BKAV unveils second generation of made-in-Vietnam Bphone

Vietnamese security company BKAV has launched the second generation of its made-in-Vietnam smartphone, known as the Bphone, with a price of VND9.8 million (US$431).

Users test the second-generation Bphone at a launch event on August 8.

The mid-range phone sports a 16-megapixel camera, a Snapdragon 625 processor, an Adreno 506 GPU, 3 gigabytes of RAM, 32 gigabytes of internal memory and a 3,000mAh battery, which BKAV says can last for two days.

The smartphone is powered by BOS, a forked version of Google’s Android 7.1.2 Nougat.

Unlike the first-generation Bphone, released in 2015, the Bphone 2 can hold two SIM cards and supports quick charge technology.

Sales are expected to begin from August 19 at over 1,500 outlets of The Gioi Di Dong, one of the largest electronics retailers in Vietnam, but consumers can now pre-order BKAV’s smartphones.

Besides the standard version, BKAV will also offer a Gold version with 4GB of RAM and using the higher-end Snapdragon 835 processor, which will be exclusively for overseas markets.

The Bphone 2 was originally planned for release in 2016 but has been delayed by one year for design changes and to better prepare for the launch, according to BKAV’s chief executive Nguyen Tu Quang.

He said that the BKAV’s latest offering is part of its long-term strategy to release smartphones manufactured by the Vietnamese, which he admitted could take many years before the product is successful.

The first-generation Bphone was considered a flop as it was not welcomed by domestic consumers, although at the time of its launch the handset was boasted as a world-class product.

(Source: NDO)