MANILA, Philippines — Lenovo is all set to compete in the local smartphone race as it prepares its arsenal of low-priced Android-powered mobile phones the technology brand will use in the ongoing price war among other global handset manufacturers.
Smartphones priced below P10,000 have gained immense popularity among price-conscious Filipino consumers lately, with manufacturers such as Samsung, Huawei, and local brand Cherry Mobile competing for share of customer wallets.
John Rojo, business unit head at local Lenovo Mobile distributor Open Communications, said the brand is ready to compete in this area as it prepares to introduce “more affordable phones” targeting entry-level consumers in the coming months.
“Our goal is to provide the majority of Filipino consumers to own a smartphone and give them an edge in their daily lives,” Rojo said in a statement.
The move comes despite the reluctance of other phone brands, such as HTC, to compete in the ongoing price war in order to differentiate itself from its competitors.
Currently, Lenovo Mobile offers an entry-level phone priced at the P5,499 level in the Lenovo A65, a 3.5-inch Android smartphone that comes as a follow-up to the Lenovo A60 launched last year.
The phone manufacturer also introduced the P700 recently, which is a 4-inch Ice Cream Sandwich Android phone that boasts a high-capacity 2500 mAh battery at a low price of P10,999.
The introduction of Android phones below the P5,000 price range, however, is a part of the distributor’s aim to grow Lenovo’s market share in the Philippines, Rojo said, as it builds on the gains its mother company in China achieved recently.
Coming from a fourth position in May, Lenovo Mobile in China recently grew its market share to 13.1 percent of the Chinese smartphone market, squeaking past big-ticket brands as Huawei and Nokia and trailing Samsung in the second position.
In the overall mobile phone space, the brand commands a strong 11 percent of the Chinese market as it moved to second place from third in May.
“We are pleased with this development in China and we are looking forward to extending the same success globally and in the Philippines with our partnership with our exclusive distributor Open Communications,” said Xin Jun, Manager for Overseas Department at Lenovo Mobile Headquarters.
Rojo said that as the smartphone market grows exponentially in the Philippines, Open Communications is “committed to further grow” Lenovo Mobile through the introduction of innovative yet price-competitive products to Filipino consumers.
