Low-cost Asian smartphone brands take on big players

Low-cost Asian smartphone brands take on big players

Thai first-time buyers attracted by prices

Smartphone competition is intensifying as more low-profile brands from elsewhere in Asia flood the Thai market.

At least six smartphone brands from Asian producers are available at affordable prices including Lava of India, Vivo and Xiaomi of China and iMI of Hong Kong. The Philippines’ Cherry Mobile brand arrived one year ago.

“The parade of Asian brands has put pressure on global international brand phone makers, particularly Samsung, and even computer makers such as Asus and Lenovo who have moved into the smartphone market,” said Satianporn Suvansupa, associate marketing analyst at IDC Thailand.

Low-end smartphones have become more popular this year, with prices that attract first-time users.

Mr Satianporn said Android-based smartphones sold for less than 5,000 baht will control more than half of the Thai smartphone market this year thanks to highly intensified competition.

The potential market for smartphones remains large considering that about half of the country’s population of 70 million do not use smartphones despite the relatively strong economy, he said.

This has attracted more Asian players to enter the Thai market.

Opas Cherdpunt, managing director of M Vision, organiser of the Thailand Mobile Expo, said smartphones under these Asian brands, available for 2,000 to 5,000 baht, were enjoying strong demand upcountry.

Local house brand phones with strong features such as G-Net are also joining the low-end smartphone segment.

“Thailand’s smartphone market is intense but still has room for new players that have the ability to offer higher specifications at a lower price,” said Jacky Zhang, chief executive of iMI Technology Thailand, a unit of the Hong Kong-based smartphone maker.

Its headquarters in Hong Kong is an original-design manufacturing unit. Its more than 10 million smartphones are manufactured from factories in China and Taiwan, enabling the firm to offer competitive prices.

The company plans to use 300 million baht for building the brand in Thailand as well as opening service centres and using the Thai operation as a springboard to other Asean members.

iMI offers two models of Android-based smartphones. Its Messi No.1 targets male users and is equipped with a five-inch OGS display and 13-megapixel camera. Its Lady 1 model is designed to enable women to splash their favourite perfume on the phone.

The Lady 1 also has a voice shutter command enabling the user to say “cheese” for automatic command photo shooting with a 13-megapixel camera.

“We offer smartphone specifications to compete with the iPhone but priced below 10,000 baht to capture entry buyers,” Mr Zhang said.

The company expects to sell 150,000 units in the first six months through its 500 dealers. It has opened 10 service centres nationwide.

It has also introduced the iWatch, an all-in-one telephone and internet-connected watch.

It will expand into Singapore in the third quarter to test the iMI brand in a mature market. Expansion into Myanmar is planned to cash in on 3G service.

Do you like the content of this article?
COMMENT (1)