From Smartphone Side.. Foxconn/Hon Hai buys ex-Nokia giant phone factory in Vietnam from Microsoft

A note from the tech side. Microsoft has just sold its giant phone factory in Vietnam to Foxconn/Hon Hai. It will be used to make dumbphones AND smartphones. I think this still is or at least at some point recently was the world's largest phone factory. My thanks to my Twitter follower @WeirdHongKong who caught the story and flagged it for me. It was reported in the Digitimes. Now all you smartphone-fan readers, this is your chance to bring your eternal battle of smartphone dominance discussion to this thread haha... enjoy. PS big relevance? Not really. Foxconn/Hon Hai is dead serious about growing to become the master of phone manufacturing and obviously is very deeply intending to make that phone business purchase from Microsoft work out.

Comments

[Loyal fan]

That factory is undoubtedly going for use by FIH to build those famous high-quality slider-QWERTY phones only Nokia factories can make and then to sell them with Nokia branding to become 3rd largest smartphone vendor by 2019.

[Winter]

"I think this still is or at least at some point recently was the world's largest phone factory."

The DigiTimes say:
"Foxconn Electronics has announced that one of its subsidiaries, Chief Expertise, has purchased a 100% stake of Microsoft Mobile (Vietnam), a handset unit of Microsoft Mobile in Vietnam, for VND492 million (US$22 million)."

Only $22M for the world's largest phone factory?

[HaventYouPaidAttentionToThisBlog]

The factory has been poisoned by Microsoft.

[Wayne Borean]

Fascinating. There's nothing on the Microsoft corporate site about the sale.

As to the price, if the plant is assembly only, the price may not be out of line. It depends upon the equipment installed, and we do not know what the plant has.

[Wayne]

Speaking of smartphone dominance - I'm surprised you haven't commented on Pokemon Go. It's the first widely adopted Augmented Reality game. It's a smash hit. And it's really funny the social impact it's already having. Some bad things too as in folks luring games users and robbing them

[Keen reader]

Factory was part of the deal announced in May:

http://news.microsoft.com/2016/05/18/microsoft-selling-feature-phone-business-to-fih-mobile-ltd-and-hmd-global-oy/#sm.001gaalv51dbffjjuht1j0c1vbr0z

[Abdul Muis]

Two high-end Nokia Android smartphones with Android Nougat Flavor in works.
http://www.nokiapoweruser.com/two-high-end-nokia-android-smartphones-with-android-nougat-flavor-in-works-more-details/

[Abdul Muis]

Nokia flagship SD820 5.5" android will be priced at US$500?
http://www.gizmochina.com/2016/07/17/android-based-nokia-phones-2k-display-sd-820/

[cornelius]

We have good news from Microsoft's earnings report. WP revenue is down 71% yoy. Well, OK, it's not as bad as it seems because such decline is the new normal at Microsoft. So, it's business as usual.