A strategic plan unfolded for a new wave of Russian Android smartphones led by Alexander Kalinin, the founder of the National Computer Corporation. The initiative, highlighted by Kommersant, signals an aggressive push to bring locally designed devices to market, with initial releases potentially as soon as 2023.
The project reportedly includes a separate entity, the Sovereign Mobile Initiative, which is set to oversee the development. Leadership of the hardware program appears to be in the hands of Vadim Kopin, the founder of Vobis Computer, a past producer of smartphones under the Russian Highscreen brand.
Kalinin has outlined a bold financial plan, proposing an investment around 10 billion US dollars to drive both device development and manufacturing. The strategy contemplates setting up domestic assembly facilities in Russia while also evaluating contract manufacturing arrangements in China. The first shipment, projected at 100,000 units, was anticipated to hit the market in December 2023, with suggested price points spanning from 10,000 to 30,000 rubles.
Kopin told Kommersant that production could expand under the Sovereign Mobile Initiative by 2026, with the holding aiming to secure a foothold that could capture about 10 percent of the Russian smartphone sector.
Industry analysts quoted by journalists suggest that Kalinin’s venture might opt for the Aurora platform as the underlying operating system for these smartphones to sidestep potential licensing hurdles with Google Android.
Earlier reporting from socialbites.ca noted that a ban on importing expensive smartphones into Russia would not necessarily impede parallel imports, implying a strategy to keep premium models accessible within the domestic market.