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$130 unsubsidized for a phone with quad-core, 4.7" 720p (312ppi), 8MP camera, 1GB RAM

EbookReader said:
http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/31/xiaomi-unveils-the-red-rice-smartphone/



The storage is on the weak side though. However, the company is now on the up and up.

Xiaomi increases its forecast from 15 million smartphones sold in 2013 to 20 millions. It is now valued at $10 billion USD. More than Levono.

Is this something that will be common in the future? Great specs at under $200, unsubsidized?

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The phone has a couple of corners cut to bring it down in price. It is estimated that the phone cost $85 USD to produce. Mediatek SOC, small battery, small storage, limited radio and I have no seen one mention of the type of touch screen used. I would hope it is not resistive but resistive screens are still being pushed on super cheap devices in India and China.

This thing is priced like this in China due to the market but if it came over to the US or Europe Xiaomi would not price it so cheaply. Enter in a chance for a bigger margin and greater fees when it comes to using more expensive radios + licensing.
 
EbookReader said:
Is this something that will be common in the future? Great specs at under $200, unsubsidized?

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Click to expand...
It is starting to become pretty common as of today.

Last Nov, a local brand here in Manila was selling a dual core 1.2Ghz Snapdragon phone for 4k pesos or about $100. This was the Cherry Mobile Flare which was a rebranded Karbonn (India) A9+. Not rare to find phones with quad core at $150 out here. But I personally stick to brands I know because when I had that Flare, it sucked in alot of areas including reception, batt, and camera.

But I agree with the first reply that maybe not in the Western markets because of carrier control but already more common here in Asia.

Nokia Lumia 521 and Nexus 4 is the best bang for your buck unsubsidized phones there in the U.S.
 
ucfgrad93 said:
Agreed. Plus, I don't think the phone has great specs. I would never buy a phone with only 4GB of storage and no expansion slot.
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For $130, I think the specs are quite decent.

As I noted above, it has a microSD slot, so the user can expand the storage with up to 32GB additional memory if they want to.

TheHateMachine said:
It is estimated that the phone cost $85 USD to produce. Mediatek SOC, small battery, small storage, limited radio
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Since the phone is intended for China, the radio in the current model uses TD-SCDMA for 3G.

However, a second model with WCDMA for the same price has been announced for carriers like China Unicom (who is now successfully concentrating on lower cost phones since it lost iPhone exclusivity).

and I have no seen one mention of the type of touch screen used. I would hope it is not resistive but resistive screens are still being pushed on super cheap devices in India and China.
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GSM Arena lists these specs:

  • IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
  • 720 x 1280 pixels, 4.7 inches (~312 ppi pixel density)
  • Corning Gorilla Glass 2
 
No, not really. In developed countries, we have voted with our respective currencies, and we'd rather pay more for something that offers more. That's why you don't see 3-cylinder 4-speed manual hatchbacks with no tachometer ruling the streets, ultra cheap products that have no/limited warranty/return policy etc.

slu said:
Why? Does the west not like things that are lower priced? Is there any examples of something like this in other markets? I know cars can vary, but that is not good comparison. Much more complex.
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Xiaomi sells the phone mostly online. (this cut cost since physical retailers/phone stores want their %)

I wonder if Amazon will follow this strategy. (selling it only on Amazon)

And what the specs will be for Amazon $199 kphone if Amazon sell it at cost (break-even).
 
Jibbajabba said:
You get what you pay for ...
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http://www.phonearena.com/news/Xiao...just-85-quad-core-phone-priced-at-130_id46906
Xiaomi Red Rice materials cost just $85, quad-core phone priced at $130

One of the most talked about phones in Asia is the Xiamoi Red Rice. The reason for the buzz is the remarkably low price of $130 (U.S. Dollar equivalent) for a handset using a quad-core processor with a screen offering a pixel density of 312ppi. Analytics firm Trend Force found that the phone has $85 worth of materials inside the device, led by the MediaTek MT6589 processor which accounts for 20% of the phone's manufacturing cost. The 4.7 inch IPS panel makes up 22% of the phone's cost and sports 720 x 1280 resolution. Gorilla Glass 2 protects the display from scratches and cracks.

In addition to the nice fat profit margins, Trend Force says that the company is managing its inventory better than its competitors do. On board the unit is 1GB of RAM. The back and front facing cameras weigh in at 8MP and 1.3MP respectively and Android 4.2 is pre-installed. There is 4GB of native storage which can be expanded by using the microSD slot. Dual SIM slots are also included.
Click to expand...
 
http://thenextweb.com/gadgets/2013/...mi-3-with-the-16gb-version-retailing-for-327/

The company has been garnering success in mainland China by inspiring the loyalty of many consumers with its competitively-priced phones, as seen in the most recent batch of 100,000 Hongmi smartphones that sold out in 90 seconds, with nearly 7.5 million devices reserved by fans who missed out.
Click to expand...

If this phone is retails at $149 in the USA for prepaid carriers like T-Mobile, AT&T Gophone, Boost, Virgin etc....it would be very popular.
 
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