An Internet company in China has unveiled a low-cost smart phone as a cheap alternative to Apple’s iPhone, hoping to enter the smart phone crazy domestic market regarded as the world’s biggest.
The low-cost but high-specification Xiaomi Phone, produced by Xiaomi Technology, comes at a price tag of 1,999 yuan ($313), which is 3,000 yuan or $470 cheaper than the iPhone4.
The smart phone, a MIUI ROM on top of Android, weighs heavier (149 grams) and bigger than the iPhone 4.
It has a fast dual core processor, big screen, high-quality signal and a large battery capacity, Mr Lei Jun, founder of Xiaomi Technology, said after launching the phone here.
The new phone was designed for a market where mobile phone connections crossed 926 million, inching towards a billion.
A total of 16.81 million smart phones were sold in the Chinese market in the second quarter of the year, up 7.5 per cent from the previous three months, according to the IT consulting firm Analysys International.
Analysys has said that the number of smart phones sold in China could reach 95 million for this year.
Phones produced by Taiwan-based company HTC, Lenovo’s LePhone and the iPhone are among the best sellers in China.