Vingroup produces first 5G smartphones

By Tuan Hung July 6, 2020 | 12:00 am PT

A manufacturer works at an assembly line of Vingroup's Vsmart phone in northern Hai Phong City, December 4, 2018. Photo by Reuters.

VinSmart, a subsidiary of Vietnam’s largest listed company Vingroup, has produced its first 5G smartphones in cooperation with the U.S.’s Qualcomm.

The Vsmart Aris 5G model is equipped with a Snapdragon 765G 5G module platform and a quantum security chip, the company stated, adding it also features a Super Amoled 6.39" display, 8GB RAM and a 4,000 mAh battery.

Nguyen Phi Tuyen, director of the measurement center of the Department of Telecommunications under the Ministry of Information and Communications, said the unit has repeatedly tested Vsmart’s Aris 5G, showing the network speed was eight times higher than 4G.

VinSmart has not yet announced the official price of the Aris 5G, nor when it would hit the market, or how many units it intended to produce.

No 5G smartphone has been manufactured or officially distributed in Vietnam so far, instead they are hand carried on overseas flights.

VinSmart's move came as local telecom firms compete in the 5G race. Telecom giant Viettel for the first time broadcast from its network of 5G base transceiver stations in Ho Chi Minh City last September while competitor VNPT has announced similar plans.

VinSmart, which launched its first products at the end of 2018, is currently focusing on the low-end segment of the market, with 12 Vsmart phones all priced at below VND5 million ($212).