Share

Hisense woos SA with top-featured cheap smartphones

Cape Town - South Africans shouldn't have to pay a premium price to get a good-looking smartphone, says a manufacturer.

Hisense has announced a new crop of smartphones that the company will launch in SA on 25 November.

The new devices are expected to cost around the R3 000 mark, but they have a more refined feel when compared to competing devices.

Model names and numbers are not yet available, but Hisense revealed an iPhone lookalike smartphone, a phablet and a Bluetooth enabled phone.

The Bluetooth device is intended as a companion to the larger phablet, but Hisense officials told Fin24 that it will work with any Bluetooth smartphone or tablet.

Cost has emerged as a major issue and established electronics giants have seen an erosion of market share as consumers opt for cheaper devices.

"Mature markets face limited growth potential as the markets are saturated with smartphone sales, leaving little room for growth with declining feature phone market and a longer replacement cycle," said Anshul Gupta, principal research analyst at Gartner.

Dual SIM feature

In addition to Hisense, lower cost manufacturers such as Huawei, Lenovo, ZTE and others have grabbed market share, particularly in developing countries where consumers are far more price sensitive than in the West.

"Huawei smartphone sales grew 85.3% in the fourth quarter of 2013 to maintain the No 3 spot year over year. Huawei has moved quickly to align its organisation to focus on the global market. Huawei's overseas expansion delivered strong results in the fourth quarter of 2013, with growth in the Middle East and Africa, Asia/Pacific, Latin America and Europe," Gupta added.


This tiny Bluetooth phone works with any large smartphone to make calls and send text messages. (Duncan Alfreds, Fin24)

However, while people may buy cheaper phones, the competitive nature of the market has seen manufacturers racing to differentiate themselves.

Huawei has the highest rated secondary camera on its Ascend P7, Acer offers smartphones for under R2 000, and Lenovo competes on a pure Android platform.

And Hisense may not have it all its own way. A number of players are eyeing the South African market with a view to expansion into Africa and a potential customer base of nearly one billion people.

Hisense has taken the view that dual SIM is ideal for the SA market because it gives consumers the flexibility to switch between operators based on cost of data and coverage. A refined look may also add status, while not breaking the bank.

Operators

But this has also put the company in a difficult position in SA because while operators have a history of ranging dual SIM devices, they are not keen to do so.

Manufacturers such as HTC, Samsung and Acer have declined to officially range their dual SIM devices in SA.

Hisense mobile phones are available from takealot.com, MWEB and Telkom Mobile, and it is unlikely that the new range will be in your local MTN or Vodacom store.

Check out the video of the new Hisense smartphones coming to SA.



- Follow Duncan on Twitter

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
18.88
+0.3%
Rand - Pound
23.86
+0.2%
Rand - Euro
20.39
+0.2%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.31
+0.2%
Rand - Yen
0.12
+0.2%
Platinum
908.05
0.0%
Palladium
1,014.94
0.0%
Gold
2,232.75
-0.0%
Silver
24.95
-0.1%
Brent Crude
87.00
+1.8%
Top 40
68,346
0.0%
All Share
74,536
0.0%
Resource 10
57,251
0.0%
Industrial 25
103,936
0.0%
Financial 15
16,502
0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders