This post is automatically translated with LLM. The translation content has NOT been reviewed and may contain errors.
North Korea remains a mysterious nation.
When North Korea developed Red Star Linux, people exclaimed: "They have this capability?"
When North Korea established its 3G network, people marveled: "They actually possess 3G technology?"
Although North Korea's feature phones are all imported from China, and all Android phones in the country are still Chinese-made to date, North Korea suddenly announced its self-developed Android phone... My friends and I are utterly astonished.
This phone is named Arirang, after a local folk song.
Considering North Korean phones can't be too advanced, I'll compare it with several budget Android phones.
Comparison participants: Huawei G520 Mobile Edition, Lenovo A288t Mobile Edition, Redmi Mobile Edition, HTC Desire V联通版.
Regarding network standards, price differences between different standards in domestic phones are generally minimal.
- Price & Appearance
| Model | G520 | A288t | Redmi | Desire V | Arirang |
| Size (inch) | 4.5 | 3.5 | 4.7 | 4.0 | 4.2 |
| Price (RMB) | 800 | 290 | 799 | 800 | Unknown |
The Arirang's size appears reasonably competitive.
- Network
| Model | G520 | A288t | Redmi | Desire V | Arirang |
| Network (2G) | GSM | GSM | GSM | GSM | CDMA |
| Network (3G) | TD-SCDMA | TD-SCDMA | TD-SCDMA | WCDMA | WCDMA |
Reliable sources indicate North Korea uses CDMA for 2G and has deployed WCDMA 3G networks. While Arirang aligns with national conditions, the CDMA+WCDMA combination is unprecedented.
- Features
First note: Kim Jong-un praised the Arirang's camera for its "high pixel count".
| Model | G520 | A288t | Redmi | Desire V | Arirang |
| WiFi | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| OS (Android) | 4.1 | 2.3 | 4.2 (MIUI v5) | 4.0 | 4.1 |
| Camera (MP) | 5 | 3.2 | 8 | 5 | 1.05 |
Yes, you read that right - Arirang's camera is 1.05 megapixels! Consequently, Chinese山寨 manufacturers have abandoned plans to clone it, as they simply can't produce phones with such "high" pixel counts. This demonstrates North Korea's world-leading intellectual property protection awareness...
It's said Kim Jong-un uses an HTC Butterfly with an 8MP camera. By comparison, Arirang's pixel count is truly "impressive"! So "impressive"!
Meanwhile, Nokia's marketing team should reflect - their latest Lumia 1020 boasts 41MP, 19 times Arirang's resolution, yet failed to inform Kim Jong-un!
- Performance
Despite national backwardness, Arirang breaks the mold with a quad-core processor! Quad-core! Quad-core! Quad-core!
| Model | G520 | A288t | Redmi | Desire V | Arirang |
| CPU (Cores×Freq) | 4×1.2G | 1×1.0G | 4×1.5G | 1×1.0G | 4×? |
| CPU Model | MediaTek MT6589 | Spreadtrum 8810 | MediaTek MT6589T | Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM7227A | ? |
As Qualcomm is American (trade-prohibited), Arirang's CPU must be Taiwan-made MediaTek. Given the quad-core spec, likely MT6589.
Thus, we mustn't underestimate North Korea! While their computers just entered dual-core era, phones leapfrog to quad-core! How embarrassing for us!
If Arirang were sold in China, estimated price would be around 600 RMB.