Vietnamese prefer the most luxurious smartphones

In Vietnam, the number of people who want to buy iPhone 7 Plus is nearly twice as many as the number of people who want to buy an iPhone 7. The ratio is 80/20 for the Galaxy S7 Edge and S7.

USA Today reported that the ratio of iPhone 7/iPhone 7 Plus buyers in the US when the model hit the shelves was 55/45.

The situation is the opposite in Vietnam. The representative of the biggest smartphone retail chain in Vietnam said the ratio of iPhone 7/7 Plus sold had been 35/65 by early December 2016.

The same thing occurred with Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge. The most prestigious distribution chains all reported that 80 out of 100 buyers chose curved-screen S7 Edge, while only 20 wanted a S7.

The distributors say that Vietnamese tend to choose premium versions instead of the standard ones if manufacturers market two models.

iPhone 7 Plus is now sold at VND22.3 million for the 32 GB version, while the highest price of VND28 million is applied to the 256 GB version. Galaxy S7 Edge is priced at VND17 million though it has seen sharp price decreases.

Vietnamese, who have an average income of over $2,000 per annum, prefer premium versions to standard ones. Sony once witnessed the same with Xperia Z and ZL.

Xperia Z was among the best sellers in 2013 thanks to the luxurious design with glass cover, while ZL with plastics cover could not catch users’ eyes and it nearly disappeared from the domestic market.

In mid-2016, LG was once heavily criticized when it intended to bring the LG G5 version with Snapdragon 652 and RAM 3 GB instead of the one with RAM 4 GB and Snapdragon 820.

A branding expert said that Vietnamese tend to choose the best ones despite high prices. They also spend several millions of dong more to buy scooters instead of motorbikes.

Meanwhile, Lac Huy from CellphoneS, a distribution chain, said that consumers prefer iPhone 7 Plus because of the larger screen, stronger battery and better camera.

“Apple is a big name. Its design and appearance look luxurious. Therefore, it is favored by Vietnamese, who just want the product which can help them show off, rather than the product which can help fulfill their work,” an analyst said.

“This explains why many Vietnamese buy iPhones, even though they never intend to learn about the features of the smartphone and they just send messages and make calls with the iPhones,” he said.

Chi Mai / vietnamnet