Phones That Are Assembled in the Philippines, Launched By Starmobile

Did you know that Starmobile has an actual gadget factory located in Calamba, Laguna?

It's true.

I haven't been there but I heard that their operations have been going smoothly since June 2017.

In fact, the Proudly-Pinoy company has just released two basic phones that are assembled in that specific facility.

The first one is called UNO B208 PH Edition, which is a Dual SIM, Dual Standby feature-phone that has a long battery standby time of up to 5 days or 120 hours.

Priced at only Php 599, this pocket-friendly device also features a flashlight, an FM radio, a basic camera with flash, and multimedia playback for MP3 player functionality.

On the other hand, UNO B308 exudes premium design and has a large, colored TFT screen. Boasting up to 8 days of standby time and 3 hours of talk time, this handset also comes replete with a camera at the back, multimedia player, and LED torch light. This model is slightly more expensive at Php 699.

As a proudly-Filipino technology blogger, I'm delighted to learn that one of our Pinoy tech brands is actually taking a chance on local talent and skills to craft devices right at home. If many consumers would purchase these handsets, I'm confident that this laudable move by Starmobile will create even more jobs for Filipinos, which is always a good thing.

Frankly, Starmobile's current Android smartphones are still made by OEMs in China -- since it's far more cost efficient and it helps lower the prices of these products. Now that the company has its own factory in Laguna, though, I'd love to see the first Android device that they will assemble there. It's a lot more challenging and ambitious than making feature-phones but if there's a local brand that would love to meet this challenge, I know that it's Starmobile; After all, their slogan is "Reach for the Star".