Yes, Xolo is an Indian company. It is an Indian mobile handset brand owned by Lava International, an Indian multinational technology company specialising in consumer electronics like smartphones, laptops, tablets and computer hardware. Xolo was launched in the year 2012 as a budget to mid-range smartphone brand, with a focus on performance and affordability. Apart from smartphones, Xolo\’s product portfolio includes laptops and tablet computers.
Xolo is the pioneer of both Android and 4G-enabled smartphones in India. The brand has not launched any new product since the year 2019 even though it is active and maintains a niche presence in the Indian market.
| Details | Info |
| Founded | 2012 |
| Founder | Hari Om Rai, Vishal Sehgal, Sunil Bhalla |
| Headquarters | Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India |
| CEO | Hari Om Rai |
| Sector | Consumer electronics |
Company History
Xolo was founded in April 2012 by Hari Om Rai, Vishal Sehgal and Sunil Bhalla, the co-founders of Lava International. It was launched as a sub-brand of Lava in the smartphone segment. The debut product under Xolo brand was India’s first Intel-powered Android smartphone, Xolo X900, featuring Intel’s Atom Z2460 processor.
In the year 2013, Xolo launched the Q Series of smartphones featuring MediaTek processors. This was followed by the launch of India’s first 4G smartphone, Xolo LT900. Xolo also collaborated with AMD to launch Xolo Win, a Windows-based tablet, which was India’s first AMD-powered tablet.
Xolo launched the Play Series and Omega series in the budget smartphone segment in the year 2014. In July 2015, the brand launched Xolo Black, one of the first dual-camera phones in India. Last significant launch by Xolo was Xolo ZX, launched in April 2019.
Current Status
Xolo currently holds less than 1% share in the Indian smartphone market, even though its parent company Lava International has around 2-3% market share, mainly on the back of its latest 5G models. Since Lava has shifted its focus towards 5G devices in the budget and mid-range segments, Xolo’s relevance and visibility have diminished.
Older models of Xolo are still listed on e-commerce sites like Flipkart and Amazon, however their availability is limited. In the absence of new products and no presence in the 5G device segment, Xolo has largely been sidelined by Lava International.
Future Outlook
There have been speculations that Lava might relaunch Xolo in the premium segment to compete with Chinese brands, while leveraging the brand’s 100% local manufacturing base. Re-launching Xolo as a budget 5G brand has also been pointed out as a possibility by some industry experts.
Lava International may also choose to phase out Xolo by absorbing it into the Lava brand or maintain status quo.