Vietnam’s Bkav unveils fourth-gen Bphones, ditches physical buttons
Vietnam’s Bkav unveils fourth-gen Bphones, ditches physical buttons
After many delays because of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, on Sunday evening, Bkav held a launch event for their latest line of Bphone products.
The highlight of the night was the Bphone B86, “the first smartphone without physical buttons in Vietnam,” as the company touted.
The smartphones shown off on the stage on Sunday evening were Bkav’s fourth generation of smartphones. That’s why, besides their official names as Bphone B40, Bphone B60, Bphone B86, and Bphone B86s, they are also known informally as ‘Bphone 4’.
“Experience without limitation” was the key message conveyed throughout the launch ceremony, repeated many times by presenters on the stage.
Several speakers, who are senior officials of Bkav, took turns introducing some of the special and unique features of the new smartphones, including dual cameras with AI technology said to help everyone take a photo with the unique quality of computational photography.
Thanks to the function, Bphone users can take stunning photos of fast-moving objects with the B86’s camera module. Hence Bkav’s slogan, “freeze every moment of a movement.”
Bphone B86’s eSim technology scraps the limitation of two or three SIM cards on one smartphone, as a Bphone user can now use up to 16 different SIM cards, or 16 different phone numbers, at the same time.
The B86’s waterproof rating of IP68+ means the phone can still function normally even at two meters underwater.
Fourth-gen Bphones continue to use BOS, or Bphone Operating System, developed by the firm’s engineers.
The latest version, BOS 8.6, boasts upgraded designs aiming to extend the battery life.
The new Bphones come in four colors — black, white, pink, and blue — with the intention of appealing to both male and female customers.
The four models Bphone B40, Bphone B60, Bphone B86, and Bphone B86s will retail at the starting prices of VND5.49 million ($235), VND6.99 million ($299), VND8.99 million ($384), and VND9.99 million ($427), respectively.
The Bphone B86 and Bphone B86s are set to be on sale from May 17, while the rest will be available for sale one month later, on June 17.
Customers will be able to experience and buy the new phones at every Bphone and Mobifone store across the country.
Before the launch event on Sunday evening, Bkav had launched three generations of Bphone smartphones in the years 2015, 2017, and 2018.
Bkav’s smartphones have received mixed feedbacks until now, some of them revolving around the fact that the phones’ real quality has not held up to the praise they receive from company executives.
Bkav is a Hanoi-based technology firm specializing in cybersecurity, software, e-government, smartphone manufacturing, and smart electronic devices.
