China and Brazil to get Dell smartphone first

Dell is set to enter the smartphone market, launching its first device in China and Brazil before the end of the year.

Dell, which has not confirmed the dates of launches in other regions, said the Mini 3 will be targeted at the consumer market. The phone will be carried by China Mobile, the world’s largest telecommunications company, and Claro, which serves more than 42 million people in Brazil.

The Mini 3 is part of Dell’s ongoing drive into the mobile internet market. Earlier this year, the firm began embedding its Chinese netbooks with China Mobile’s 3G technology.

Ron Garriques, president of the Dell Global Consumer Group, said: “Our entry into the smartphone category is a logical extension of Dell’s consumer product evolution over the past two years. We are developing smaller and smarter mobile products that enable our customers to take their internet experience out of the home and do the things they want to do whenever and wherever they want.”

The company added that details of phone models will be announced on a partner-by-partner basis once devices are available in stores. For China this will be later this month, while a Brazilian launch has been set for some time before the end of the year.