Sharp is reportedly planning to begin selling handsets in China this month. According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, the company’s first Chinese handset will be aimed at the high-end market and will be sold through one of China’s largest cell phone retailers, Dixintong. The report said that Sharp plans to expand distribution and offer more handset models throughout this year.
Sharp’s planned entry to one of the world’s largest mobile markets comes as many Japanese handset makers have pulled out of the region. Sharp, while the largest handset maker in Japan, has only 1% global market share.
However, Sharp has seen good traction in the Chinese market for its Aquos LCD TV sets and reportedly plans to market its first handset as having a similar high-end, high-quality screen. The Aquos clamshell handset is expected to retail for $648 and come with a screen that can be rotated horizontally like a TV set.
Filed Under: Carriers
