As with tablets, the company, owner of the IT&C products brand E-Boda, will not take on the premium segment, where companies like Apple and Samsung are competing, and price its phones at about 700 lei (EUR158) and 900 lei (EUR203) instead. This move will put it in competition with Brasov-based Allview, which has its own smartphone line.
“The smartphone market has been on the rise since the beginning of the year. We decided to start with two smartphone models, focusing on different consumer categories, and cater to their communication, mobility, business, socialization and entertainment needs,” Alexandru Dragoiu, chief executive officer and one of the shareholders of E-Boda said in a conference.
The phones can be used with two SIM cards.
“Many people asked us why the dual SIM, and the explanation would be that in Romania the people who have a company phone find it hard to give up the personal phone and these models enable them to use both SIMs, or they can choose one operator for the voice service and another for the data service,” Dragoi said.
The company plans to launch two more models by the end of the year, one cheaper and one more expensive than the two models currently available.
Dragoi estimates to sell 20,000 units by yearend, which should generate RON9 million revenue (calculated at an average price per product of RON450) of the total RON40 million revenue the company expects in 2013.
“E-Boda made RON24 million revenue last year, and our sales in the first half stood at RON15 million (the entire 2011 revenue i.e.), 70% of which generated by tablet sales. We expect RON35 million to RON40 million revenue in 2013,” the company’s CEO said. (EUR1=RON4.4298)
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)