Chinese mobile maker penetrates Cebu market

CEBU, Philippines - Chinese mobile maker Gionee Communications Equipment Ltd. Co has entered the profitable mobile gadget market participating in the competition specifically in the smartphone category.

Gionee has brought in its flagship product, the Elife 7 model, which is considered by observers as hybrid of Samsung and iPhone mobile smartphone series.

In an interview with Gionee Philippines mobile head Katrin Salanga-Gregorio, the Chinese brand has seen the big potential for its products in the Philippines, the country being known not only as the "texting capital" in the world but also as one of the "selfiest" nations in the world.

Morever, the sophisticated taste of Filipinos in technology also caught the attention of Gionee to make its strong presence here.

This mobile manufacturer started in 2002, is now present in 40 countries, and its strongest market outside of China is India.

Gregorio said Gionnee expects to take a significant share in the mobile market, specifically in the smartphone category in the Philippines, owing to the brand's strength in quality, premium features, and affordability.

Based on the GFK survey, despite the brand has already captured five percent of the mobile gadget market and it expects to double its share in the next few months.

Since its entry to the Philippine market early last year, Gionee has been one of the most active mobile device brands in the country as it takes advantage of the robust economic growth and growing middle-class segment in the country.

It targets mostly the tech-savvy and sophisticated users who are looking more at the features of the devices rather than using famous brand for "status symbol" purposes.

The brand made its official landing in Cebu Thursday, through an official brand launching held at the Mandarin Hotel.

"The Cebuanos are now matured in terms of their buying preferences so we are confident that the Gionee Elife E7 smartphone will be well-received in Cebu," said Gionee regional head for Visayas and Mindanao Mikee Morado.

Meanwhile,  Jun Yap, president and chief executive officer of Junrex Cellphones and Accessories Inc., expects a much stronger battle for mobile gadget makers starting this year.

Likewise, gadget makers are expected to introduce exciting features of affordable smartphones this year, like the  stronger entry or quadcore-based gadgets,

This is will reinforce the doubling or tripling of mobile device sales for 2014, said Yap.

Already, mobile gadgets such as cellphones, tablets, smartphones had been performing strongly in the last couple of years. But this year, Yap said users will expect cheaper priced smartphones and tablets, as well as pocket-friendly, if not more unlimited mobile internet connection. (FREEMAN)