Flipkart, Qualcomm partner for premium wireless audio devices under HRX brand

Qualcomm Technologies and Walmart-owned Flipkart said they have collaborated for a range of wireless audio devices for the Indian market under HRX brand.

HRX's audio devices will compete with products from the stables of players like Xiaomi, realme, Samsung, and Apple.

The devices feature Qualcomm cVc noise cancellation technology, supporting a superior voice call experience through the noise and echo suppression, a statement said.

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The earbuds are based on the Qualcomm QCC30xx Bluetooth Audio SoCs, that are designed to offer support for increased OEM customisation, extended battery life, robust connectivity, and rich feature sets at accessible price points, it added.

"Indian users are huge consumers of content, in both voice and music. Coupled with increasingly mobile and active lifestyles, the need for more affordable and reliable wireless audio offerings is rapidly growing, Qualcomm India Senior Director, Business Development Uday Dodla said.

With the new HRX Audio devices supported by Qualcomm's technologies, consumers can look forward to a wealth of new features, that will allow them to enjoy a long-lasting and distraction-free audio experience, he added.

"The partnership with HRX marks our first foray into the audio devices segment, as part of our licensee deals and puts forward our commitment to collaborate with the best of brands and technology, to bring the next 200 million consumers into the fold of ecommerce," said Dev Iyer, Vice President - Private Labels, Flipkart.

The three new audio devices - two wireless neckbands and one truly wireless earbuds - being launched are priced between Rs 1,499 and Rs 2,999.

According to research firm IDC, the India smart earwear category grew by 289.2 percent year-on-year in March 2020 quarter to three million units.

Truly Wireless Stereo (TWS) contributed 23.1 percent to the overall earwear category, growing over 300 percent in the first quarter of 2020.

IDC said boAt led the segment with a 23.9 percent share, competing very closely with Samsung (devices from Infinity and JBL included).

In the TWS (true wireless stereo) category, Samsung occupied 29.8 percent share, while Apple had a 15.7 percent market share.