Cheap phone win touch of luxury in the MWC 2017

Unlike past years, there were potential competitors of the iPhone shone at Mobile World Congress, the world''s largest mobile phone conference, held last week in Barcelona, Spain. The real stars were cell phones a little cheaper, but it lent some sophisticated features of smartphones "premium". Be retiring the plastic finish, improving the quality of the camera or betting on the fingerprint reader, the manufacturers are turning the medium to leverage sales of category in the next few months.
One of the main symbols of this new wave is the new Bike G, one of the most popular smartphones in Brazil since the first version was released, in 2013. This year, the Chinese Lenovo launched in Barcelona two new models of the appliance with metal finish, which before was restricted to the Bike line Z, the most advanced – and expensive – the brand. The new design made the smartphone look less with an intermediary, a strategy to woo consumers who want to flaunt, but cannot spend too much. "The time has come to change the design of the line," said Renato Arradi, Motorcycle product line manager.
For the first time, a Bike G will come to market with fingerprint reader, a feature that was restricted to the Plus version of the device. And the component is more advanced. Before he only served to unlock the screen faster or to authorize a payment with more security, now he went on to work as a touchpad – the touch surface of the notebooks. He became an alternative to the Android operating system virtual buttons and your function changes depending on the tap: to the left, he comes back; to the right, displays open applications at that time; two rings block the screen.
Lenovo is not only investing in design and in the fingerprint reader to give more sophisticated air to equipment. Alcatel, which is still dabbling in the market, presented your A5 LED during the MWC: he is the first brand to adopt the concept of modules, which hit the shelves last year on premium smartphones from LG and Lenovo. One is a cover of LED lamps, which illuminate as the user configuration. Not an innovation, but the possibility to customize the device can please the younger ones.
The company also backed the fingerprint sensor. The President of Alcatel in Brazil, Fernando Pezzotti, the tool is close to popularize in the country. "Is a feature that gives more safety and agility for the user," says Pezzotti. "The Brazilians are interested in, especially since they know the technology, which was adopted first by the banks." The smartphone, which should reach Brazil in the coming months, will be priced in the range of 1000 R$.
Sony, on the other hand, decided to invest in one of the favorite features of the users: the camera. The company launched the XA1 and XA1 Ultra, which bring 23 megapixel sensor camera, one of the mottoes of the luxurious Z5, released in 2015 in Brazil with price from R$ 4300. "We''re bringing that was intermediate range premium, because we want the consumer to be happy for a long time, not only at the time of purchase," says the business manager of Sony Mobile in Brazil, Renato Cechetti.
Recovery. Make the most attractive devices intermediaries is part of the strategy of manufacturers to leverage the Smartphone market, which is slowing down from 2015. There are several reasons behind this, that pass through the absence of major innovations of manufacturers. This year, for example, the Samsung did not submit the Galaxy S8, new version of your flagship in the MWC, as in previous years, due to the crisis caused by the recall and subsequent cancellation of the Galaxy Note 7 (read more). The unit will be announced in March.
The South Korean LG did a species of mea-blame it on your main event in Barcelona. The company, which released your first smartphone in 2016 modular, abandoned the format a year later due to weak sales. "We are trying to learn with the consumer, you''re smarter," said the President of LG''s Mobile Division, Juno Chuo. "The race for specs is almost over."
Another reason is the maturation of the market, in particular in developed countries. In the United States, for example, 77% of people already have a smartphone, according to data from the Pew Research Center released in January this year – in 2011, the scope of technology was of 35%. That has made manufacturers look more to the needs of countries where smartphones have more room to grow, like Brazil.
From 2015, the middlemen are the ones who are gaining more space in Brazil ", says the analyst of IDC Brazil, Leonardo consulting Munin. According to him, the smartphones priced between 700 and 2000 R$ R$ accounted for 63% of sales in the country in 2016 – the year before, they were 50% of the total. "Only the range of appliances R$ 1000 and 2000 R$ passed a slice of 8% in 2015 to 19% in 2016," says Munin.
With the addition of more sophisticated features, manufacturers expect consumers to change fastest smartphone. According to a survey of intention to purchase made by IDC Brazil with 1200 people, 12% are willing to pay 1500 R$ in a smartphone in 2017, although only 4% have bought a unit in that range.
"Some people can''t afford more expensive on a smartphone and always swap in the same range of value," says Annette, of Gartner. "Over the years, however, consumers began to be able to have a better device for the same price."