Samsung Anycall SGH-N288 (Samsung SGH-N200 outside the Greater China market), released in 2001, was considered the second lightest mobile phones in the world at the time —— it only weighs 69g and it was really slim at that time. Born in the era of monochrome screen, it's only a flip-cover mobile phone WITHOUT melody ringtones, GPRS and Java. But it still includes a built-in WAP 1.1 browser from Phone.com which could be only used through a 14.4 kbps CSD modem, and it's preloaded with about 10 kinds of games. It even supports the primitive voice control. 

SGH-N288/SGH-N200 seemed to be officially released in Asian markets (including Greater China, Southeast Asia and South Asia) ONLY. It was even a bit more expensive than Ericsson T39 in 2001, though T39 is stronger in features —— T39 has GPRS and Bluetooth support. But SGH-N200 was not officially promoted to the European market —— the "heart" of GSM world. I even found some SGH-N288 with Chinese Anycall logo… on some European online shopping platforms.

Turning our attention back to the Chinese market: before the end of 2002, unlike Western mobile phone brands such as Nokia, Motorola, and Ericsson—which had established manufacturing facilities in China—Samsung Electronics imported its mobile phones directly from South Korea. As a result, import duties had to be paid, making officially sold Samsung phones relatively expensive.

However, Kejian(科健) Corporation, based in Shenzhen and originating from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, began a technical cooperation partnership with Samsung Electronics in 1999. Between 1999 and 2005, roughly half of Kejian’s mobile phone models were derived from Samsung designs. Some of these models featured redesigned exteriors, while others retained Samsung’s original appearance. Most products carried only the Kejian branding, but certain models were co-branded with both Kejian and Samsung logos. The cooperation with Samsung Electronics once made Kejian one of the most well-known mobile phone brands in China. In July 2002, Kejian even sponsored the English Premier League club Everton F.C., and helped facilitate the transfers of Chinese players Li Tie (李鐵) and Li Weifeng (李瑋峰) to play in the Premier League.

This model, the Kejian K98—also released in 2001—is essentially a redesigned version of the Samsung Anycall SGH-N288, with changes to the casing, keypad, and other exterior elements. Although its appearance differs from the SGH-N288 and it does not carry the Samsung Anycall logo, in actual use it is effectively identical to the SGH-N288.

According to the December 2001 issue of *Digital Communication（《數字通信》）* magazine, the Samsung Anycall SGH-N288 was priced at around 3,000 RMB at the time, whereas the Kejian K98 was sold for only 2,800 RMB—about 200 RMB cheaper.

The earliest N288/K98 units used a green backlight display, but this was soon replaced with a blue backlight. There are also some differences in the battery compartment label format between early and later versions of the K98. I purchased the later version instead of the early one—the blue backlight is just too cool! (The pictures of original SGH-N288 and earlier version of K98 for comparison are just archive photos. I didn't purchase those)

However, Kejian encountered financial difficulties in 2005, with its capital chain breaking down. After that, its self-branded mobile phones lost their technical ties with Samsung, and by 2007, Kejian-branded phones had completely disappeared from the market. Kejian also once manufactured Samsung-branded CDMA phones for the Chinese and other Asia-Pacific markets through its joint venture with Samsung Electronics (starting from 2002). However, after 2008, production of most new models was shifted to Samsung’s wholly owned factory in Huizhou. In 2013, the Samsung–Kejian joint venture in Shenzhen was officially shut down. In recent years, smartphones bearing the "Kejian" name have reappeared on the market. However, they are no longer produced by the original company and are essentially low-end devices of poor build quality.

Back to this Kejian K98—if I ever travel to a place where GSM networks are still available (whether in China or abroad), I would definitely bring it along and try making a call. That blue-backlit monochrome screen is a nostalgic memory from my kindergarten days.



Kejian K98: A Rebadged Samsung Anycall SGH-N288, without a name of Samsung