Gionee was a Chinese smartphone manufacturer based in Shenzhen, Guangdong.[1] Founded in 2002,[2] it was one of China's largest mobile phone manufacturers.[3] According to Gartner, its market share in China was 4.7% in 2012,[4] and it expanded into other markets, including India, Taiwan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Vietnam, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, the Philippines and Algeria.[2]
In August 2016, Gionee India introduced their plans to build a manufacturing plant in India. At the same time, Gionee introduced its first Made in India smartphone with the introduction of the F103 model. The model was manufactured in a Foxconn plant in Sri City, Andhra Pradesh.[5][6] In November 2018, it was reported that chairman Liu Lirong lost over US$144 million to gambling in a casino.[7][8] On 10 December 2018, the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court accepted the bankruptcy liquidation application filed by Huaxing Bank against Gionee.[9][10][11][12]
In 2019, Gionee India was acquired by Karbonn Mobiles. In 2020 they announced Gionee Mobile as a sub-brand of Karbonn.[13] On 1 March 2021, Karbonn launched the Gionee Max Pro in India. The phone features a 6,000 mAh battery, a 6.52-inch display, 3 GB of RAM paired with 32 GB inbuilt storage and can be expanded via microSD card.[14]
In 2014, it was shown by the German media that Gionee was delivering smartphones and tablets with pre-installed malware.[15][16][17]
