Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G to be made in Bangladesh

Bangladesh's manufacturing prowess is getting yet another stamp of global approval. The South Korean tech giant Samsung has decided to manufacture its latest flagship devices, the Note20 and the Note 20 Ultra 5G, in the country.

The handset, which was rolled out globally on 5 August, can work with the fifth-generation cellular network technology that gives users near-real-time interactivity, faster internet, lower response times and the capacity to join many devices.

"We are manufacturing 5G devices and it shows that Bangladesh can now make anything," Mohammad Mesbah Uddin, chief marketing officer of Fair Electronics, Samsung's local assembly partner, told The Daily Star yesterday.

The first batch of the 5G devices put together in the state-of-the-art manufacturing plant of Fair Electronics spanning 30 acres in Narsingdi will hit the market in the middle of September. The company will make about 26 to 27 per cent value-addition to the 5G-enabled device, the pre-booking for which has started on 10 August and will continue until September.

"Samsung has full confidence in Fair Electronics and this dispelled the general notions that the country can't make world-class products."

Thanks to the local assembling, the price of the device would be Tk 35,000 less at least. If the device is imported, the price would be more than Tk 160,000, he added.

Although the device, which will come in mystic bronze and mystic black colourway, is priced at Tk 134,999, a customer can purchase it at Tk 110,000.

Customers will get Tk 15,000 discount on pre-booking. If they exchange a Samsung device, they will get another Tk 10,000, besides the price of the used device, according to Uddin.

The move from the local assembling industry came ahead of Bangladesh's planned rollout of 5G by 2021.

Fair Electronics, which started assembling Samsung handsets last year, has so far churned out 25 lakh units, most of which are 4G-enabled.

In January, the South Korean tech giant's flagship smart device Galaxy Note10+ was assembled at the plant of Fair Electronics in Narsingdi. The local company is now assembling almost all Samsung devices sold in Bangladesh.

This year, the company had plans to assemble 25 lakh units of smartphones. But for the coronavirus pandemic, it is now aiming to churn out 20 lakh units.

For the 5G device, Fair Electronics has made additional investments to install a 5G network testing equipment and a new underwater testing machine.

The 6.9-inch Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G comes with 12GB of random-access memory (RAM) and is powered by a 4,500mAh battery.

Its design features a metal body elevated by exquisite details and transcendent colours and durable Corning Gorilla Glass Victus, the toughest-ever glass in a smartphone.

The phone has a triple rear camera setup with the pro-grade 8K camera and editing suite.

As strict social distancing has to be maintained because of the pandemic, Samsung is giving an opportuning to customers to be acquainted with the device.

It has rolled out the "Meet the Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G from home" initiative where customers can experience the device online before pre-ordering through a 15-minute video call. Two sales representatives will assist the customer in the experience session made from Samsung flagship store located in BTI Landmark, Gulshan Avenue. Appointments will be scheduled between 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm.

The campaign began on 14 August and would continue until 20 August.

"The pandemic has changed the way we live and communicate," said Md Muyeedur Rahman, head of mobile at Samsung Bangladesh.

Customers can pre-order the device from Samsung's official stores and online at www.note20preorder.com as well as through GP Shop, Robi Shop, Banglalink Shop, Evaly, Pickaboo and Daraz.

Fair Electronics is also assembling Samsung's other top device Galaxy Note20, which will hit the market next month with a price tag of Tk 99,000.

Customers can buy it at Tk 80,000 if they make a pre-booking. And if they exchange a Samsung device, they will get another Tk 10,000 plus the price of the used device.

Bangladeshis are garnering experience and learning about new and advanced technologies working at such plants, Uddin said. More than 95 per cent of the 1,500-strong workforce at the plant is local.