High quality smartphones need not be costly
WHEN you say budget-priced Android smartphone, you tend to think that the device’s hardware specs are inferior and its software is stock without the bells and whistles of pricier handsets.
A newcomer in the industry, Chinese brand Xiaomi changed all that perception when it introduced smartphones that feature high-quality specs at lower price points. The company, also known for Hugo Barra who runs the company (Barra is former Google executive in charge of Android), has launched Mi 3 and Redmi 1S that feature remarkable hardware, software, and Internet services but are priced competitively.
The new handsets, which were sold through online channels like Lazada through limited time offer, have helped the company become China’s biggest smartphone manufacturer and the world’s third biggest smartphone vendor.
According to IDC, it shipped 17.3 million devices in the three-month period ending in October 2014, up 211 percent from the year prior. The company now sits behind Apple and Samsung, respectively, as the third biggest smartphone vendor when measured for device shipments.
Recently the company opened its first Mi Exclusive Service Center in the Philippines located at One Kennedy Place, Club Filipino Drive in Greenhills, San Juan.
Offering only two-hour re-
pairs for Mi smartphones, it is the latest addition to Xiaomi’s network of seven service centers and over 50 drop-off points in the country and signifies the company’s seriousness in expanding in the Philippines.
“We are ready with parts of Mi products in stock as well as highly-trained staff ready to assist. Our goal is for customers to have their products repaired within two hours. Depending on the situation, we can also have their devices replaced,” said Steve Vickers, Xiaomi general manager for Southeast Asia.
Vickers said Xiaomi intends to be the one of the top five brands in the Philippines and he foresees to accomplish that goal within a shorter period.
“The feedback that we got from our customers has been extremely positive. They like the fact that our products are good-priced and well-made. What they like in particular is the user interface, which offers a different experience. If you look at all smartphones, it’s really the software that differentiates one from another. That’s where we put majority of our efforts.”
Vickers said one key factor why Xiaomi products became a success in an already crowded space is the presence of e-commerce, which is more and more embraced by consumers in South east Asia. He said the path to purchase of consumers is already happening in the e-commerce space. In addition, the company’s objective not to establish a real physical store and opt for e-commerce to sell Xiaomi products also contributed to making the high-quality smartphones affordable.
“Our distribution model is a cheaper distribution model, thanks to e-commerce,” he said. “E-commerce is being adopted throughout Southeast Asia. Each of the countries are in slightly different stage, but the trajectory in all of them is quite clearly the same. More and more people are looking to buy through e-commerce because it is a cheaper way of distributing phones. And as such, it gives people a chance to buy phones at a much better price point.”
Redmi 1S Review: Affordable smartphone with quality specs
After introducing Mi 3 in the Philippines a few months back, Xiaomi recently offered the Redmi 1S, a high- performance smartphone that is also extremely affordable. It features a quadcore Qualcomm 1.6GHz processor and a 4.7-inch IPS display - a perfect device for all mobile Internet, communications, and gaming needs. It is also a dualSIM device with dual standby capability, which is ideal for people who have personal and work SIMs or who travel internationally often.
The phone packs 1 GB RAM, 8GB internal flash memory with external microSD slot that supports up to 64 GB. The rear camera is 8 megapixel ƒ/2.2 aperture for 1080p video recording and a front 1.6MP camera
Similar to the Mi 3, the Redmi 1S (priced at only P5,509 in Lazada) features Xiaomi’s very own user interface called MIUI.
The MIUI practically resembles the iOS, with its large icons and the non-presence of an app drawer--the familiar feature of any Android smartphone.
Other features of the Redmi 1S include theme customization and grouping of icons in one container (for easy access of the app you really need).
The Redmi 1S also has a cloud ser- vice that allows you to send cloudbased text messages through the phone as well as your PC to other Xiaomi handsets. The cloud service also backups your SMS and pictures.
The smartphone’s 8 megapixel camera is also a good one. It takes photos fast, the colors produced are not satu- rated, and there are a lot of software to edit your photos, like panorama and HDR.
The Redmi 1S packs a 2,000 mAh battery, which provides a day and a half of power for moderate to heavy use involving Internet, Facebook, calls, SMS, games, etc.