Honor re-entered the Indian market last year with the launch of the Honor X9b, following its exit caused by geopolitical tensions between the US and China, which severely impacted its parent company, Huawei. Following this, Google services were withdrawn from Huawei and Honor devices, limiting their operations to China. In 2020, Honor parted ways with Huawei and rebranded as HTech. By 2023, Honor made its return to the Indian market, launching three smartphones: the Honor X9b, Honor 200, and Honor 200 Pro. Most recently, the brand introduced its fourth model, the Honor 200 Lite.
The Honor 200 Lite marks the company’s first budget-friendly phone in India, priced under ₹20,000 since its comeback. This move reflects Honor’s repositioning strategy—not just as a new independent brand but also in terms of its market focus. “Honor is no longer a value-for-money brand,” Honor CEO Madhav Sheth told India Today Tech. Historically, Honor was known for offering premium features at a budget price, but the brand now aims to focus on higher segments, ranging from mid-tier to premium.
This strategic shift has presented challenges for the company. CEO Sheth acknowledged the difficulties of the rebranding process, saying, “It has been extremely tough.” He noted that consumers already had reservations about the brand following its previous exit, and now with its repositioning, the backlash has increased. Nevertheless, Sheth remains committed to distancing Honor from its association with Huawei, building it from what he describes as “negative levels” rather than starting from zero.
“We are working with a brand that has faced negative perceptions,” Sheth explained. Despite these challenges, he aims to make Honor one of India’s top five brands and the “most stable brand” within the next five years. A key part of this vision, according to Sheth, is refusing to compromise on consumer trust. “Technology matters to Indian consumers, but trust is the biggest factor,” he emphasized.
Sheth also criticized how some brands in India are “making a mockery of the system” by confusing consumers. Unlike them, Honor plans to build a solid foundation and a robust ecosystem in India. “We will do it the right way,” he assured.
Interestingly, Sheth highlighted an issue often discussed—the way many brands in India clone their devices under different names or make minor changes to products before relaunching them in different price segments, ultimately confusing consumers. Sheth agreed, stating, “Brands today have an oligopolistic approach. It may appear that consumers have more choices, but in reality, companies are only confusing them.
Honor CEO Madhav Sheth criticizes how companies are exploiting the compliance system and misusing AI technology. “They’ve transformed AI into a mere gimmick, deceiving consumers,” Sheth comments. “Without any ethical standardization of AI features, brands are repackaging old or existing AI features as something new,” he adds.
He draws a parallel to the camera pixel race around 2018 when companies competed over 64-megapixel and 108-megapixel cameras, noting that a similar trend is happening now with AI features. “Brands need to take more responsibility,” Sheth emphasizes.
Sheth positions Honor as offering a complete value proposition. “Although we are facing backlash now, I’m confident that consumers will soon understand our price-to-specification ratio,” he states. However, he admits that the company remains a “work in progress.”
Looking ahead, Madhav Sheth shared plans to launch the “best foldable phone in India under ₹1,00,000,” which is also expected to be the “slimmest” in its category. He confirmed the upcoming launch of the Honor V2 foldable phone in India, likely this year, followed by the Honor V3 foldable. Additionally, a successor to the Honor X9b will soon be introduced in the Indian market.
Sheth also revealed his ambitious vision for Honor, including making it the first Indian smartphone company to go public with an IPO. For a company with “nothing to lose,” Sheth envisions not only reclaiming Honor’s lost ground in India but also pushing the brand toward innovation and global recognition.
