ZTE Corporation, a global telecommunications equipment and network solutions provider, launched its new flagship Androidsmartphone called the SKATE in Malaysia last week. A ZTE phone you say? That’s right. ZTE’s move into the lucrative, competitive smartphone market in 2011 has helped to expand its market share amongst handset manufacturers globally. In fact, according report by ABI research, IDC and Strategy Analytics, ZTE has quickly become the fourth largest handset manufacturer in the world.
The SKATE was inspired by the skateboard, and with that it mind, it is obvious what the target demographic for this phone is. Thin and light, it weighs only 140g. The 4.3-inch high-def display is wrapped in a curvy, plastic exterior. The SKATE incorporates a 5MP rear camera, Bluetooth, WiFi, A-GPS, hardware compass and G-sensor. Under its skin is Google Android Gingerbread 2.3.3, powered by a 800Mhz processor and Adreno 200 GPU. The flagship device supports multi networks GSM/GPRS/EDGE at 900/1800/1900MHz and HSDPA/UMTS at 900/2100MHz.
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[quote] “The success of ZTE Blade and now the international demand for the Skate-4.3 Inch have been instrumental in ZTE achieving the No. 4 position amongst the world’s handset manufacturers. The Malaysian market is vital to our success, as we see a great opportunity to bring the quality, affordable devices that we have become known for around the world, to consumers in this region.” said ZTE Corporation (M) Sdn Bhd President, Mr. Zheng Bang.[/quote]
The SKATE aims to build on the success of the ZTE Blade smartphone, which has been the company’s flagship product for the last 12 months. Since its launch, ZTE Blade shipped over six million units in more than 50 countries worldwide.
According to ZTE, Malaysia is the fastest growing market for ZTE in South East Asia, with mobile penetration estimated at 117.635% out of a population 28 million. Malaysia is certainly a key market for ZTE and thus ZTE’s decision to launch the smartphone here.
SKATE is currently available in Malaysia at a recommended retail price of RM999. For a flagship device, this is surprisingly ultra affordable. The SKATE 4.3 is already available in Brazil, Spain, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, Germany Hungary and the United States. By the end of the year, SKATE will launch in additional European countries including France, Greece and Serbia as well as other Asia-Pacific regions.
At the launch event, ZTE also previewed unreleased phones V856, V875 and Roamer (a dual-SIM smartphone). ZTE representatives could not comment on when these will be made available locally.
ZTE aims to be one of the top three mobile phone manufacturers globally in three years. This is no mean feat with the likes of Apple, Samsung, HTC, RIM and Nokia ruling the roost. In my opinion, given the growing adoption of mobile phones worldwide and the explosive growth of emerging markets like China and India, nothing is ever certain nor impossible.
[spoiler title=”Show Official Press Release”]
ZTE INTRODUCES SKATE IN MALAYSIA
- World’s fourth largest mobile phone manufacturer launches flagship model after global success
- Malaysia is the fastest growing market for ZTE in South East Asia
- ZTE aims to be top three mobile phone manufacturer globally in three years
Kuala Lumpur, 16 November 2011 – ZTE Corporation (“ZTE”) (H share stock code: 0763.HK / A share stock code: 000063.SZ), a publicly listed global provider of telecommunications equipment and network solutions, today launched its new flagship android smartphone, the SKATE in Malaysia.
Taking its inspiration from the skateboard, the SKATE is fashionably thin and light, weighing in at just 140g while featuring a large 4.3-inch screen to provide an optimal web surfing experience to consumers. In addition, the SKATE also incorporates a 5MP camera, multimedia Bluetooth extension, A-GPS capability, hardware compass, and G-sensor. It uses the Android 2.3 operating system, an 800MHz processor and the Adreno 200 graphics-processing unit (GPU) to support the widescreen, high-definition display.
The SKATE supports GSM/GPRS/EDGE at 900/1800/1900MHz and HSDPA/UMTS at 900/2100MHz, as well as WiFi Internet access. The open Android operating system ensures that the SKATE can run a wide range of apps, meeting not only the in-depth customisation needs of operators, but also providing the consumer with user-friendly user interface, and convenient and powerful multimedia features.
The SKATE aims to build on the success of the ZTE Blade smartphone, which has been the company’s flagship product for the last 12 months. Since its launch, ZTE Blade has reached over six million shipments in more than 50 countries worldwide.
“The success of ZTE Blade and now the international demand for the Skate-4.3 Inch have been instrumental in ZTE achieving the No. 4 position amongst the world’s handset manufacturers. The Malaysian market is vital to our success, as we see a great opportunity to bring the quality, affordable devices that we have become known for around the world, to consumers in this region.” said ZTE Corporation (M) Sdn Bhd President, Mr. Zheng Bang.
“As of March 2011, the penetration rate in Malaysia was estimated at 117.635% out of a population estimated to be around 28.4 million. This tells us that it is not uncommon for Malaysians to own more than one mobile phone, and more and more people are upgrading to smartphones as technology becomes more sophisticated and cutting-edge features become more affordable. Compared to the year 2000, when the penetration rate was a mere 21.8%, the number of mobile phone users in Malaysia has since grown by leaps and bounds. We believe this trend will continue and there is a ready market for us to tap into,” he added.
ZTE’s strategic move to the smartphone market in 2011 has helped to expand its market share amongst handset manufacturers globally. According to the 3Q report by ABI research, IDC and Strategy Analytics, ZTE has become the fourth largest handset manufacturer in the world. Global smartphone shipments have seen an increase of 33% on a year-on-year basis and it is obvious that the smart terminal transformation has brought ZTE an unprecedented opportunity in its solid development.
SKATE is currently available in Malaysia at a recommended retail price of RM999. The SKATE 4.3 is already available in Brazil, Spain, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, Germany Hungary and the United States. By the end of the year, SKATE will launch in additional European countries including France, Greece and Serbia as well as other Asia-Pacific regions.
[/spoiler]
