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Phones may get expensive by 3-4% after Feb 2: Budget 2021

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In order to boost domestic manufacturing, the government, on Monday, announced an increase in custom duty for up to 10 per cent on mobile chargers and some sub-parts of phones, a move that can make handsets costlier by 3-4 per cent from February 2.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, during her Union Budget 2021-22 speech, said that withdrawing exemptions on parts of chargers and mobile phones will boost local manufacturing of smartphones.

“Domestic electronic manufacturing has grown rapidly. We are now exporting items like mobiles and chargers,” Sitharaman said.

She further informed, “For greater domestic value addition, we are withdrawing a few exemptions on parts of chargers and sub-parts of mobiles. Further, some parts of mobiles will move from ‘nil’ rate to a moderate 2.5 per cent.”

However, inputs or raw material for manufacture of specified parts like back cover, side keys etc. of cellular mobile phone has been increased from ‘nil’ to 10 per cent.

Inputs or parts of Printed Circuit Board Assembly (PCBA) of charger or adapter of cellular mobile phones are up from ‘nil’ to 10 per cent while the custom duty on inputs or parts of moulded plastic of charger or adapter of cellular mobile phones has also been increased from ‘nil’ to 10 per cent.

The 2.5 per cent duty hike is applicable on inputs or parts for manufacture of PCBA of cellular mobile phones, inputs or parts for manufacture of camera module, manufacture of connectors and raw material, etc.

The new custom duty slabs for chargers and parts of mobile phones are applicable from February 2.

The Centre has already rolled out a production linked incentive (PLI) scheme for the electronics manufacturing sector, particularly for mobile phone manufacturing, to curb increasing imports.

Apple starts testing iPhone with in-display fingerprint sensor: Report

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Since Apple announced its facial recognition system called Face ID, the company started replacing the Touch ID, or fingerprint recognition from the iPhone models. But now it seems that the technology could make a comeback.

According to some media reports, Apple is testing a new Touch ID technology. Given that most of the premium smartphones launching these days come with an in-display fingerprint sensor, it seems that Apple could also jump the bandwagon.

The company is reportedly testing the in-display Touch ID. Previously, it was reported that Apple could bring in-display fingerprint sensors to the upcoming iPhones and the latest report indicates that the company is making progress towards that.

However, Apple isn’t expected to replace the Face ID. Reports coming from WSJ based on the information of two employees of Apple, who remain anonymous, both Touch ID and Face ID will be present in the upcoming iPhone model.

While optical fingerprint sensor could be more reliable compared to the existing ultrasonic sensor used by the company, Apple isn’t expected to use the latest optical sensor unless they are as secure as the current version.

Apple is using Touch ID only on one smartphone these days – iPhone SE. However, the fingerprint sensor is also available on MacBook devices. Interestingly, on iPad Air 4, the company shifted the sensor from the screen to the sleep/wake button on the side.

Entertainment and More! Here is what India watched on Fire TV in 2020

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Amazon today revealed how India consumed entertainment on Fire TV devices in 2020. Since launching in 2017, Amazon Fire TV has entertained millions of customers in India, transforming the way entertainment is consumed in the living room.

2020 was a year that posed extraordinary challenges. Customers adapted to the new normal, streaming more of their favourite content on Fire TV devices, making it their preferred place for all the entertainment needs.

Parag Gupta, Head, Amazon Devices, India said, “With the best selection of TV shows, movies and originals from all popular content providers, Fire TV is now an integral part of the customer’s living room. In 2020, customers loved the Fire TV experience for everything from entertainment, originals, fitness, gaming, sports and much more. With Alexa, voice quickly became the simplest way to find and watch your favourite content; with Fire TV’s universal search customers do not have to switch through multiple apps. We are thrilled to see the response from customers from across India and will continue to provide an intuitive, simple and transformative Fire TV experience.”

Here are some fascinating streaming trends that show how customers across India did so much more than just watch movies and TV shows on Fire TV devices in 2020.

Millions of Fire TV devices have been sold in India making it a customer favourite. In 2020, Fire TV saw more than 50 million monthly active users on its devices worldwide, indicating customers are streaming more than ever before.

Fire TV sales in metros continue to grow with Delhi NCR leading the way followed by Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai, Kolkata and Ahmedabad.

More new customers joined the Fire TV family in 2020 from non-metro cities. Among them, Coimbatore accounted for the highest number of Fire TV devices sold.

 

Stay Home, Stay Entertained with Fire TV

With people spending more time at home, total hours spent by active customers on Fire TV devices more than doubled in 2020. Moreover, customers spent more than 3 hours per day on their Fire TV devices through 2020

Fire TV customers welcomed the eagerly awaited season 2 of the popular Prime Video original Mirzapur, with over 50% of them completing the new season within 48 hours of its release

Customers from over 3900 cities and towns across the country watched their favourite content on Prime Video on Fire TV devices

2020 was a year of several direct-to-service movies. Shakuntala Devi, Gulabo Sitabo, Coolie No. 1 (Bollywood), V (Telugu), Soorarai Pottru, Ponmagal Vandhal (Tamil) were the most watched movies from Prime Video on Fire TV devices

Good content transcends geographical barriers. Prime Video’s first slate of direct to service movies received close to 50% viewership on Fire TV devices for titles in regional languages (Tamil , Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada) from customers outside the home states

Customers loved to watch their cricketing heroes in action as viewership grew by 50% for Disney+ Hotstar on Fire TV devices during IPL 2020

 

Beyond Movies and TV shows

Customers loved listening to music on their Fire TV devices with Amazon Prime Music streaming growing more than 35% in 2020.

Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Manipur and Sikkim emerged as the fastest growing states for music streaming on Fire TV devices

Customers did more with their Fire TV devices! Hours spent on fitness and cooking apps on Fire TV devices grew by 3X during lockdown.

Customers loved playing their favourite games on Fire TV devices as gaming app hours more than doubled during the lockdown. The love for gaming continued even after the lockdown with gaming hours remaining 65% higher than pre-lockdown.

 

Just #AskAlexa on Fire TV

Customers using the Alexa Voice Remote to search content increased by more than 70% in 2020 versus 2019

Jaipur topped the charts with most voice searches on Fire TV devices among non-metros

Getting smarter with Alexa! Customers used their Fire TV devices twice as much in 2020 to control their smart home appliances using Alexa

‘Wild Planet – Animal Sounds Library’ was 2020’s most popular Alexa Skill on Fire TV devices, followed by ‘Sanjeev Kapoor recipes’ Alexa Skill

Ramayana and Mahabharata together saw close to 350K content searches during lockdown

Aaj Tak, Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah and Doraemon were the most asked terms on Alexa in Hindi

In a challenging year, Amazon Fire TV continued to bring entertainment to customers. There are tens of millions of customers all over the globe streaming billions of hours of content every month on Fire TV.  Fire TV continues to get better with new features and functionality added regularly

ASUS brings ROG Academy for E-sport enthusiasts in India

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ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG), No.1 Gaming Laptop brand, with an endeavor to empower gaming enthusiasts in India, announced the launch of India’s first virtual Academy program for gamers- ROG Academy.

As part of this initiative, ASUS ROG will identify PC gamers through a screening process and provide them with a platform to sharpen and enhance their skills and prepare them for competitive E-sport tournaments on a national and a global level. This initiative is testimony to India being an important market for ASUS’s consistent efforts towards building a strong gaming ecosystem in India and empowering gamers through a number of programs and initiatives.

ASUS ROG will be providing tournament-ready gaming equipment and first in class high quality technology to gamers, with professional mentorship through this initiative. Which will help gamers to enhance their skills to participate and conquer the E-sport tournament.

Arnold Su, Business Head, Consumer and Gaming PC, System Business Group, ASUS India, said “The count of online gamers in India grew by 31% in 2019 and reached approximately 365 million; is expected to reach 440 million by 2022 as per a FICCI- EY report on media and entertainment industry. Owing to the pandemic, we are witnessing a permanent shift in content consumption patterns globally and increased digital acceleration. With an increase in E-sports gamers during the pandemic, ASUS has strengthened its commitment towards investing in the future of gaming industry in India. It gives us immense pleasure to be the first brand in the laptop segment to introduce first-of-a- kind unique initiative like ROG Academy, empowering gamers to conquer competitions and elevating E-sports industry. We aim to encourage more and more gamers, mentor them through their journey, and familiarize them with future opportunities in this landscape. This initiative will provide a huge boost in establishing a pool of credible E-sports players in India and pave the way for next-generation gamers with access to resources, mentorship and training.”

ASUS ROG Academy is a yearlong- program, divided into four sessions as per the quarter, aimed at strengthening the E-sports talent pool in India. The shortlisted team and players will go through an extensive selection process divided into different phases. This will culminate into 6 select players becoming part of a 3-month long session for first quarter, which will include activities ranging from individual skill training, mentorship from the coach to teamwork, communication, and high-level concepts used in the highest level of competition. The exercises, schedule and entire program will be specifically designed keeping in mind the title and the existing skillsets of the players who will be a part of it. The long term goal of the program is to have more and more skilled E-sport players from India.

The first session of the quarter will involve “Counter-Strike: Global Offensive” as the official title as we seek to uncover India’s most talented players. Panelists will consist of a representative from ASUS ROG, partners. ASUS ROG will be providing the whole team Ex-Gratia of Rs 100,000 price to all the final 6 players, once they will complete their 3-month training successfully. The players will also receive monetary compensation of Rs 15,000/ as stipend as well as a bonus on monthly basis during the training. Also, the 6 players will continue to represent the brand for additional 3 months while participating in any tournaments or events post completing 3 months training program successfully.

Amazon launches seller registrations and account management services in Kannada

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Team My Mobile
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In a major step towards breaking the language barrier for lakhs of Indian entrepreneurs, MSMEs, local shops and retailers from Karnataka to benefit from ecommerce, Amazon today announced that sellers will be able to register on the Amazon.in marketplace and manage their online business in Kannada.

This includes everything from registering as an Amazon seller for the first time, to managing orders, inventory management and accessing performance metrics – all in the language of their preference. This experience has been made available on the Amazon seller website as well as on the mobile app. Amazon also provides Seller Support Services and Seller University videos and tutorials in Kannada.

The launch of seller registrations and account management services in Kannada will benefit over 35,000 existing Amazon sellers and lakhs of new sellers from tier – 1 and below markets like Bengaluru, Mangaluru, Hubballi, Kalaburgi and Mysuru among many cities in Karnataka. To launch the services in Kannada for sellers, Amazon.in worked with expert linguists to develop an accurate and comprehensible experience.  The team has chosen commonly used terms over perfectly translated words to make the experience authentic, easily understandable and seamless for sellers.

CN Ashwath Narayan, Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka said, “Ease of doing business is a key priority for the government, and our focus is on helping businesses adopt technology to be successful in markets. Technology and e-commerce will play a crucial role in boosting the growth of millions of small and medium businesses in domestic as well as international markets, in the coming days. By introducing self-registration for sellers in Kannada, Amazon is taking yet another step towards enabling micro, small and medium enterprises leverage e-commerce to grow their business. The ability to conduct their business in Kannada will greatly benefit the SMBs and MSMEs in Karnataka, eliminate language barriers, and help them succeed.”

Pranav Bhasin, Director- MSME & Seller Experience, Amazon India said, “Amazon India’s vision is to enable every motivated seller anywhere in the country to reach customers in India and every country in the world. Language is a prominent barrier that Indian MSME’s face when they seek to leverage ecommerce to expand their business. As we move to enable more micro, small and medium enterprises to embrace ecommerce, we remain committed to strengthening our vernacular, voice and video powered initiatives. We, at Amazon India shall continue to eliminate barriers faced by these businesses and facilitate ease of business. The launch of the vernacular registration and account management experience for sellers in Kannada is a major step in that direction.”

Amazon Sellers who wish to change their preferred language can change it in a few simple steps on both Amazon’s Seller website and Seller mobile app. Sellers registering through the Desktop can change their preferred language by accessing the ‘language drop-down’ available on every page, at the top-right corner. On the Seller App, the language can be changed through the language drop-down on the bottom left corner while registering and through the App ‘Settings’ menu. Once the language is changed, sellers can view all pages and workflows in Kannada. Amazon will continue to evolve the experience to add more features in Kannada, helping thousands of SMBs to enjoy the benefits of registering and managing their business in a language of their choice and convenience.

OPPO Reno5 Pro 5G breaks sale estimates, claims OPPO

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OPPO Reno5 Pro 5G has broken the sale record set by its last predecessor Reno4 Pro, claims OPPO.

In the launch week of its first sale, Reno5 Pro 5G has witnessed 91% growth across platforms with its advance AI highlight video feature, great design and amazing performance, the company said.

“The device has surpassed sales of its earlier predecessor on e-commerce platform and grew by 148%. Delhi, Odisha, Kolkata and Bihar have been the top performing states with the highest sales volume of the product. Astral Blue of Reno5 Pro is the preferred handset of consumers with 63% demand coming for this colour.”

Damyant Khanoria, Chief Marketing Officer, OPPO India, said, “The Reno Series is the epitome of consumer centric innovation. With each generation of the Reno Series, we have experienced unprecedented growth. In Q320, it grew 50% and the Reno5 Pro 5G has broken all records with 91% growth in the launch week. The AI Highlight Video feature in Reno5 Pro has set an unparalleled videography experience and has received huge appreciation. Guided by our brand philosophy of ‘Technology for Mankind, Kindness for the world’, we will continue to bring forth ground-breaking technologies and meaningful experiences for our consumers.”

OPPO Reno5 Pro 5G is the first 5G-ready smartphone from the Reno family in India with an Industry-first AI Highlight Video feature. In addition to this, it is the first smartphone in India to be powered by a flagship-level chipset- MediaTek Dimensity 1000+. Offering a 65W SuperVOOC 2.0 Flash Charge and a slim design.

The OPPO Reno series has been known for innovations like the world’s first video bokeh effect on a pop-up camera, the first 44MP dual punch-hole front camera and first 10x Hybrid zoom with 60x digital zoom. Not only this, the Reno 10X Zoom also introduced the world to Shark-Fin rising Camera design.

The product series served as the key component for OPPO’s y-o-y growth in the premium segment as showcased by the CMR Q3 20 market analysis report.

The OPPO Reno5 Pro 5G is available in 8+128GB model in Astral Blue and Starry Black color variants priced at Rs 35,990 across all mainline retailers as well on Flipkart.

Samsung is actively considering acquisitions within the next 3 years: Report

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Team My Mobile
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The South Korean tech giant, Samsung Electronics, is reportedly looking for major acquisitions in the coming three years. The company made the announcement that it would actively be looking into making meaningful acquisitions within the next three years. The company’s last major acquisition was of auto component maker Harman.

According to some media reports, the South Korean tech giant’s CFO Yoonho Choi stated that the company is actively considering acquisition through its cash reserve. These cash reserves will be for strategic facilities investments along with other mergers and buyouts. As per the senior official, Samsung has been looking for notable mergers and acquisitions candidates for the past three years, which have also gone through serious reviews. Unfortunately, the company refrained from mentioning any names on the potential candidate’s list.

Furthermore, it is also unknown when exactly these acquisitions will occur due to the global uncertainties, but Samsung stated that it plans on making these buyouts within the period of its latest shareholders return program, as per Choi. The company announced its 3-year shareholders return program as well. In this, Samsung announced that it will continue to return 50 percent of the free cash flow that will be generated between the period of 2021 to 2023.

Additionally, the company will also increase regular dividends to an annual total of 9.8 trillion won, which is an increase from the previous program (roughly 8.7 billion US Dollars). Back in 2020, Samsung’s cash reserve was 104 trillion won. So, even if the company returns 50 percent of its dividends free cash will continue to pile up without any major merger or acquisitions. The CFO also added that the firm has yet to finalize any plans for additional investments into its Austin chip plant.

CMR Study reveals that 79% consumers re-considering their WhatsApp usage

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Amidst the raging controversy over the recently updated WhatsApp Privacy Policy announcement, Indians are reconsidering their WhatsApp usage, with some even contemplating leaving WhatsApp post-implementation of the new Terms of Service.

As per new research by CyberMedia Research (CMR), 76% of those surveyed are aware of the new WhatsApp Privacy Policy. An overwhelming 79% are reconsidering using WhatsApp, with 28% of those even planning to leave WhatsApp after the implementation of its new policy in May 2021.

In response to the WhatsApp ‘take it or leave it policy’, consumers ascribed a range of emotions ranging from feeling angry (49%), to not trusting WhatsApp ever again (45%), to feeling a breach of trust (35%). A mere 10% of consumers remain indifferent to the new policy announcement.

Satya Mohanty, Head- Industry Consulting Group (ICG), CMR said, “When it comes to messaging with loved ones, or communicating with the world, WhatsApp has been the default choice. However, as our study findings point out, the current debate goes much beyond privacy-oriented consumers, with some even contemplating stopping their WhatsApp usage, and considering alternatives, such as Telegram or Signal. Consumer preference is being driven by word of mouth, as well as by the array of features the platform offers.”

For users of instant messaging apps, trust and security of instant messaging apps are absolutely critical.

Prabhu Ram, Head- Industry Intelligence Group (IIG), CMR said, “We are at the cusp of a potential seminal shift in consumer’s understanding and perspectives around privacy, security and most importantly, brand trust. For consumers, WhatsApp was their own, free and intimate messaging platform. As WhatsApp eventually moves into a much closer integration with the Facebook ecosystem from hereon, it risks an erosion in brand trust and brand loyalty – both key determinants for enduring competitive market advantage.”

As per the study results, 41% of those surveyed indicated planning to shift to Telegram, whereas 35% preferred Signal. Telegram scores over Signal in terms of awareness (55%) and actual usage (39%). Over the past one year, 37% of users have actually used Telegram, compared to a mere 10% for Signal, a rather nascent messaging app that is enjoying a spike in downloads in recent days.

Here are some other major highlights from the Social Safe study:

Majority of users on WhatsApp and FB Messenger do not feel convenient and safe while storing their chat backup on third party or non-end-to-end encrypted platforms such as Google Drive or iCloud. Among the alternatives, Telegram users retain high trust in the dedicated cloud that Telegram offers (49%).

55% of WhatsApp users face the challenge of media files (photos, videos, documents, PPT) from messenger apps, eating up phone memory.

Almost 50% of those surveyed have received suspicious messages from unknown numbers, with potential phishing, malicious links. The occurrence of phishing is high amongst WhatsApp users (52%), and lowest amongst Telegram users (28%).

Three in every four IM users face challenges frequently or sometimes in re-sharing the content on Groups whenever new members join in.

71% people feels safe while joining any mass Group or Channel on Telegram as they don’t need to reveal their phone number to strangers.

The occurrence of spam is high with incumbents, with >50% of WhatsApp and FB Messenger users facing spams daily.

Only one-third of IM users feel acknowledged on abusive content reporting methods of their messaging applications. For instance, 73% of WhatsApp users feel helpless to counter illegal, abusive and copyrighted content, whereas Telegram users are most acknowledged while reporting such content through in-app buttons, and an Abuse Notification Channel.

Honor CEO confirms to be in talks with Google to get GMS support

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Team My Mobile
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The Chinese tech giant, Huawei Technologies, which was once the leading smartphone brand in the world (in Q2 2020), is now practically out of the smartphone business because of the trade restrictions imposed by the United States.

To ensure that its sub-brand Honor survives, the company sold it off to Zhixin New Information Technology Co. Ltd. After its split, it retained almost all of its employees, which are over 8,000, including some of the company’s executives.

According to some media reports, the company is now in talks with several companies to streamline its supply chain and production. Now, Honor CEO George Zhao Ming has confirmed that it is in talks with Google and will soon have Google Mobile Services (GMS) support for its devices.

Given that Honor is no longer a part of Huawei, the company will be able to get access to Google’s software and services. For those who are unaware, Huawei was banned from using Google’s services because of the sanctions imposed by the United and since Honor was a sub-brand of Huawei, it too wasn’t permitted to use Google‘s offerings.

Honor’s CEO has also reiterated what he said when the company was becoming independent — to become a leader in the market. Honor is looking to compete against its former parent company Huawei as well as Apple, as it is eying for the pole position in the Chinese smartphone market.

Apart from Google, the company is also in talks with other companies for the needed components, including Qualcomm for chipsets. It recently launched its own online storage named Honor Mall and is in the process of setting up several new offline stores.

Panasonic India launches a new range of Air Conditioners equipped with nanoeX technology

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Team My Mobile
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Panasonic India today launched the new range of Air Conditioners (ACs) under the HU series enabled with recently announced nanoeX technology. nanoeX technology releases hydroxyl radicals contained in water. Hydroxyl radicals are also known as “nature’s detergent” that are capable of inhibiting bacteria and viruses, including 99.99% of the adhered novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2).

Panasonic has successfully tested the nanoeX device as well as nanoeX ACs for the inhibitory effect on the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) at Texcell Laboratory, France. The new line-up of the five-star inverter nanoeX ACs will be available in 1-ton and 1.5-ton. The (CS/CU-HU18XKYF) will be priced at Rs 66, 000. Indian consumers can experience the new range of Panasonic ACs, across major retail outlets, online portals and Panasonic brand stores soon.

Manish Sharma, President and CEO, Panasonic India & South Asia said, “Panasonic has been a frontrunner when it comes to developing pathbreaking technologies over the years to cater to the ever-evolving needs of the consumers. Our new range of Air Conditioners come with the nanoeX technology demonstrating our commitment of making products that are relevant and in line with consumer requirement. Panasonic first tested the nanoeX device at Texcell Laboratory, France where we did see success in inhibiting novel coronavirus. We challenged Texcell Laboratory further to test the nanoeX device with Panasonic AC and this was also successful in inhibiting novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2).”

Suguru Takamatsu, Divisional Head – Consumers Sales Division, Panasonic India said, “India has one of the lowest penetrations of ACs in the world at 5% that holds immense growth prospects in the segment. Further, with deteriorating air quality and the spread of new diseases, consumers have become more health-conscious. Therefore, our new range of Panasonic nanoeX ACs are capable of eliminating the growth of certain pollutants such as allergens, bacteria, viruses, moulds, odours, and certain hazardous substances to enable a healthier lifestyle for our consumers.”

Gaurav Sah, Business Head, Air Conditioners Group, Panasonic India said, “Our rich expertise of over 60 years in AC manufacturing has helped us innovate with products that add value to our consumers’ daily life. The new line-up of nanoeX ACs are equipped with ECONAVI, Twin Cool INV, and Jetstream technology for maximum safety and comfort. Tested under lab conditions in Texcell, the new Panasonic nanoeX ACs have an inhibitory effect on the adhered novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). These ACs are installed with the nanoeX device which releases 4.8 trillion hydroxyl radicals in a second that cleanses and deodorizes the indoor air. These nanoeX ACs can operate in fan mode and do not always require a compressor/ air cooling feature to be turned on ensuring – energy efficiency and round the clock indoor safety.”

The new range of Panasonic nanoeX ACs HU series features Miraie – Panasonic’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) and IoT platform to ensure connected living. Comfort factor is ensured through superior cooling via Twin Cool INV, ECONAVI and Jetstream. The promise of durability is assured through Shield-Blu and ecoTOUGH technology. The HU series have been designed aesthetically and will be available in Advance facia.

A safer and healthier indoor air quality is ensured through Panasonic’s original nanoeX  and nanoe-G technology. nanoe-G technology works on the principle of ionizer technology and is already present across our Air Conditioner range.

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