In one of the odder announcements coming out around Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Summit, Vietnamese phone-maker VinSmart says it’s bringing 5G smartphones to the US in 2021. Local Vietnamese reports claim the manufacturer wants to sell up to 2 million phones, potentially through AT&T.
“Presently, VinSmart is developing and commercializing affordable 5G mobile models for the US market because this is the place where 5G has become universal,” the company says.
According to VinSmart, the company will bring the Vsmart Aris and Vsmart Aris Pro to the US. Phones in the Vsmart Aris line have 20-megapixel front-facing cameras under the screen, a feature that hasn’t been seen on a mainstream phone in the US yet.
The two current Aris phones featured on VinSmart’s Web site have 6.4-inch, 1080p AMOLED screens and 64MP main cameras, and use Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 processors. That said, US releases will probably be newer, customized models of the phones with different specs; the current global models of the Aris and Aris Pro don’t work on US networks, and they aren’t 5G.
VnExpress says that VinSmart introduced a 5G version of the Aris in July with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G chipset. According to that site, last month Vinsmart got an order from a major US carrier, probably AT&T, to make 2 million phones. Vietnamese site ITZone points out that a Vinsmart phone was approved by the FCC in June with an AT&T label on it.
According to an Indian website, the Vsmart Aris 5G is likely to sell for around Rs 25,000 in India; that’s $338, and now we see why AT&T may be looking at the Vietnamese maker to juice up its low-cost 5G lineup. Currently, AT&T’s least expensive 5G phone is the LG K92 5G at $395.
VinSmart’s combination of price and capabilities are similar to popular Chinese manufacturers not available in the US, most notably Xiaomi. But for the US market, the current political tension over Chinese phone makers means VinSmart has the key advantage of not being from China.
Many Enter, Few Succeed
The postpaid market in the US is dominated by Apple and Samsung. According to research firm Wave7, in October 93% of the postpaid phones sold through T-Mobile were made by Apple or Samsung; that rises to 96% at Verizon and 99% at AT&T.
Technically, AT&T currently sells phones from Apple, Google, Kyocera, LG, Microsoft, Motorola, Samsung, Sonim, and Tinno. But few of those hit big sales numbers.
There’s more room in America’s prepaid market, which includes AT&T subsidiary Cricket. There, Wave7 tracks a slew of small manufacturers that have each found a little niche. Wiko and Coolpad phones are sold by Boost and Assurance, a provider especially for low-income consumers. Assurance also sells phones by Unimax. Kroger Wireless, which sells phones through grocery stores, has models by Nuu, PCD, and Foxxd. Blu phones pop up at Walmart. The amusingly named Hot Pepper has even managed to make it into Verizon.
We’ll try to get hold of VinSmart’s phones as soon as they become available.
