China’s boom in smartphones is mostly fuelled by budget Android devices. Here’s another contender in the cutesy form of the Disney Magic 1, an official new Disney (NYSE:DIS) phone aimed at stylish but budget-conscious Chinese women.
At RMB 1,999 ($320), the Disney Magic 1 has strong specs for a fairly cheap phone, with a quad-core Mediatek processor, a 720p 4.5-inch screen, an 8MP rear camera, and running Android 4.2.1. Available in pink (of course), white, and black, it features a quite heavily stylized Android skin that makes the app icons look rather like jewels.
This is not Disney’s first official phone that it’s made for the China market, but it’s the most convincing looking so far.
The Disney Magic 1 takes Mickey Mouse into China’s budget smartphone war, which has heated up a lot in the past couple of years. Unfortunately for Disney, it arrives a few days before the launch of Xiaomi’s cheapest ever phone, the Hongmi (“red rice”), which costs less than half the price of the Magic 1 – a mere $120 – for similar specs (and I suspect the exact same Mediatek processor).
Disney’s phone is also up against local startup Meitu, which launched its girly MeituKiss phone – branching out from its usual métier of making women-oriented photo apps – in May this year. The MeituKiss phone has two 8MP cameras, one being at the front to help the ladies perfect their selfies. But it’s a bit pricier than Disney’s newest at $360. There are plenty more budget phones under $300 as well, both from Chinese and overseas brands.
(Source: 36Kr – article in Chinese)
(Editing by Anh-Minh Do)
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