A brand new smartphone brand is set to hit the Australian market and Huawei and Oppo need to be worried, TCL a major manufacturer of TV’s and smartphones including the Alcatel l and Blackberry brands is set to release a new range of devices and if what ChannelNews has seen today they are set to be highly popular.
Also coming is a return of the old Palm brand but this is no normal device, its small making it ideal for a pocket or handbag and it has a full 8.0 Android operating system.
According to Wayne Bennett the coach of the Sydney Rabbitoh’s one of the key ingredients in any sporting or business is “trust” and unlike Huawei and Oppo who are seen as Chinese brands that have security issues and are not trusted, TCL is seen as a trusted brand with their TV’s making it to #1 in the US market where Huawei smartphones have been banned.
Speaking at the launch of a new range of Alcatel devices Bennett who is one of the most successful NRL coaches in Australia said that “trust” in players and a team is no different in the business world.
The TCL range of smartphones could eventually replace the Alcatel range while also pushing up into the mid and premium smartphone market claims Sam Skontas the CEO of TCL’s mobile phone operation in Australia.
The first of the TCL product range is set to be released this year and will include a mid-range $600+ product that takes on Oppo and the Samsung A Series smartphones. A key feature of the new range will be “high specs and high memory” configurations according to Skontas.
Skontas claims that “Samsung have got to be losing money” with the current pricing for their A Series smartphone range which retailers claim is crimping Oppo sales in Australia.
Also coming in 2020 is a top end TCL 5G smartphone and a “foldable” TCL smartphone according to Skontas who is tipping that 5G is set to revolutionise business.
He claims that “too much emphasis” is being placed on 5G in consumer mobile devices when the future for 5G is set to be in the enterprise and B2B markets where the NBN is set to come under threat.
Some analysts have told ChannelNews that Telstra’s push into the 5G consumer market is not necessarily going to deliver growth in the short term with even Skontas admitting that he has been unable to find a Telstra 5G signal in Sydney.
Skontas who is tipped to sell a million Alcatel branded devices said that during the past six months the Company has significantly expanded their retail partners with JB Hi Fi now on board with their Blackberry device which despite premium pricing has on several occasions “sold out” at the mass retailer.
ChannelNews understands that several carriers and mass retailers will be stocking the new TCL brand.
Skontas has also announced that Alcatel and Samsung are now key partners of Amazon with the big online retailer now buying Alcatel stock direct a move that has seen sales of the Alcatel brand soar in Australia. Other retailers include Australia Post and Officeworks.
As part of the new 2019 Alcatel product range the Company is launching a “kids” wearable watch and a combined tablet that docks on a cylindrical speaker similar to the JBL Charge or Ultimate Ears devices.
