Smartphones and Sports Stars Shine at DTC Mobile’s Manila Launch
The mobile phone market in the Philippines is one of the hottest contested ones on the planet and another new contender has just thrown his hat into the already crowded ring: DTC Mobile launched a fleet of new devices with great fanfare at Robinson’s Place Manila on Sunday. Does the company have what it takes to succeed in this extremely competitive market? Read on to find out.
Smartphones and Sports Stars Shine at DTC Mobile’s Manila Launch
Technically, DTC has been around since 2011, but the Manila based company is only now really pushing into the limelight. Hosted by Apple David and James Vasquez, the launch event saw DTC officially unveiling 12 new units to add to its existing lineup, which now offers everything from simple bar phones, over dual and quad core Android phones and phablets, right up to their first octacore Smartphone.
A lot of attention on the night was directed towards the official presentation of the brand ambassadors, all professional basketball athletes sourced from five Philippine teams: Rain or Shine’s Ryan Araña, Air 21’s Simon Atkins, Talk ‘N Text power forward Rommel Niño “KG” Canaleta, as well as PBA All-Star awardees Gary David from the Meralco Bolts and Willie Miller from Redbull.
Looking at this lineup, you could be forgiven for thinking that the brand might be trying to appeal more towards female buyers, but to balance things on the night Volleyball greats Rachelle Ann Daquis, Michelle Datuin and Amanda Villanueva also made an appearance on stage. All of this was complemented by performances from three-time Skechers Streetdance Battle winner UP Indayog Dance Varsity and ABS-CBN Star Magic Glee talent Shane Tarun, while proceedings were topped off by a raffle that saw over a dozen attendees walk away from the event with brand new phones in their pockets.
DTC’s focus as a mobile brand is on affordable quality and that’s something I really like. We live in exciting times, where powerful Smartphones are cheaper than ever before, but even if your budget is limited you still don’t want your new phone to look or feel cheap and this is where DTC seems to score well: the phones look decent and the specs are very much in line with what is expected from a Smartphone these days. Once I get my hands on a proper demo unit I might be able to give a more in-depth impression, but from briefly trying the various phones on the night, the verdict is that DTC seems to offer a solid lineup of Android powered phones that are certainly worth looking at if you are in the market for a new device but have a limited budget. Their cheapest Android Smartphone is currently on sale for less than P2k, while a huge 5.9inch Phablet running Android 4.2 can be yours for less than P9k. Those are decent propositions in anyone’s book.
Here’s the general thing about Smartphones these days: I work with mobile phones every day and have literally tried hundreds of different ones. Every manufacturer will tell you their products are the best, provide the most bang for your buck, and generally are way ahead of the competition. That’s their job. They want to sell phones after all. In reality, many phones are similar in specifications and price, and what it often comes down to in the end is if a consumer likes and trusts the brand.
Just last week I wrote about Xiaomi officially launching in the Philippines, and some of the comments we received on the story made it clear that the company, despite all the hype surrounding it, may face a bit of an image problem on these shores, due to it not making any secret out of its Chinese roots.
DTC on the other hand comes across as a down to earth brand that seems to take pride in being based in Manila, and whose General Manager Ferdinand Buensalida Jr (pictured above) appeared as a genuine and likeable character when he took to the stage during the early part of the event, explaining how it is their aim to provide affordable, yet high quality phones to Filipino consumers. Their decision to choose local sports personalities as their brand ambassadors creates a dynamic and wholesome image that also reinforces their message of being a company with firm local ties.
If you are looking for an affordable Android smartphone, then the company’s Q3 Series phones are on sale now in all major malls and online, and from trying them out on the night, I would say they are definitely worth your consideration!
DTC Mobile
