Vobis Computer, a sizable Russian supplier and vendor of Chinese-assembled smartphones, satellite navigation systems and software operating under the Highscreen local trademark, has announced its first solo as an independent smartphone manufacturer.
Six months ago Vobis unveiled its Highscreen Boost 2, with record-long battery life. This month the developer, now based in Moscow and Hong Kong, is rolling out its new Highscreen Zera line of smartphones, a project the company claims it has built “from scratch” with negligible Chinese outsourcing.
In an exchange with the Russian business daily Vedomosti, Vobis sales director Mikhail Chernyshov said that the company came up with the design and technical parameters of the new smartphone “all on its own.” It bypassed Chinese guidance in selecting component suppliers, leaving only the Chinese motherboard design and assembly, a practice atypical of Vobis in its prior efforts.
Its inaugural Zera, the F model, has been dubbed “Russia’s first super-budget next-gen smartphone.” According to Vobis, the gadget features a 1GByte RAM, an advanced 5 megapixel camera with LED flash, and a 1.2GHz two-kernel chip. The Android-powered device has a pre-installed cloud service, too, offering its owner 32GByte data space and two SIM card slots – all selling at Vobis Computer outlets at a very competitive price of 3,990 rubles (about $110).
Chernyshov reportedly hopes for a swift three-month payback period for the project, aiming for sales of about 500,000 Zera gadgets a year.
The Zera is another in a growing series of attempts to develop a “homemade” Russian smartphone affordable for all pockets. In 2011 MTS, a leading Russian mobile operator, launched the world’s first smartphone with a GLONASS+GPS supported satellite location system. The device, christened Glonass 945, has not gained strong traction on the Russian market.
In late 2012, Skartel (Yota) undraped its Android-powered Yota Phone, a 4G smartphone supporting GSM, 3G and LTE standards and tapping into e-paper technology for screen design.
