Tech: Infinix launches new phone-sale model

Mobile phone manufacturer Infinix has introduced a new distribution model to grow its presence in the country’s growing smartphone market. The Hong Kong-based company has introduced the new Infinix Hot Note x551, which it will sell to consumers online, saving on massive distribution charges.

The factory-to-consumer model will see the smartphone retail at an introductory price of Sh9,999 exclusively through Jumia’s website.

The move by Infinix is the latest in a slew of marketing and promotional strategies being used by smartphone makers to claw some market share from more established phone makers Samsung and Nokia.

Despite the country’s impressive mobile phone penetration, which stands at 80 per cent, according to data from the Communications Authority of Kenya, the uptake of smartphones is much lower.

Industry data indicate about one in four phone users in Kenya has a smartphones. It is the remaining 75 per cent of the market still on feature phones that smartphone vendors are keen to entice.

The Infinix Hot Note has a metallic finish and 5.5-inch HD display. It runs on the Android 4.4.2 (KitKat) operating system and is powered by a 1.4 GHz mediatek Octacore processor. Further, it has 16GB of internal memory, and an 8MP back-facing camera and 2MP front-facing camera.