Madhav Sheth clarified on X that Explore Honor (HTech) is not ceasing operations, refuting reports of Honor leaving India. Honor had exited the Indian market in 2021 but announced its return in September 2023 under Sheth’s leadership. However, a sudden announcement stated that “Explore Honor” would cease operations, prompting a name change of its Telegram group to “Alcatel India Community.” Sheth has now become the Founder & Tech Advisor for Alcatel India, having transitioned to a company that acquired Alcatel’s rights from TCL. His new venture, NxtQuantum, shares trademarks with TCL’s technology.
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UPDATE: Madhav Sheth took to X to confirm that Explore Honor (HTech) is not shutting down and that reports regarding Honor’s exit from India are false.
HONOR is not going anywhere nor merging with other brands.
Original story continues below:
Honor exited the Indian market in 2021, only to announce a comeback in September 2023. This revitalization effort was led by Madhav Sheth, the former chief of Realme India, who left his position to take the helm at Htech, a local entity focused on marketing Honor phones under the “Made in India” initiative.
Now, merely 20 months later, the initiative has abruptly ended. Fans of Honor India received an unexpected announcement via official communication channels stating that “Explore Honor” has officially ceased operations and support in India.
Message from Explore Honor Telegram group
The Telegram group from which we obtained the screenshot will be renamed from “Explore Honor India Fan Club” to “Alcatel India Community.” Interestingly, Madhav Sheth has recently transitioned to the local firm bringing the Alcatel brand back to the smartphone sector, having acquired the naming rights from TCL.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Sheth is now the Founder & Tech Advisor for Alcatel India, and his X (formerly Twitter) account bio no longer references anything related to Honor.
Madhav Sheth’s current bio on X
Here’s where it gets interesting. His new venture, NxtQuantum, bears a resemblance to NxtPaper and NxtVision, technology trademarks utilized by TCL, which owns the naming rights for Alcatel. Additionally, the TCL 50 and TCL 60 models share a design similarity with some of the teased Alcatel products.
Notice the similarities between the unreleased Alcatel phone and the TCL 50 Pro NxtPaper?
It will be interesting to see if the similarities between the phones extend beyond design once the official announcement is made—it shouldn’t be long now.
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