This Gitex Shopper, expect smartphone prices to drop by almost 20 per cent as newer models are expected to hit the market.
At least five new smartphone models are expected to be launched in the UAE market during the next four to eight weeks, and “there is going to be some serious offers this Gitex Shopper,” said an official from Sharaf DG, who also said that he is not supposed to give out details on offers prior to the event that starts on April 3.
“The prices of Samsung S3 are expected to officially drop,” said one salesperson from Emax. The last time the price of the Galaxy S3 dropped was during last year’s Gitex Shopper, when it was reduced from Dh2,400 to Dh2,099. The non-LTE model of the Galaxy S3 is currently priced at Dh2,099 across leading electronic stores and might drop by almost Dh200 to Dh300 this Gitex Shopper. The LTE model of the smartphone is priced at more than Dh2,300.
Similarly expect a drop in the prices of BlackBerry Bold as well. The BlackBerry Q10, which was launched along with the full touch Z10 is expected to hit the market in April. BlackBerry fans, who have been waiting for the qwerty version of the BB10 should not be disappointed as the Q10 will in all probability be released simultaneously in the UAE along with the global release.
Currently the BlackBerry Bold 9900 is priced at Dh1,850. Expect some interesting offers on these and other older BlackBerry models. “We have had many enquiries about the Q10, but BlackBerry officials are yet to confirm the exact date. We do not think it will be out in April. That is what we are telling our customers as well,” said one salesperson from Sharaf DG.
According to him the BlackBerry Z10 continues to sell at a reasonable rate. Another model that is popular on demand is the Sony Xperia Z. The phone was launched last month and is priced at around Dh2,500.
Meanwhile, most stores Emirates24|7 visited during the last two days said there would be more of bundle offers this Gitex Shopper compared to frop in prices of most electronic goods. “Expect to get free printers, wireless mouse and keyboards, free antivirus softwares and a host of other freebies,” said a sales staff at Jacky’s. Emax says it will continue to offer free Emax and Centrepoint gift vouchers along with other free gifts.
For those interested in tablets, iPads and Galaxy notes may not have any major discounts, but expect serious competition from scores of low-end android powered tablets. Some of the brands are pricing their 7 inch android tablets as low as Dh180.
Among the brands set to launch new products this Gitex is Dell. The company says it plans to unveil its latest consumer tablet the XPS 10, and showcase other existing touch screen devices such as the XPS 12 convertible Ultrabook XPS One 27, Inspiron 15, Inspiron 15z and Inspiron 15R at this year’s Gitex Shopper.
The XPS 10 is runs on Windows RT and is powered by dual-core ARM architecture with a HD multi-touch display and split screen capability. It comes with an optional mobile keyboard dock featuring a full-sized keyboard and touchpad.
Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.
