China-based handset vendors will continue to focus on rolling out entry-level to mid-range smartphones for China and other emerging markets in the first half of 2014 due to persistently strong demand for those models, according to Digitimes Research.
Instead of unveiling new flagship models at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2014 held in Barcelona in February, Huawei, ZTE and Lenovo all highlighted their latest entry-level and mid-range models at the fair.
Huawei unveiled its mid-range model, the Ascend G6, which sports a 4.5-inch display and supports 3G and LTE standards, targeting mainly the emerging LTE market in China.
ZTE also showcased an array of LTE-enabled models, including the Grand Memo II LTE, which comes with a 6-inch IPS display. ZTE also unveiled two Firefox-based models, the Open C and Open II, targeting the entry-level segment.
Lenovo launched three mid-range models at MWC. All of the three models are powered by a MediaTek MT6582 quad-core CPU, with prices ranging US$229-349. However, Lenovo currently lags behind other fellow companies with regard to the development of LTE smartphones, according to Digitimes Research's analysis.
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