Android One Extends Its Reach To Africa with $87 Infinix Hot 2

Hot on the heels of our recent posts discussing Google’s questionable Android One strategies, it’s been announced that the initiative has now spread to Africa with the launch of the Infinix Hot 2.

The Hot 2 will be available within physical stores in Nigeria, and in online stores in Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, and Morocco, which should go at least some way to mollifying those that complained about Android One’s initial limitation to internet marketplaces when it was launched in India in September last year. The new smartphone comes in two versions and is also priced very aggressively at 17,500 NGN and 19,500 NGN, or roughly $87 and $97 , and comes not only with the latest version of Lollipop, but with a guaranteed upgrade to Android 6.0 Marshmallow when it’s available. These updates come over-the-air courtesy of local network MTN, so unfortunately there’s no indication if that will slow the process, but given the philosophy of the program, one would hope not.

The new handset comes with a 5″ 720p display, 1 or 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage and a MediaTek quad-core 1.3GHz processor, all powered by a 2200mAh battery. Other details are a little vague, with an 8MP camera module on the rear and a 2MP front-facer mentioned, along with WiFi, Bluetooth and SD card support, although the latter is limited to only 32GB. Google is trying to push the contract value however, with MTN offering a 12-month contract of 1GB per month for 500 NGN, a frankly ridiculous $2.5o.

Lastly, the Mountain View giant has announced that it’ll be bringing offline YouTube access to Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, and Egypt over the next few months, to encourage usage of their services in areas where reception and mobile internet is poor. However, of course, consumers will need to be able to download a video and store it in the first place, and then be in a position to watch it within the mandatory 48-hour limit. We’ll have to wait and see how well the device sells, but there is no question that this is a competitive device, and a positive move from Google.

 

What do you think of the Infinix Hot 2, and what are Google’s chances of success in Africa?

Let us know in the comments!

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