Affordable tech brand FreeYond enters Malaysia market; debuts FreeYond F9 and M5
China-based technology brand FreeYond has begun its quest to penetrate the Malaysian market, marked by its global brand launch which took place today. This comes less than a year after its establishment in Shenzhen in May 2022.
A cast of prominent faces attended the launch, including Founder & CEO of FreeYond, Dr. Lei Yu; and Co-Founder & SVP of FreeYond, Mr. David Chang.
Together with them was the Director of FreeYond and the Executive Chairman of Great Work Corporation Limited, Datuk Eddie Chai; and Mr. Vincent Tan, Executive Director of Fast Energy Holdings Berhad.
Fast Energy currently holds an Exclusive Distributorship Agreement that grants the market-listed company the sole distribution and sale of FreeYond products.
Gracing the launch later on was none other than the Minister of Communications and Digital, Yang Berhormat Fahmi bin Mohamed Fadzil. In his speech, YB Fahmi Fadzil reiterates the ministry’s commitment in prioritizing inclusivity and accessibility of technology to all sectors of Malaysia.
To commemorate their debut, FreeYond unveiled a total of five new products set to hit the market. They include two affordable smartphones, the F9 and M5; two smartwatches, the Watch F1 and Watch S1; and Pods 1 earbuds.
All products are priced at the lower end of the scale, with the brand aiming to win over consumers searching for inexpensive smartphones and AIoT products.
FreeYond M5 and F9, specs and price
The FreeYond M5 comes in a single 8GB+128GB configuration, priced at RM699. The M5 has a microSD card slot that supports storage up to 1TB.
For a budget phone, it manages to incorporate a triple camera system with a 50MP main camera, 8MP ultra wide, and a 2MP macro lens. The M5 has a 6.52-inch HD IPS display that clocks up to 90Hz refresh rate. You can expect to go for long hours with a 5,000mAh battery capacity with 18W fast charging. For ports, you’ll have a USB Type-C charging port and a 3.5mm audio jack.
The FreeYond F9 is the cheaper smartphone going at only RM399 for the 2GB+64GB configuration, and RM499 for the higher 3GB+128GB version. Storage is expandable up to 1TB via a microSD card.
The F9 sports a 6.52-inch HD IPS display and an 8MP selfie camera. At the rear, you have a dual camera system consisting of an 13MP main camera and a 2MP macro lens. Its battery is pretty decent at 5,000mAh, charged through a USB Type-C charging port. Alongside it is a 3.5mm audio jack.
For the other products, FreeYond announced that the FreeYond S1 Watch and F1 Watch will be priced at RM159 and RM119 respectively. While the FreeYond Pods 1 will be priced at RM89.
The products unveiled today will be made available on e-commerce websites such as on the brand’s official Shopee page. FreeYond will also work with dealers and distributors, as well as with telco companies to push forward FreeYond products.
What’s next for FreeYond?
To date, FreeYond has already established core markets in Latin America and Africa. They now have sights on Southeast Asia, with Malaysia being the gateway market to surge on to neighboring countries. According to Datuk Eddie Chai, we can expect FreeYond to launch in Thailand and Indonesia in the near future.
In a press conference, Mr. Vincent Tan expressed that FreeYond hopes to be among the top 5 leading brands in Malaysia within the next 3 years.
FreeYond will launch several more products by the end of the year. In the works is the expansion of the current smartphone series: the FreeYond M5A and F9S. By July, we may see a 5G support FreeYond phone with the M5 5G.
Included in the product roadmap for 2023 are also the FreeYond Pods 2, FreeYond Watch S2, and FreeYond Watch F2.
We applaud FreeYond’s bold venture into the Malaysian market, and we wish them much success as they endeavour to bigger challenges!
