The first low-cost smartphone targeted specifically at the Africa region will launch in the first quarter of 2013. Manufactured by Huawei and running on the Windows Phone 8 operating system, the new device – known as the ‘4Afrika’ – is an attempt by the two firms to spur smartphone adoption across the continent.
The 4Afrika smartphone will cost around US$150, and is initially launching in seven markets – Angola, Egypt, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria and South Africa. The model is adapted from Huawei’s new Ascend W1, which only launched in January this year. It boasts such features as a 4-inch screen with 480x800 resolution, dual-core 1.2 GHz Snapdragon processor and 4GB of onboard memory.
The device will use a bespoke app store featuring applications developed “by Africans for Africans.” It is being launched in conjunction with a larger Microsoft project which also carries the 4Afrika branding, and is intended to augment the already strong presence of the Windows Phone OS in the continent.
