Yulong launches Coolpad N900 in China to combat iPhone

SHENZHEN, CHINA: Last week, Yulong, a mainland Chinese supplier of high-end smartphones, launched its 3G mobile phone, the Coolpad N900. Just as Apple is about to reach an agreement on entering the China market through co-operation with China Unicom, the new Coolpad N900 looms over the sales prospects of the iPhone 3G by winning itself the title "iPhone Killer".

Yulong Coolpad is a professional company specializing in research and production of high-end smartphones which offers a variety of high-end business phone products that are considered the best smartphones in the China market. Yulong introduced the first dual-mode dual stand-by technology in the world in 2005.

In recent years, the company has focused on developing the Coolpad brand, which is quickly emerging as a renowned local brand in China, and is seen as one of the major competitors of Samsung in the high-end mobile phone market.

Coolpad is launching its latest 3G mobile phone, the Coolpad N900, with CDMA2000/GSM featuring dual sim dual stand technology, which combines the stylish UI interface of iPhone's 3D Touch and is designed according to the usage habits of Chinese customers. As a flagship 3G product promoted by China Telecom and a bestseller in China, the model is especially favored by the Chinese business elite.

Li Wang, Executive Vice President of Yulong Coolpad, commented that with more high-end business consumers using more than one mobile number, dual mode dual stand-by mobile phones are expected to become more popular. Younger consumers have also shown a preference for fashionable and stylish functions and have high expectations regarding the convenience of their operation experiences.

Designed based on years-long research on the usage habits of high-end consumers done by Yulong Coolpad, the Coolpad N900 not only includes the latest and coolest TOUCH operation featuring a multi-intelligent interaction experience, it also has swift handwriting input capability convenient for Chinese consumers.

The model also includes other outstanding functions such as contact management and portable business office. The dual mode dual stand-by capability, pioneered by Coolpad, has become a standard feature of high-end smartphones. With comprehensive applications specifically geared towards Chinese consumers, N900 is unmatched in the current mobile phone market.

Guo Deying, CEO and President of Yulong, added: "One can interpret the Coolpad N900 as this -- as fashionable as the iPhone, as professional as the Blackberry, while at the same time, one of the most suitable mobile phones for Chinese users, all making N900 the 'iPhone Killer'."

According to a report by Ovum, a telecommunication consulting agency, although Apple's iPhone has not officially entered the China market, over one million iPhone handsets have already flowed into China through non-official channels.

Besides its cool interface, Chinese consumers have not truly experienced the value-added services offered by iPhone; also, the different usage habits of Chinese and Western users have impeded the using experience of Chinese users.

Entering the 3G era, applications of mobile phone content will become a field of major competition, but the iPhone Appstore's binding profit mode is facing great pressure from the Google Android camp. In China, where Chinese consumers are accustomed to getting free information and applications from the internet, iPhone's method of charging would definitely face great challenges.

According to research done by Analysys on usage habits in the Chinese market, more than 70% of consumers prefer downloading products and applications for free. Yulong Coolpad offers a free software supermarket for the Coolpad N900, which clearly caters to the internet usage habits of Chinese consumers. Compared with the iPhone, which charges fees, the Coolpad N900 Coolmart, which offers products free of charge, has a better chance in the Chinese market.

Amidst tense negotiations on the iPhone entering the China market, several key points are yet to be confirmed with China Unicom. According to Apple, to address the different consumption habits of Chinese consumers, products offered online are likely to undergo modifications upon entering the China market.

Positioned as a major competitor of the iPhone, the Coolpad N900 is expected to take away a fair share of the smartphone market, especially with the iPhone facing a tough entry into the Japanese market, which foreshadows the challenges of foreign brands entering into highly localized markets, such as China.