New Delhi: Nothing that started by Carl Pei is doing so to the budget brand CMF. This new entity will be set up in India and majority of its ownership and control will remain in Indian hands. There will still be a portion that’s small but not run by CMF. It will also establish its headquarters and lab within India.
Like Japan, Korea and China did before, India has matured to create its own big tech names, says Carl Pei. He believes CMF may be one of the first Indian brands to get to that stage as it will now be conducting actual research and design here, rather than assembling.
Every country that has manufactured consumer electronics at scale eventually produces its own global champions. I wrote down my thoughts on why India Is inevitable: https://t.co/KKcY26wUr6
— Carl Pei (@getpeid) September 21, 2026
Strong local engineering, not popularity for a short period, is key to brands’ longevity, Pei said. He also remembered the time from 2015–2017 when the Indian brands were struggling with taking on technology and know-how from foreign brands. He said he got a similar opportunity today.
CMF is no longer just going to select pre-tailored designs for phones from manufacturers. Instead they will be developing new products, reducing the prices by cutting on additional expenses (and not the quality) and they will be enhancing the cell phones each year.
Pei also noted that nearly all phones available in India are manufactured here, which he termed as a big achievement. He says the next step is to work on more research and development, however, something he believes that the CMF can play a role in doing. Last year CMF was said to be the fastest growing sub-brand of phones in India and the long-term plan is to sell 100 million phones in one year.
