China's OnePlus begins smartphone exports from India, says report

NEW DELHI - Chinese mobile technology firm OnePlus has started exporting smartphones made in India to western markets including the United States, an Indian newspaper reported on Saturday.

The Economic Times daily quoted Co-founder of OnePlus, Carl Pei as saying, "2019 is our best year so far (in India). As Indian infrastructure matures and ecosystem for manufacturing builds out, there is definitely a possibility to keep investing here."

"OnePlus has put up enough SMT lines for its projected volumes this year and has started exporting India-made OnePlus 7 Pro devices to the western markets such as the US," Pei was quoted as saying.

He also said that if the quality was high enough and the cost was good, then it makes sense to use India as an export hub.

OnePlus is leading the market in the premium segment above 30,000 Indian rupees ($428) with a 43-percent share, followed by Samsung and Apple, according to Counterpoint Research.