BERLIN
Turkish technology giant Vestel has revealed its long-awaited domestically-produced new smartphone, called “Venus.”
“With its stylish design and advanced technology that hold their own against global brands, our smartphone, Venus, demonstrates Vestel’s commitment to developing and manufacturing high-tech products,” Vestel Group CEO Turan Erdogan said at an unveiling Thursday in Berlin, on the sidelines of Europe’s largest electronics trade show, IFA.
Erdogan said that Vestel, one of Europe’s largest TV producers, has now positioned its smartphone as a leading product in its vision of the future.
“Manufacturing 15 million display devices each year, Vestel has a great deal of experience in display technology," he said. "We are confident that our manufacturing power in display technology is going to push us one step ahead of our competitors on the smart phone market.”
Vestel announced that its Android-based Venus will be available for public purchase Sept. 22 with two different models -- Venus X, with sharp lines, and Venus V, with a more rounded design.
Both models will be available with 5.0” and 5.5” display options as well as a choice of black and white colors, Erdogan told journalists and guests at the unveiling event.
The most remarkable features of the Venus 5.5” are said to be its 13-megapixel camera, 16GB hard drive, the 4G LTE and NFC technologies. Venus 5.0” on the other hand was presented as desirable for its long battery life.
The recommended retail price of Venus 5.5” in Turkey will be around $410 and Venus 5.0” will be around $295.
Erdogan said Venus was a product of Turkish design and manufacture, developed by Turkish engineers at Vestel City in Manisa.
“Vestel is Turkey’s first and only smartphone manufacturer and one of the very few firms in Europe capable of manufacturing smart phones with proprietary technology and original design,” he said.
“We are going to exploit this capability of ours to the utmost on the domestic and international markets," he said. "Our aim is to manufacture 3 million units annually by the end of the next three years, with 1 million to be exported.”
Erdogan said that, for the export of smartphones, Vestel plans to focus on the European market.
“Vestel’s business volume with many European retailers is on the rise and we are going to turn this into a major opportunity in smart phone sales, as well,” Erdogan said.
He said the rapid growth in the mobile market afforded Vestel remarkable opportunities.
“Major telephone manufacturers are beginning to lose ground against local brands and manufacturers," he said. "A glance at the distribution in the world’s mobile phone market shows that the total share of the local brands and manufacturers reached 40 percent in 2013. This is an important opportunity also for Vestel, which is the largest electronics manufacturer in its region.”
Erdogan said that, together with the smartphones, smart home technologies were a key for Vestel’s vision of future.
“Smart home technologies, which are cited among the trends of the future, are now ready to make their way into our homes with Vestel,” he said.
Vestel is presenting 618 different products in its 3,000-square-meter stand at IFA.
Vestel’s four-door refrigerator, washing machine, oven and air conditioner that can be remotely controlled via a smart TV, tablet or smart phone are among the most notable exhibits.
“Not only do we manufacture smart phones but we also design smart home systems that have all technologies from electronics to white goods communicating with each other,” Erdogan said.
“Smart home technologies, which are cited among the trends of the future, are now ready to make their way into our homes with Vestel. We’re proud to bring consumers in Turkey and across the world the smart home technology we design and produce at Vestel City. We’ll be focusing on exporting smart home technologies in the near future.”
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