Price increase: Other smartphone makers won't take the Apple route

Despite a five percentage point increase in the basic customs duty on mobile handsets, smartphone makers such as Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo are not mulling price hikes. Instead, the plan, according to top industry sources, is to absorb the duty hike to protect price points in a highly competitive market.
 
The move comes even as rival Apple has increased the prices of all its top models, excluding the iPhone SE, which is assembled in India. The hike is to the tune of 3.5 per cent and is with immediate effect.
 
However, other players in the Rs 45,000 and