first phone in the Indian market to come with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor and support for 5G.
The brand’s first phone will be manufactured in India, using shared manufacturing facilities in Vivo’s plant in NOIDA, India, near the capital Delhi. Although 5G is not available in India as yet and is not expected for a while, iQOO claims to be talking to operators for options to demonstrate it on the phone in select zones. However, talks are at a very initial stage. iQOO’s team in India currently spans eighty people. But we are told its size is likely to go up in the coming days. A lot, of course, is going to depend on how well the brand does in the country. The brand is not focusing on a predominantly online or offline retail strategy. Although indications are that the brand will sell mainly online initially, it will be available in all channels in the coming days. No, we do not know which e-retailer will be the first to make iQOO phones available in the country. India is the first market outside of China to get iQOO products. Not a bad start for the brand, and it is also wonderful to see brands getting into this mode. As per our briefing, iQOO is going to be a brand that is going to be competing mainly on performance. “Best in class performance, perhaps the best in the industry,” Arora told us, also indicating that the brand would be bringing a number of innovations to the Indian market.
