VietNamNet Bridge - The first model of smartphones of the technology group BKAV, most likely named Bphone, is attracting huge attention online. There is not much information about it but many people have made different predictions about the device. BKAV Vice Chair Vu Thanh Thang shares some information about the product.

- What is the difference between Smartphone BKAV and locally-made cell phones in Vietnam today?

- Vu Thanh Thang: There is a huge difference. Other companies in Vietnam produce smartphones by the ODM method (original design manufacturer) under two forms. The first is ordering foreign partners, usually Chinese partners, to manufacture smartphones with their own brands. The second form is importing components and assembling under available designs.

Smartphones BKAV is researched, developed and manufactured under the OEM form (original equipment manufacturer), similar to the way of Sony, Apple, Samsung ... ie BKAV masters all stages of style design, mechanical design, electronics design, software ... This allows us to create unique products that can adapt to the constantly changing trends of technology.

In particular, we use the components as Sharp screen, Qualcomm chip or Toshiba memory... These are the components suppliers for Apple, Samsung ... Also, BKAV is the first manufacturer in Southeast Asia contracted directly to use advanced chips from Qualcomm.

One big difference is that BKAV focuses on the high-end segment, not the low-end one.

- Many people believe that a phone produced by Vietnam has to go through all stages from production of chip, RAM, screen ... How does Bkav explain this?

- That concept is so not true. A smartphone is composed of more than 800 electronic and mechanical components, provided by hundreds of component suppliers. For example, Apple has about 80 component suppliers for iPhone (up to 200 for other products). Samsung has at least 87 suppliers in Vietnam. Bkav also has 82 suppliers.

Take this for example, to be able to cook a delicious dish like pho, you do not necessarily make noodles, grow onions, make seasoning powder, salt, or to braise cattle for beef. To have these materials, you only need to go to the market or call the supermarket. The matter is you must have the know-how, the skill to process such materials into delicious pho, with your unique style. So that Pho Nam Dinh has different flavors from pho Hanoi, though they use the same materials.

Similarly, to make a smartphone the manufacturers do not necessarily produce all the components. The most important thing is how to design the style, mechanical design, and software design.

- What is the role of design in the entire process of producing smartphones?

- Designing smartphones is never simple as there are up to 800 component parts to put into a small device in the palm of your hand, which we want to be not just beautiful, thin, and elegant but also to have and ensure quality of performance. For example, if you have a new design and you have to make the phone 1 mm thinner, you will have to change the whole mechanical structure, motherboard design and components ... So, you have to master the design to meet the change. If you only make orders, it is impossible to make that change.

In the smartphone manufacturing value chain, design is the part with the highest proportion. As everyone knows, the iPhone 6 is priced VND18 million (nearly $900), but the components are roughly VND5 million, which means that nearly 100 suppliers share that much. Apple, which serves as the master of design, technology and trading operations, earns more than two-thirds of the value of the product.

The smartphone design team of BKAV includes more than 200 people.

- The interest in BKAV smartphone is very high. If this is converted into sales, can the BKAV factory meet the demand?

- Currently, our plant in Cau Giay District, Hanoi can manufacture tens of thousands of products each month. But we have also prepared infrastructure in Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park with an area of 2.3 hectares. If we have positive feedback from the market, we can quickly increase capacity to hundreds of thousands of products each month.

- While many people are still wary about the competitiveness of Made-in-Vietnam products, what makes BKAV confident in its products?

- First, we have a burning desire to change that thought. We want to change the perception that Vietnam cannot produce high-quality products or high-tech products.

Second, many people know more about BKAV hardware, but in reality we have produced smart products for more than 10 years with the field SmartHome.

Third, our view is to produce only good products.

- Many people don’t dare express their support for smartphone BKAV because they are afraid to have high hopes and then become disappointed. What do you think about this?

- I think, in fact, they have high hopes but dare not believe. That is why we must be very cautious and want to make only high-end products. We started this project four years ago, exactly 1,576 days as of today, with over 200 engineers involved in the development and the investment is up to tens of millions of dollars, but now we have announced it. That is why we make products for the premium segment, not the low-cost one.

VNE