Xiaomi used to be unheard of, yet even they are becoming recognised in Western regions now.
Micromax and Karbonn, anyone? Yes, some people do recognise their names too, but you're starting to push the boundaries with these names.
How about Smartfren? Thought not.
This article makes an interesting read for the uninitiated.
As for some of the "cheaper" Far Eastern "brands" there's always Doogee and the rest.
The Xiaomi Mi4
So would you part with your Samsung, HTC or Sony for one of these Far Eastern devices?
Certainly at the top end of the scale, these handsets can cost several hundred pounds. Would you fork out cash for something relatively unknown from one of these manufacturers?
It would be a bold and unwise gamble to pay for one of these phones and expect it to be as good as most branded flagships, even if the specs promised were comparable.
What difference does it make? All phones are made in the Far East from the same components.
- Whilst this statement holds some truth, it doesn't always figure that the end product will possess all of the key hardware. The many Samsung-alike phones certainly look the part, but to keep the cost low (or profits up), compromises will have been made and at least some part of the fake phone will be a big let down.
The OnePlus One was a good phone for the price, but some aspects meant that whilst it was pretty good, it wasn't great.
The other problem with Far Eastern imports is actually getting them here. It can be a bit of a long process and you can't be certain that what you get will be what you ordered. Worst of all, if the thing goes wrong you don't stand much chance of ever getting it fixed - and from what I can gather these phones tend to go wrong after about 6-12 months.
Until these manufacturers really break into the Western markets and become established with a European presence, most people will dabble with buying one before switching back to a trusted brand with UK customer support.
eBay is filled with cheap, non-branded Android smartphones, most of which turn out to be rubbish and suffer from badly partitioned memory, dire screens and cameras, poor performance or are just plain impossible to use due to the manufacturer's operating system.
Blimey, Huawei is a known brand now, but their awful operating system skin is not for everyone - but they do make it simple (and it works).
Given the UK's change of heart towards lengthy, costly mobile handset contracts, the networks have realised that SIM only and PAYG bundles are the way to hold onto customers. Many of these customers are looking for a cheaper way into flagship handset territory, so they are turning towards these lesser-known manufacturers.
However, I am seeing more and more threads in forums where people state that they tried a Far Eastern import phone for a while, until it either went wrong or simply didn't do what they want, so maybe the "unbranded"smartphone craze will be short lived - Or at least only a handful of manufacturers will gain significant customer numbers in the UK and Europe.
This brings me to our shores, here in Blighty.
Kazam are a spin off formed by ex-executives from HTC UK and Ireland, and whilst you might not have heard about them, they have the potential to develop well in the UK.
Their phones are "no frills" at best, with fairly sub-par screens, cameras and hardware, but they do offer Kazam Rescue (based in the UK) to attempt to remotely fix any handset issues.
Kazam also offer a free screen replacement service, which is particularly good since many of their handsets are tough phones.
Sound good, don't they?
Unfortunately Kazam's biggest problem is that they are trading directly from their website, with many of their products being listed as out of stock. Add to this their preferred retailer Argos, and you can start to wonder whether this company is another Bush.
Kazam also seem unable to provide any products running anything higher than Android 4.2, which is already obsolete. Given that many of their handsets are dual SIM is great, but such an outdated version of Android isn't just going to put customers off, but the fact is that many apps won't work on it.
Before you ask, Kazam aren't stating that any of their products will receive updates.
So, even with a homegrown manufacturer, the "unbranded" phones available don't offer good value, and I would recommend staying with known brands for now.
I wish that Kazam would sort out their problems, as I'd love to be able to say "Yes, these great devices are stamped with a great big Union Jack", but until another manufacturer comes along and produces handsets which have all the features and reliability that we expect, we are stuck with the likes of Samsung, Apple, HTC and Sony for now.
Save your pennies for known brands for the time being.
