Gigabyte Communications expects to ship 400,000 smartphones in 2013

Gigabyte Communications expects to launch 10 smartphones for shipments of 400,000 units in 2013, increasing from 5-6 models launched and about 200,000 smartphones shipped in 2012, according to the company.

The 10 smartphones will have 3.5-5-inch touch screen sizes, be based on Android, and equipped with platforms developed by Qualcomm and MediaTek, Gigabyte Communications indicated. Its smartphone business in 2013 will rely on R&D capability in Taiwan and supply chain in China, the company noted. Since Gigabyte Communications has obtained Google Mobile Service certification, it is licensed to build Google services such as Gmail, YouTube, and Google Maps in its Android smartphones, the company said.

Through partnership with Asbis, the largest handset distributor in Eastern Europe, Gigabyte Communications has been selling GSmart smartphones in Russia and almost all countries in Eastern Europe, the company indicated. In addition, Gigabyte Communications has tapped markets in Israel, Turkey and Dubai.

Gigabyte Communications will launch the Maya M1 and Rio R1 in the first quarter of 2013, with the former featuring MediaTek-developed MT6577 1GHz dual-core processors, a 4.5-inch IPS qHD touch screen, an 8-megapixel rear camera, 1GB RAM and Android 4.1, and the latter equipped with Qualcomm's MSM825 1GHz dual-core processor, a 4-inch WVGA touch screen, 5-megapixel rear camera and Android 4.0.

In addition to smartphones, Gigabyte Communications is developing 10-inch tablets for education based on the Qualcomm Reference Design, the company pointed out.