India now has its first-ever, wholly Made-in-India smartphone. This device is designed, engineered, and governed entirely in India. Madhav Sheth, the visionary behind NxtQuantum Shift Technologies, discussed the AI+ Smartphone in an exclusive conversation with NDTV.
At a time of data privacy issues, cybercrimes, and hidden surveillance, many smartphones are built to snoop. This one is different. The AI+ Smartphone focuses on protection, keeping your data secure under Indian laws and away from foreign access.
Mr Sheth, a veteran in the Indian smartphone industry and former co-founder and CEO of realme India, combines Atmanirbhar Bharat ideals with next-generation AI innovation. He shared his mission with NDTV, stating that he wants to challenge foreign dominance, emphasise digital sovereignty, and create a global tech brand from India.
The Indian smartphone market, valued at Rs 5 lakh crore, is mostly driven by foreign brands, which hold 80% of the market.
Mr Sheth is ready to change that.
"It's time for Indian brands to showcase their strength," he stated.
"No major attempts have been made to challenge this dominance in the past decade. After two decades in this smartphone environment, I am determined to take on this challenge. My experience with several Chinese brands has given me deep insights into their supply chains," he said.
The AI+ Smartphone runs on NxtQuantum OS, a full-stack platform with cloud infrastructure hosted in India, locally designed hardware, and a focus on privacy. It relies on Google India's MeitY-approved cloud servers and Flipkart's nationwide distribution, marking a significant step toward trusted, inclusive technology.
"It is time for homegrown Indian brands to go global," Mr Sheth declared, aiming to make India a global design hub.
Digital Sovereignty as Strategic Infrastructure
Mr Sheth emphasised that genuine self-reliance means India needs to own its operating systems, cloud, and code. "Current smartphones send data through foreign systems without user control," he remarked.
"'Made in India' means little if software and updates come from abroad," he said.
NxtQuantum OS keeps data on MeitY-approved Google Cloud servers, ensuring it meets Indian laws.
"Sovereignty means keeping user data under Indian laws, by design," he added.
Privacy is essential for the AI+ Smartphone. Unlike other devices designed to extract data, it provides a real-time privacy dashboard that shows who accessed data and when.
"Data security is based on transparency," Mr Sheth said.
"When apps access sensitive data, like phone calls, AI+ Smartphone users can choose to opt out. Right now, 50-60% of apps collect data to make money, often without clear disclosure. Educating consumers on this is vital," he said.
By following the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, NxtQuantum gives users control over their data and makes privacy a default feature.
India-First, Built for a Billion Designed for India's diverse needs, the AI+ Smartphone was tested in 80 districts to support users who switch languages mid-sentence. It's ready for Aadhaar, UPI-enabled, and built for offline use to ensure everyone can access it.
"India isn't one user. It's a billion patterns," Mr Sheth said.
Running on Android 15, the device includes advanced features like Gemini and locally developed Large Language Models (LLMs).
"The term 'AI' has been used too much, but generative AI is now a basic feature in smartphones," Mr Sheth explained.
"By 2030, there will be a billion smartphone users. To close the digital gap in India, our A-grade smartphone is as affordable as 2G devices. This makes business sense, helping users upgrade and join India's digitization journey," he said.
Free of bloatware and spyware, the AI+ Smartphone focuses on performance and simplicity.
"When you build everything here-from the OS to hardware-you avoid paying royalties abroad," Mr Sheth said. "That's real savings we can pass to consumers. Keeping more dollars in India means more people online."
A Call to Action for Industry and Government
Mr Sheth urged the Indian industry to take action, noting that Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) benefits currently favour Chinese brands.
"The government is offering support, but Indian companies must step up. We need intervention to ensure these benefits help Indian firms," he said. With India's skilled workforce, he sees a strong tech ecosystem developing. "Transferring technological expertise is essential. India has plenty of skilled talent, but we must also focus on execution to turn our potential into reality."
NxtQuantum is developing an ecosystem with over 280 service centers and upcoming launches like NxtMove, NxtVault, and NxtTheme Designer. Developer APIs will soon support an India-first app ecosystem, driving innovation.
India's Moment on the Global Stage
For Mr Sheth, launching NxtQuantum was a national responsibility.
"Leaving a successful brand to create something sovereign wasn't a risk. Staying quiet was," he said.
"This is India's moment to build a global tech brand from scratch-and I couldn't ignore it," he said.
The AI+ Smartphone aims to change perceptions around authorship, trust, and access.
"India must become a global design hub, not just a tech consumer," Mr Sheth asserted.
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