How local “smart phone” brands rush into the middle class and inflate prices
Not so long ago, I received a vigorous press release about the start of sales of the Prestigio MultiPhone 7600 Duo smartphone. Usually, as it happens - you see in the mailbox such a letter from a local brand, you read it, and in the process you try to guess: how much will the new product cost? Knowing that Russian or near-Russian (Prestigio positions itself this way) are trying to dump offices, you expect to see a tasty figure. I will give an example of Highscreen - the other day they also sent out a release about the Zera F smartphone. In the process of reading the document, I paid attention to the IPS-screen and 1 GB of RAM, while the text emphasized that the device was megabyte. Well, it was thought, thousands of 5 or 5 and a half for him wrung. But no, it turned out that 4. I did not guess.
So, when I read about the 6-inch Prestigio MultiPhone 7600 Duo, even with a 13-megapixel camera, I assumed that they would be asked for 11-12 thousand rubles for it. The release mentioned a 4-core processor without specifying the model, but the reduced frequency - 1.5 GHz - pointed to the rather elderly MediaTek MT6589T (later suspicions were confirmed).
Prestigio MultiPhone 7600 Duo
I finished reading and a little ... I was surprised, let's say so. Prestigio MultiPhone 7600 Duo is estimated at 15 (fifteen!) Thousand rubles (or about $ 416). The product is a local brand, and the product is very ordinary for TTX. With HD-screen (1280 x 720, that is, about any Full HD 1080p out of the question). With 1 GB of RAM. And even with the 8-megapixel front camera, which, in truth, the process of using a smartphone does not particularly improve. “Self-gunners” for Instagram are also good at “iPhone”, where the resolution of the front camera is several times lower, and on some thread, one can already say, “ancient” SGS3 ...
')
Of the unusual in the Prestigio MultiPhone 7600 Duo, only the NFC module. But here, in principle, there is nothing surprising: yes, in devices on MediaTek chipsets this benefit of civilization is rare. But it occurs: it is enough to recall a number of Philips models.
Philips Xenium W336 on MediaTek chipset also supports NFC
Yes, complete with Prestigio MultiPhone 7600 Duo comes with a Flip Cover case, that is, in the form of a “book” - with a protective panel for the screen. A trifle pleasant, but not fundamental.
Here comes to mind 5.7-inch Lexand Antares for 10 thousand. It has the same processor (frequency, though, 1.2 GHz, but in the case of an HD screen there is no difference between 1.2 and 1.5), it’s also a book case in the kit, but there is no NFC and an 8 megapixel camera. She shoots - I'm sure of it - about the same as 13 Mp in Prestigio. In general, you can save 5 thousand rubles.
Lexand Antares
What phablets (well, that is, big smartphones) can be bought for 15 thousand rubles? Oh, the choice is really there. The 5.5-inch version of the Lenovo K900 with 32 GB of memory (this is better than the “stubby” version with 16 GB, as this model does not have a slot for flash cards, which for some is a weighty argument to seriously consider buying) 12-13 thousand. Of course, the device is very peculiar: beautiful and metallic, but personally to me after the Galaxy S3, it seemed extremely unfortunate in ergonomics. And yet - quite an option.
Lenovo K900
5.8-inch Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8 can be found for 13-14 thousand. The screen is rather weak (not only in the resolution, which is 540 x 960, but in general, in not very high image quality), but, as they say, Samsung.
Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8
Here it is worth clarifying important. Why does the Prestigio MultiPhone 7600 Duo cost so much? Due to the fact that they want to raise a lot of money on large sales volumes? Like, if the device is successful and unique, then they will buy it for any money. (This logic is regularly used by individual companies - suppliers of gadgets.) Not at all: 6-inch smartphones are niche, by definition, and the high price can only “kill” this product. Even if in essence it is quite a quality and successful.
As predicted by alexeystar , brands of the “Other” category in 2014 are trying to gradually go beyond the “up to 10 thousand” price range and capture the “from 10 to 15 thousand” segment, that is, a full-fledged middle class. Of course, this can be done in different ways - including awkwardly. In Prestigio, they probably believe so much in the strength and prestige of their brand that they decided to launch a product for 15 thousand rubles, which ideally should cost 12. The purpose of the announcement of the MultiPhone 7600 Duo is precisely to demonstrate entering a full-fledged middle class.
Yes, today in the “from 10 to 15 thousand” segment you can find not only Prestigio products, but also models of a number of other local brands. Let's take a look at Highscreen Thor, which costs 13,500 rubles (about $ 375), which is also not that cheap by the standards of the Russian brand. But in this case, I personally see what to pay for, - there are a number of serious technological chips. This, in particular, 5-inch Full HD-screen from the Japanese Sharp and 8-core MediaTek MT6592 processor. Plus, the design is unusual, and the camera, as it turned out, is very personal. (Soon, I or my colleagues will publish a review.) For an apparatus with such components, it is not a sin to give the above amount.
Highscreen thor
Let me quote another alexeystar material : “In the future, however, local brands will also have a hard time. Let us recall electronic readers: one day, a year in 2011, literally EVERYTHING began to be carried. There were hundreds of models from dozens of brands on the market. Now there are only a few left. Yes, the point here is not only that the strongest survive, but also that the demand for reading rooms has fallen markedly under the pressure of the tablets. However, the second does not negate the first reason - and the situation with smartphones is exactly the same: some local brands will “die” in the future, a significant part of B-brands will move to the lowest segment and offer ultra-budgetary ones of the same type, and only those who will invest in the design and unique pieces of devices. Without forgetting about the imputed price tags. "
Now I can add one more touch to this quote: some brands that use the business model of online sales, a la Xiaomi in China, can also wait for success. The advantages are obvious: there is no charge on the part of retail chains - which means low prices at the imputed level of characteristics. As an example, we can recall Just5 with its Spacer smartphone: this is a 5-inch 4-core device with an IPS screen, which costs 5,250 rubles. You can buy it only in the online store of the brand, hence the price.
Just5 Spacer
Such are the cases. It will be interesting to see what will happen to the segment “from 10 to 15” towards the end of the year. The “up to 10 thousand” segment today is practically seized by second-tier stamps (read Russian), and now they are trying to climb up. Let's see - will they break down?
So, when I read about the 6-inch Prestigio MultiPhone 7600 Duo, even with a 13-megapixel camera, I assumed that they would be asked for 11-12 thousand rubles for it. The release mentioned a 4-core processor without specifying the model, but the reduced frequency - 1.5 GHz - pointed to the rather elderly MediaTek MT6589T (later suspicions were confirmed).
Prestigio MultiPhone 7600 Duo
I finished reading and a little ... I was surprised, let's say so. Prestigio MultiPhone 7600 Duo is estimated at 15 (fifteen!) Thousand rubles (or about $ 416). The product is a local brand, and the product is very ordinary for TTX. With HD-screen (1280 x 720, that is, about any Full HD 1080p out of the question). With 1 GB of RAM. And even with the 8-megapixel front camera, which, in truth, the process of using a smartphone does not particularly improve. “Self-gunners” for Instagram are also good at “iPhone”, where the resolution of the front camera is several times lower, and on some thread, one can already say, “ancient” SGS3 ...
')
Of the unusual in the Prestigio MultiPhone 7600 Duo, only the NFC module. But here, in principle, there is nothing surprising: yes, in devices on MediaTek chipsets this benefit of civilization is rare. But it occurs: it is enough to recall a number of Philips models.
Philips Xenium W336 on MediaTek chipset also supports NFC
Yes, complete with Prestigio MultiPhone 7600 Duo comes with a Flip Cover case, that is, in the form of a “book” - with a protective panel for the screen. A trifle pleasant, but not fundamental.
Here comes to mind 5.7-inch Lexand Antares for 10 thousand. It has the same processor (frequency, though, 1.2 GHz, but in the case of an HD screen there is no difference between 1.2 and 1.5), it’s also a book case in the kit, but there is no NFC and an 8 megapixel camera. She shoots - I'm sure of it - about the same as 13 Mp in Prestigio. In general, you can save 5 thousand rubles.
Lexand Antares
What phablets (well, that is, big smartphones) can be bought for 15 thousand rubles? Oh, the choice is really there. The 5.5-inch version of the Lenovo K900 with 32 GB of memory (this is better than the “stubby” version with 16 GB, as this model does not have a slot for flash cards, which for some is a weighty argument to seriously consider buying) 12-13 thousand. Of course, the device is very peculiar: beautiful and metallic, but personally to me after the Galaxy S3, it seemed extremely unfortunate in ergonomics. And yet - quite an option.
Lenovo K900
5.8-inch Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8 can be found for 13-14 thousand. The screen is rather weak (not only in the resolution, which is 540 x 960, but in general, in not very high image quality), but, as they say, Samsung.
Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8
Here it is worth clarifying important. Why does the Prestigio MultiPhone 7600 Duo cost so much? Due to the fact that they want to raise a lot of money on large sales volumes? Like, if the device is successful and unique, then they will buy it for any money. (This logic is regularly used by individual companies - suppliers of gadgets.) Not at all: 6-inch smartphones are niche, by definition, and the high price can only “kill” this product. Even if in essence it is quite a quality and successful.
As predicted by alexeystar , brands of the “Other” category in 2014 are trying to gradually go beyond the “up to 10 thousand” price range and capture the “from 10 to 15 thousand” segment, that is, a full-fledged middle class. Of course, this can be done in different ways - including awkwardly. In Prestigio, they probably believe so much in the strength and prestige of their brand that they decided to launch a product for 15 thousand rubles, which ideally should cost 12. The purpose of the announcement of the MultiPhone 7600 Duo is precisely to demonstrate entering a full-fledged middle class.
Yes, today in the “from 10 to 15 thousand” segment you can find not only Prestigio products, but also models of a number of other local brands. Let's take a look at Highscreen Thor, which costs 13,500 rubles (about $ 375), which is also not that cheap by the standards of the Russian brand. But in this case, I personally see what to pay for, - there are a number of serious technological chips. This, in particular, 5-inch Full HD-screen from the Japanese Sharp and 8-core MediaTek MT6592 processor. Plus, the design is unusual, and the camera, as it turned out, is very personal. (Soon, I or my colleagues will publish a review.) For an apparatus with such components, it is not a sin to give the above amount.
Highscreen thor
Let me quote another alexeystar material : “In the future, however, local brands will also have a hard time. Let us recall electronic readers: one day, a year in 2011, literally EVERYTHING began to be carried. There were hundreds of models from dozens of brands on the market. Now there are only a few left. Yes, the point here is not only that the strongest survive, but also that the demand for reading rooms has fallen markedly under the pressure of the tablets. However, the second does not negate the first reason - and the situation with smartphones is exactly the same: some local brands will “die” in the future, a significant part of B-brands will move to the lowest segment and offer ultra-budgetary ones of the same type, and only those who will invest in the design and unique pieces of devices. Without forgetting about the imputed price tags. "
Now I can add one more touch to this quote: some brands that use the business model of online sales, a la Xiaomi in China, can also wait for success. The advantages are obvious: there is no charge on the part of retail chains - which means low prices at the imputed level of characteristics. As an example, we can recall Just5 with its Spacer smartphone: this is a 5-inch 4-core device with an IPS screen, which costs 5,250 rubles. You can buy it only in the online store of the brand, hence the price.
Just5 Spacer
Such are the cases. It will be interesting to see what will happen to the segment “from 10 to 15” towards the end of the year. The “up to 10 thousand” segment today is practically seized by second-tier stamps (read Russian), and now they are trying to climb up. Let's see - will they break down?
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/217029/
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