Safaricom head of retail Janet Atika (left), model Perpetual Kerubo and Huawei deputy CEO Wang Chao during the launch of the Huawei Ascend P6 in Nairobi on Tuesday. DIANA NGILA
Huawei Ascend P6 is the latest flagship smartphone from the Chinese firm that is aiming for a piece of the pie in a market currently dominated by Samsung and Nokia.
Huawei unveiled the P6 in the Kenya market last Tuesday, four months after its global launch, placing emphasis on its ultra-thin design and customised Android OS .
The Android–based handset which is only 6.18 mm and weighs around 120 grammes is a successor of the Ascend PI and P2 and is currently available at all Safaricom retail shops.
It features Google’s operating system, Android 4.2.2, that has already captured the market for smartphones in the world.
When it comes to consumer-focused phones, things take one of two directions: dull and functional, or pretty and powerful.
The Huawei P6 falls into the latter category. It’s a phone that takes design cues from the iPhone, with a metal bezel around the outside, and a white case that gleams with the sort of brightness you’d expect from a brand new spaceship.
It also boasts features such as Quad Core Processor that makes it quite fast, a 4.7 inch screen and Emotional User Interface which adjusts the phone according to the time, weather and location.
The Ascend P6 has a camera on the front and the back. The 8MP rear camera has a large 2.0 aperture, designed to capture more light, giving you bright clear photos even in dim conditions.
Like your close ups? The sensor is built to allow you to focus just a few centimetres from objects. Looking to shoot video? You can shoot and playback in 1080p HD whenever you want.
If you’re an avid social networker and want to take the best pictures of yourself and your friends, the 5MP front facing camera on the P6 is just what you need. It will make for great video calls too.
Price offer
Safaricom gave an introductory offer price of Sh39, 999 and a 1.5 GB Internet bundle for the first 400 handsets, after which other buyers will have to pay the recommended retail price of Sh41, 999.
The retail price of P6 is Sh500 lower than its predecessors’— the P1 and P2.
The gadget was unveiled in the country just three months after its debut in June this year, making it the latest model in the world after Samsung galaxy S4—introduced in March—and IPhone 5c and 5s which debuted last month.
“Our smartphones are reasonably priced, yet they offer the latest technology and high quality performance,” said Huawei Kenya Chief Executive Wind Li, who vowed to continue dominating the country’s mobile phones market.
Mr Li said his company was focused on bridging the digital divide by creating viable avenues that will support the country’s efforts toward digital transformation.
Kenya has many lower-end users who only make calls and send text messages, but its young and tech-savvy population is buying higher-end handsets.
Janet Atika, head of retail sales at Safaricom, said the firm would increase the number of smartphones on its network to drive data sales.
Data from consumer research firm GfK shows that about 366,000 smartphones were sold in Kenya in the six months to November 2012, accounting for 16 per cent of total handset sales, which stood at 2.3 million.
Nokia is still the market leader with about 43 per cent of the market, selling about 1.7 million devices in Kenya in the 11 months to November last year.
Samsung accounts for a fifth or about 780,000 devices sold last year followed by Chinese brand Tecno at 16 per cent.
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