Narzo, a newcomer in the smartphone segment, also wants to raise the standards of entry-level smartphones by offering high-quality handsets at a more affordable cost.
“As a challenger to the local tech landscape, Narzo sets itself apart from the competition by offering nationwide accessibility and long-term quality to customers from purchase down to aftersales,” the company said.
Narzo, which was born out of the Realme ecosystem, is anchoring its optimism of reaching out far-flung communities to the improving connectivity in the country. Its support from Realme also assures users of the same standard of quality when it comes to overall user experience.
Narzo was launched in the Philippines in 2022. It targets communities and niches such as gamers, streamers and students.
Its entry level phone, the 50i Prime, sells at P4,999 but is currently being sold at P3,999 as a limited time offer.
Its other models are Narzo 50A priced at P7,499; Narzo 50A Prime at P7,999; Narzo 50 at P8,999; Narzo 50 5G at P12,999; and Narzo Pro 5G at P15,999.
While these models are available in multiple channels, the company also wants to strengthen its brick-and-mortar presence to cater to a wider consumer network.
In Cebu, a Narzo kiok is located in SM Seaside and another is soon to open in Gaisano Tabunok.
Smartphone shipments
According to IDC, Realme is the country’s top smartphone company for the fifth consecutive quarter, commanding a 20.2 percent share of the smartphone market, despite declining 11.6 percent year-on-year.
This was followed by Transsion, Samsung, Xiaomi and Oppo.
The ongoing supply constraints for low-end smartphones coupled with weakened consumer spending for mobile phones in the Philippines resulted in year-on-year decline of 7.1 percent in smartphone shipments, totaling 3.9 million smartphone units in the first quarter of 2022.
“While 5G smartphones have increased to almost 20 percent of total shipments in the first quarter of 2022, 4G Android smartphones fell 16.3 percent year-on-year due to tight supplies, with smartphones priced less than US$200 impacted the most,” said Angela Medez, market analyst at IDC Philippines.
But this scenario could be overturned with the aggressive expansion of telcos and vendors in the 5G space.
“Supply disruptions are expected to challenge vendors in meeting their targets for 2022, but we may see some improvements towards the end of the year,” Medez added. “The silver lining could be the acceleration of 5G smartphones in the Philippines as vendors focus on their 5G portfolio to drive growth.”