Siemens Mobile
| Company type | Division |
|---|---|
| Industry | Mobile phones |
| Founded | 1985 |
| Founder | Siemens AG |
| Defunct | 2005 |
| Fate | Sold to BenQ, becoming BenQ-Siemens |
| Successor | BenQ-Siemens, later Gigaset |
| Headquarters | Germany , Germany |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Mobile phones |
| Owner | Siemens AG (until 2005) |
| Parent | Siemens AG |
Siemens Mobile functioned as a German mobile phone manufacturer and operated as a division under Siemens AG. In 2005, the division was sold to the Taiwanese company BenQ, resulting in the creation of BenQ-Siemens, which was eventually followed by Gigaset. The final Siemens-branded handsets—the AL21, A31, and AF51—were introduced in November 2005.
History
The company's initial mobile phone, the C1, was launched in 1985. Siemens entered the GSM arena with the 1994 debut of the Siemens S1. In 1997, the firm unveiled the first handset featuring a color display, the Siemens S10, alongside its rugged variant, the S10 Active. The inaugural slider model, the Siemens SL10, appeared in 1999.
In 2000, Siemens expanded by acquiring Bosch’s mobile division and released the SL45, one of the pioneering phones equipped with an MP3 player and support for external memory via MultiMediaCard.
The introduction of the Symbian OS-based Siemens SX1 in 2003 included hot-swappable MultiMediaCard functionality. That same year marked the launch of the fashion-oriented Xelibri series. Siemens’ first handset with built-in real-time GPS, the SXG75, was released in 2005.
By the third quarter of 2000, Siemens commanded an 8.6% share of the global handset market, ranking behind Ericsson, Motorola, and Nokia. The company maintained fourth place with an 8.5% share in 2003 but saw a decline to 7.2% in 2004 amid substantial financial losses and reduced sales. By early 2005, market share further decreased to 5.6%, placing Siemens behind competitors such as LG and Sony Ericsson. The Xelibri collection did not achieve commercial success and contributed to ongoing financial difficulties.
On 7 June 2005, Taiwanese corporation BenQ acquired Siemens Mobile along with an exclusive five-year license to use the Siemens brand on mobile devices. Before this transition, Siemens invested €250 million into the division and wrote down €100 million worth of assets. Additionally, Siemens obtained a 2.5% equity stake in BenQ for €50 million. BenQ continued releasing devices under the BenQ-Siemens name from its German branch until that subsidiary declared bankruptcy in 2006.
Subsequently, Siemens resumed manufacturing mobile phones under the Gigaset brand.
Series Structure
Siemens categorized its mobile phones into series based on target market segments:
- A series: budget-friendly models with essential features.
- C series: mid-tier handsets.
- M series: ruggedized phones meeting military specifications for outdoor environments.
- S series: premium flagship devices.
- U series: UMTS-capable phones introduced from 2003 onward, developed by Motorola Mobility and rebranded as Siemens products.
Additional letters within model names signify specific characteristics:
- xF: phones designed for use with cradles
- xL: slider-style handsets (notable exceptions include SL45 and CL75)
- xX: models equipped with advanced functionalities
- xK: devices featuring full QWERTY keyboards (for example, SK65)
Within each series classification, the first numeral (ranging from 1 to 9) represents feature sophistication level, while the second numeral indicates the generation of the phone model.
Product lineup
- Siemens A31, A35, A36, A40 series
- Siemens A50: a well-known model sharing hardware architecture with the C45; firmware updates enable upgrades
- Siemens A51, A52 (monochrome, GSM 900/1800), A53, A55 (monochrome with GPRS), A56 (GSM 850/1900), A56i, A57, A60, A62, and A65 (triband with CSTN display)
- Siemens A70: the final model featuring a monochrome screen; supports triband frequencies
- Siemens AL21 Hello Kitty edition (TFT display without camera)
- Siemens AX72 and AX75 (compatible with external camera modules)
- Siemens C1 through C75 series, including popular variants like C45 and C55 (monochrome with GPRS capability)
- Siemens CF62, CF65, CF75; CF110 models equipped with TFT displays but lacking cameras
- Siemens CFX65: the inaugural clamshell phone featuring a VGA camera and integrated torchlight
- Siemens CL50 (developed by Arista), CL55 (produced by LG Electronics), and CL75 series
- Siemens CX65 to CX75 range: equipped with TFT screens, VGA cameras, and IRDA connectivity
- Siemens M30 and M35i: highly favored for outdoor usage; also includes M55 and M56 versions
- Siemens M65 and M75 series; MC60 and ME45; ME75 built upon the C75 platform
- Siemens P1; S1 through S75 series including S10/S11 models recognized as the first phones with color displays worldwide
- Siemens SF65 co-created with Philips; SFG75 developed in collaboration with BenQ
- Siemens SK65 series co-developed incorporating BlackBerry OS features
- Siemens SL10: the pioneering sliding phone featuring a four-color screen
- Siemens SL42 through SL80 lineup including SL45/SL45i (the first handset with MP3 playback) and SL65 slider equipped with VGA camera
- Siemens ST55 and ST60 (developed by Arista for carriers such as T-Mobile)
- Siemens SX1: the sole smartphone internally developed running Symbian OS
- Siemens SX45, SX56, SX66 designed by HTC operating on Windows Mobile platforms
- Siemens SXG75: the initial device featuring BrewOS along with integrated GPS technology from Qualcomm
- Concept devices SXX75 showcasing a full touchscreen slider design on BrewOS platform
- UMTS handsets U10 and U15 created by Motorola Mobility utilizing Moto Linux OS
- Xelibri fashion phone collection ranging from X1 to X8
This assortment demonstrates Siemens' broad spectrum of offerings aimed at various consumer segments, spanning from entry-level to high-end smartphones.
Sponsorships
Siemens Mobile served as a sponsor for several football teams including Cruzeiro in 2004, Real Madrid between 2002 and 2005, Olympiacos from 2000 to 2005, Lazio during 2000–2003, and Bordeaux spanning 2000 to 2004.