MOSCOW, November 8 (Itar-Tass) — Japan's Sharp Company, which is known in Russia as maker of consumer electronics and household appliances, is launching the sale of smartphones on the Russian market. In Japan, the Company already accounts for 22.6 percent of this market as a result of 2011.
A ceremony to introduce the first four models of mobile phones was held here on Thursday. The sale of these mobile phone models is to begin in the second half of November. These mobile phone models include the world's first smartphone with a Full HD high-definition screen -- the Sharp Aquos Phone SH930W. Its price will be 22,000 roubles. These smartphones are fitted out with powerful cameras and large convenient displays. All the four models run on the Android operation system. Their price, depending on model, will fluctuate approximately from 9,000 to 17,000 roubles.
Until now, Sharp mobile phones were sold only in Japan and in individual Asian countries. However, in 2012 the Company decided to develop business on the global market. Russia will become the first country outside Asia where the Japanese maker intends to enter.
"The Company believes that the Russian market is strategically important to it," emphasized Andrei Zakharov, representative of the Sharp in Russia. He pointed out that the sale of smartphones in Russia had been growing at a rapid pace from year to year.
By summer 2013, the Company expects to sell up to 80,000 smartphones and account for five percent of the Russian market of communicators.
As a result of the second quarter of 2012, the most popular smartphones were devices made by Samsung -- they account for about 42 percent of the market, followed up by Nokia (24 percent), NTS (10 percent), and other vendors, among the Apple.