Qiku Shakes Up The Asian Mobile Market With Revolutionary New Smartphones

Launching next month, Qiku phones include free insurance against theft, fraud and phishing

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Aug 26, 2015, 08:30 ET

BEIJING, Aug. 26, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Qiku, a joint venture between Qihoo 360 and Coolpad, today announced its entry into the Asian smartphone market, with three new cutting-edge Android phones that come with features not found on any other phone on the market. The Qiku phones will start shipping in China in September, India in October and Indonesia later this year. Distribution to additional countries, including Brazil, Russia and Turkey, will follow.

Qiku is a Beijing-based joint venture between Qihoo 360, a leading China-based Internet company, and Coolpad, a China-based producer of smart phones and other electronic products. Announced earlier this year, Qiku is owned 49.5% by Qihoo and 50.5% by Coolpad.

The new smartphone line includes high-end (Q Terra) and entry-level (Q Luna) models for all markets, and a China-only mid-range version. Without compromising on the high-end performance smartphone users demand, the Qiku phones provide consumers with unprecedented safety and security features other phones can't match.

"At present, all Android mobile users in China face daily fraudulent telemarketing calls, phishing attacks and shopping on insecure ecommerce websites," said Qihoo 360 CEO Zhou Hongyi. "With Qiku's new range of smartphones, we mitigate those risks, providing free insurance covering up to 120,000 RMB (approximately $18,700) of coverage to protect our users. Even Apple iOS security, while well done, lacks this capability to protect people from the growing threat of mobile fraud."

Among other features, the Qiku phones include:

Secure payments feature uses a dedicated VPN for payment applications
Unique kill switch function allows consumers to remotely disable lost phones - even without internet access or when a different SIM card is used on a stolen phone
Ability to hide confidential documents on smartphone from prying eyes and rogue third party applications using a unique personal code
Ability to simply use two WeChat instant messenger accounts on one smartphone
Dedicated team of 2,500 security engineers working 24/7 to deal with mobile phishing, viruses, malware and APT attacks in real-time
Ability to uninstall all pre-installed applications on the smartphone

"Qiku is offering consumers high-quality smartphones at affordable prices with many security features," said Qiku Chief Business Officer Patrick Pan. "Our goal is to be one of the top three smartphone and smart device makers in China. Our proven business model and security DNA has previously demonstrated that we cause major disruption for existing competitors in the markets we enter."

All three phones use the 360 OS operating system, a variation of Android 5.1 Lollipop with added security features. Other noteworthy features of the Qiku phones include large screens; high-end processors; unusually long battery life; a unique dual 13-megapixel camera system on the high-end and mid-range models, allowing for high quality photography even in low light situations; and a back-side fingerprint scanner.

Qiku Phone Specifications

Screen size:
- High-end and mid-range phones: 6 inches
- Entry-level phone: 5.5 inches
Screen resolution:
- High-end phone: 2K
- Mid-range and entry-level: 1080p
Physical dimensions:
- High-end and mid-range: 157.6×79.8×8.6mm
- Entry-level: 150.2×75.7×9mm
Weight:
- High-end and mid-range: 185g
- Entry-level: 170g
Colors:
- The phones are available in both silver and gold; the case is made with magnalium.
Processors:
- High-end: Qualcomm Snapdragon 810
- Mid-range: Qualcomm Snapdragon 808
- Entry-level: MediaTek MT6753
Memory:
- High-end: 4 GB RAM, 64 GB ROM
- Mid-range: 3 GB RAM, 16 GB ROM
- Entry-level: 2 GB RAM, 16 GB ROM
MicroSD cards:
- For all 3 models, memory can be expanded via MicroSD cards up to 128GB.
Operating system:
- All models use the 360 OS, which is Android-based.
- The phone supports the full range of Android apps.
- The phone includes access to the Qiku app store, but users can access any Android app store.
- The 360 OS includes unique security features building on Qihoo's long-history in the desktop and mobile security market.
- The Qiku phone is China's first anti-fraud, anti-harassment, anti-theft smartphone. Qiku smartphone users get free insurance of RMB 120,000 ($19,354) per year to cover instances of fraud, theft or robbery.
Battery:
- High-end and mid-range: 3700mAh battery. Max battery life 37 hours for voice calls; 14 hours for video.
- Entry-level: 3000mh battery; 24 hours for voice calls.
Fingerprint scanner:
- All three models support fingerprint scanning for security. Unlike the iPhone, the Qiku phones' fingerprint sensor is on the back of the phone.
Cameras:
- High-end and mid-range: Dual 13-megapixel back cameras, allowing for high quality images in low light situations. 8 megapixel front camera.
- Entry-level: Single 13-megapixel back camera; 8 megapixel front camera.
Distribution:
- The phone will launch in China, with distribution in India and Indonesia to follow.
- Qiku is negotiating with all major carriers in China for distribution of the phone; Qiku expects to sell the phone directly to consumers online.

About Qihoo 360
Qihoo 360 Technology Co. Ltd. is a leading Internet company in China. The Company is also the number one provider of Internet and mobile security products in China as measured by its user base, according to iResearch. Qihoo 360 also provides users with secure access points to the Internet via its market leading web browsers and application stores. The Company has built one of the largest open Internet platforms in China and monetizes its massive user base primarily through online advertising and through Internet value-added services on its open platform.

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SOURCE Qihoo 360 Technology Co. Ltd.