Microsoft drops Nokia brand in latest Lumia

Microsoft Lumia

Microsoft yesterday launched the first Microsoft Lumia mobile device in Kenya, marking the end of an era for the Nokia brand which was at one point the biggest phone brand in the country.

Coming barely three weeks after its global launch, the Microsoft Lumia 535 phone is the first Microsoft-branded device since the company was acquired by Microsoft earlier this year. The Microsoft Lumia 535 is a Dual Sim phone that targets mobile phone users who are yet to make the change from feature phones to smart phones.

“Many people, especially the younger audience, aspire to own the latest flagship smartphone but often don’t have the means to get it,” says Mariam Abdullahi, General Manager of Microsoft Mobile Device Sales in East Africa. “This new device comes at an unbeatable price point and carries premium features including the Windows Phone 8.1 operating system which we believe will make for a very attractive offering,” she said.

Market leader

Data from the latest report by industry regulator - the Communications Authority of Kenya - indicates that Kenya has more than 30 million mobile phone subscribers. Out of these however, smart phone penetration still remains low at less than 20 per cent, indicating the bulk of mobile users still rely on feature phones.

In the late nineties and early 2000s, the Nokia brand dominated Kenya’s mobile phone industry with strong devices like the Nokia 3310, Nokia 1100 and the Symbian operated Nokia N series of smartphones.

However, in the last decade brands like Samsung, Huawei and Tecno have leapfrogged the once market leader, forcing Nokia to reposition itself in order to regain lost ground.

The Microsoft Lumia 535 Dual Sim has a Sh13,800 recommended retail price and runs on Windows Phone 8.1.

Microsoft has partnered with mobile service provider Orange to offer the mobile phone at a 40 per cent introductory discount price.