The Dell Streak 5 - a contender for running Baidu Yi.
Damn, this is shaping up to be a competitive month for smartphones in China! First we had Xiaomi’s M1, which will finally be available to everyone on December 18. Then there were the rumors that we might see the iPhone 4s finally hit the China market this month. And now rumors are spreading that Dell may be offering a new handset of its own this month running Baidu’s new Android-based Baidu Yi mobile OS.
Baidu Yi was launched back in early fall but we have yet to see a handset paired with the OS. Shortly after its launch, rumors were swirling that Dell would offer the first Baidu Yi handset in November, and while it obviously missed that date, Seeking Alpha analyst Jiang Zhang thinks we can expect a Dell phone this month, and we suspect he’s right.
According to Jiang, the Dell (NASDAQ:DELL) handset should go for around 3,000 RMB ($470), which puts it in an interesting market space — cheaper than almost every major smartphone, but not quite as cheap as the upstart Xiaomi M1, which retails for 2,000 RMB ($312). But the real advantage of the device will be the Baidu Yi OS, which integrates with a variety of Baidu services millions of Chinese net users are already familiar with and using on a daily basis. That could be a huge draw, and it’s something no one else can offer.
When contacted, Baidu (NASDAQ:BIDU) had no comment on the rumor that a Baidu Yi handset might hit the market this month. Nevertheless, we strongly suspect you’ll see a Dell handset this month, and in the year to come presumably other handset manufacturers will also begin offering their own handsets running Baidu Yi natively.
We’re looking forward to seeing what Dell’s come up with, and how Chinese mobile users respond to Baidu’s new mobile OS. We’ll be keeping an eye on this story and will be sure to let you know when the handset is officially announced.