Privacy by policy: Smartphone without camera launched in UAE

An Indian mobile phone manufacturer has launched a smartphone without camera and GPS to meet the requirement of customers who don’t want to use these features due to privacy concerns.

“This is the latest smartphone that we have designed exclusively for the GCC and Middle East region where privacy and confidentiality is a great issue. Sometimes life is more wonderful without pictures and in some workplaces, especially in the oil and gas industry, military and police, smartphones with camera or GPS are not allowed. Many people just deposit their cameras with the security, making them inaccessible too,” said Billy Llugo, Middle East General Manager of Lava International DMCC, while announcing the Middle East launch of Iris XS.

Saying that the Lava mobile phones sales have soared in the last six months to 34,000 units without including the Gitex sales figures, the company official said the target is to sell 40,000 mobile phones in the UAE market.

“Even without GPS and camera, you can have a smartphone, which will be easier to navigate and for internet browsing because cameras, pictures and GPS consumes a good portion of the mobile phone memory.”

The smartphone is available in the UAE and other GCC markets through Lulu markets outlets at Dh399, said Mohammed Kizhar Ulla, Head of Business Middle East.

“In many industrial areas in the Middle East, workers cannot carry mobile phones with camera and GPS. We are launching this smartphone in the Middle East market in view of this untapped market. Other mobile phone manufacturers have not addressed this demand so far and we are trying to fill that gap,” he said.

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