MTN, Infinix launch first Android One smartphone in Africa

With Android One, Google controls the development, design, and marketing of the devices, while leaving the building to partner manufacturers in each country.

Almost one year ago, Google introduced the Android One program in India. Android One devices actually get updates directly from Google, so you won’t find any bloatware installed on them or anything of the sort. Google’s managing director for India and Southeast Asia Rajan Anandan, recently revealed the company’s plans to revive the project by launching even more affordable handsets, and is reportedly working on a sub-$50 device for the Indian market.

The phone announced on Tuesday is made by Infinix and will cost about Dollars 87 It will be sold in stores in Nigeria and offered by online retailer Jumia in five other countries-Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya and Morocco. Today, six African countries – with combined populations of 379 million people – join the ten countries where partners have already released Android One phones. Its main features include dual SIM support, which is popular with consumers in emerging markets, front and rear cameras, FM radio, 16 GB of internal storage, microSD card slot, and 1 GB of RAM for the base version – a “premium” version doubles that capacity, giving users 2 GB of RAM to play with. The Infinix Hot 2 has been touted as #TheHottestOne by Jumia, Infinix and MTN for weeks now and with the latest revelation that it will run on Google’s Android One OS, it is easy to see where all the excitement and hype was emanating from. The HOT 2 will launch in Nigeria today at a recommended price of ₦17,500, or around $88 Dollars. Keep in mind that this is a 1GB model of the smartphone, we still don’t know how much will the 2GB one cost.

The Infinix HOT 2 rocks a 5-inch display with a resolution of 1280 x 720. 1 (Lollipop) and will be getting Android Marshmallow when it is finally available.