Would anyone believe that Cherry Mobile has gone global? I am not sure how many people know about this, but as early as 2014, the Philippines’ top mobile phone brand has started its operations in Thailand and Myanmar. Some of us Tech bloggers were trying to guess the next goal of CM, and I think we already know, and it’s not just another country in SEA.
Cherry Mobile has a booth in CeBIT, one of the longest running IT Trade Expos in the world. The event is annually held in Hanover, Germany and it’s the third major tech event I used to follow after CES and Mobile World Congress. Lonson Alejandrino, Cherry Mobile’s Product Manager posted photos of the Cherry Mobile booth on Facebook. Does this mean Cherry Mobile Europe is already in operation?
The Cherry Mobile team with the Board of Investments
Before we continue, let’s backtrack a bit. A couple of months ago, I was with Lonson, John of Unbox.ph and Mark of Techpinas during a trip to China. While I was asleep (unfortunately), Lonson bared the news that Cherry Mobile has bought a controlling stake in Chinese ODM Jiayu. For those who don’t know, Jiayu is the same company behind the Cherry Mobile Flare X (Yes, that Flare X which I proclaimed the “Best Flare Ever!”) The company has presence in some European countries, and since Cherry Mobile has a controlling stake, it definitely opened new doors of opportunities for them to sell their products in a whole new continent. You can read about the Jaiyu acquisition written by John here and Mark here.
Question, if ever it’s official, what is Cherry Mobile Europe going to sell? Based on the photos, it seems that they will sell pretty much the same devices that are being sold here in the Philippines. Smartphones, 2-in-1 Convertibles, Smart Devices, almost everything methinks. Another question, can Cherry Mobile Europe sell well in European countries? I say yes, it’s a possibility. Like what I’ve mentioned earlier, Jaiyu already has some presence in Europe, meaning they’re able to sell their phones there. And even if Cherry Mobile Europe’s SRPs are higher than Philippine SRPs, I reckon they would still end up cheaper compared to international brands like Samsung.
So it may be semi-official, but I’m sure it will become official in the next few weeks. Who would have thought a Filipino mobile phone/device brand would go global? The Philippines is proud of you, Cherry Mobile! We wish the company lots of success in Europe!
