As previously mentioned Dell have released a new phone to the Chinese market, a phone with some very confusing limitations. The Dell Mini 3i lacks wifi and 3G capabilities, which these days makes it nearly an antique in the eyes of western consumers, myself included.

To understand why Dell would want to make such a limited mobile, you only have to look at the 3G subscriber numbers. China Mobile, for example, has 497 Million subscribers in total but only 1.09 million of those utilize the 3G network. This means 3G enabled “Smart Phones” make up only 0.21% of their total current business, making a wifi enabled 3G phone a truly niche product. To put this in perspective, AT&T Mobility have 79 million subscribers and have reported 40.8% of them having 3G devices.

With all these facts considered, the Dell Mini 3i looks well suited for the current market and set to do very well.

Sources: AT&T Mobility China Mobile