- LG and Sony had backed out of upcoming Mobile World Congress on account of Coronavirus outbreak
- GSMA, the organisers of MWC, have also recently informed about the cancellation of MWC 2020
Xiaomi India has increased the prices of Redmi Note 8 smartphones in India. The company said that the price hike is only applicable on the 4GB + 64GB variant of Redmi Note 8.
A report published by the Economic Times mentioned that Vivo India is not immediately hiking prices of smartphones. The company is absorbing the temporary component cost fluctuation. Xiaomi is hiked the prices of Note 8 smartphone by approximately Rs 500.
Image Credits – VoxCoronavirus effect on consumer electronics
The outbreak of Coronavirus has had a negative impact on the consumer electronics and smartphones business. Many consumer electronics companies have feared halt in production processes. It is to be noted here that a lot of consumer electronics depend on Chinese companies for components and many other parts including display screens.
LG Electronics and Sony had also pulled back its participation from the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2020 citing Coronavirus as the reason. “With the safety of its employees, partners and customers foremost in mind, LG has decided to withdraw from exhibiting and participating in MWC 2020 later this month in Barcelona, Spain. This decision removes the risk of exposing hundreds of LG employees to international travel which has already become more restrictive as the virus continues to spread across borders,” read LG’s official statement.
MWC 2020 cancelled
GSMA, the organisers of MWC, have also recently informed about the cancellation of MWC 2020. “With due regard to the safe and healthy environment in Barcelona and the host country today, the GSMA has cancelled MWC Barcelona 2020 because the global concern regarding the coronavirus outbreak, travel concern and other circumstances, make it impossible for the GSMA to hold the event,” read GSMA’s official statement.
It continued, “Since the first edition of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in 2006, the GSMA has convened the industry, governments, ministers, policymakers, operators and industry leaders across the broader ecosystem.”
