Smartfren Gets Aggressive, Offers Affordable Quad-Core Android Phones in Indonesia

Indonesian telco and handset manufacturer Smartfren has had a roller coaster year so far. On one end, their new set of smartphones are a breath of fresh air, especially for those on a tight budget but long for nice phones. On the other, the company had an internet connection meltdown so big that even the country’s ICT minister had to step in in the middle of the debacle.

One thing everybody seems to agree on is this: Smartfren is one of the most aggressive local handset manufacturers in the country. Gfk estimates that 62 percent Indonesians are using smartphones today ¹ (over 50 percent of all phones in Indonesia are under $50), and with the release of five new affordable smartphone devices by the company today, the future looks brighter for those who don’t have deep pockets but want to transition to a smarter device. Down the line, the handset competition will help drive both the phone’s price and performance to customers’ advantage.

New Andromax-i and Andromax-U

Two of five Smartfren handsets unveiled come with quad-core processors. The first is the refresh of Andromax-U which is simply called the new Andromax-U or Andromax-U Limited. The 4.5-inch handset receives a big upgrade of an even faster processor (from dual-core 1.5GHz 1.2GHz to quad-core 1.2GHz) and more RAM (from 768MB to 1GB). It is priced IDR 100,000 ($10) more expensive than its older version, but still clocks at below the IDR 2 million ($200) price line.

The most popular Smartfren handset, the Andromax-i also got a refresh. So far, Smartfren sold close to 300,000 Andromax-i handsets.

Andromax V

The second quad-core Android handset unveiled by Smartfren is its latest flagship phone, which is the Andromax V. The phone has four distinct differences with the new Andromax-U: the bigger five-inch screen, Jelly Bean 4.2 OS, newer quad-core Cortex-A7 ² processors, and a better GPU. And while the Andromax-U OS can’t be upgraded in the future, Andromax V’s can.

The Andromax V comes with a more premium price of IDR 2.3 million ($230), but it is still quite affordable.

Affordable Ice Cream Sandwich Android handset

Smartfren also released the Andromax C, which is an entry-level smartphone. So why mention it? Because at only IDR 649,000 ($65), the phone offers a 4-inch screen with a dual-core 1GHz processor. Running Ice Cream Sandwich OS, this could perhaps be the best cheapest Android phone with those specifications in Indonesia so far, at least on paper.

The cost to own an Android phone with bearable specifications in Indonesia is getting lower and lower. And this phone can also help the the low-end Android user transition from the outdated Gingerbread OS to Ice Cream Sandwich.

Not forgetting cheaper Windows Phone handset too

The last phone the company launched is a Windows Phone 8 CDMA-GSM handset, which is claimed to perform faster than its competitors Nokia Lumia 620, 720, and HTC 8S. The handset is branded as Huawei Ascend W1. It is equipped with Smartfren’s EVDO Rev. B internet connection, which is more than four times faster than Smartfren’s other handsets.

Affordable phones come with sensible expectations