Microsoft eyes emerging markets with new low-end Lumia phones

Microsoft has recently added to its growing portfolio of low-budget phones with the Lumia 435 and Lumia 532 released two weeks ago.

Both devices, which the firm claims are its most affordable yet, are running on Windows Phone 8.1 and have been priced at $81 (Sh7,290) for the Lumia 435 and $93 (Sh8,370) for the Lumia 532. The Kenyan market price may, however, differ once the phones start retailing locally.

The two devices are targeted at consumers who wish to shift from feature phones to smartphones but are not willing or able to spend large amounts of money for the switch.

“When we launched the first Lumia devices over three years ago, we said we were committed to bringing devices to as many people and price points as possible,” said Jo Harlow, corporate vice president for phones at Microsoft.

Lumia 532 is quad-core smartphone and a successor to the Lumia 530. It comes with a layered design, glance screen, front-facing camera and a higher memory of 1GB RAM and 8GB internal memory. It allows users to switch between voice and video calls with built-in Skype integration and a front-facing camera.

The phone also comes with the full suite of Microsoft Office for Windows phones preinstalled so users can read, review, edit and share on the go.

Users will have access to 30 GB of free OneDrive cloud storage for photos, videos and Office documents safely backed up.

The device comes with Cortana, a virtual assistant, who anticipates your needs and makes tailored suggestions as a result.
It has a five megapixel camera with a VGA secondary camera.

The display is four inches and one has the option of a single or dual SIM phone. To enhance the camera experience, one can download Lumia geared camera apps from the store. The Lumia Denim update allows a personalisation of the home screen.

The Lumia 435 has a four inch display with a two megapixel camera and a VGA secondary camera. It has GSM and WCDMA capability and comes with a 1.2GHZ Qualcomm snapdragon processor. The display is 800 by 400 pixels.

Lumia 435 and Lumia 532 will begin rolling out to key markets in Europe, APAC and IMEA in February. They will be available in bright green, bright orange, white and black, with the dual-SIM phones coming equipped with Smart Dual SIM to easily manage calls and texts to either number in use.

The launch of the phones comes at a time when the race for the Kenyan consumer has been stepped up with the entry of Obi and Wiko phones in the last three months.

Obi Mobiles plans to sell its seven smartphone brands in Kenya and East Africa as a point of entry to the rest of Africa. The phones will retail at between Sh4,700 and Sh28,000.

A report by Standard Chartered Plc and UK-based global research consultancy Globescan says more middle class Kenyans will first buy devices (75 per cent) as personal wealth increases over the next five years. The report released last year showed that out of the respondents, 92 per cent said use of technology had made their lives easier, while 85 per cent said access to technology was important for Kenya’s development.

Ultimately, Microsoft hopes that most customers – perhaps a year or two down the line – will upgrade to a smartphone like the Lumia 435 or Lumia 532.

While the Nokia name remains strong in regions such as Africa and India, Microsoft is working to create a single family that starts with the Nokia line and moves up to the Microsoft Lumia line, making it the logical next purchase for consumers.

Microsoft faces a significant challenge from an army of regional and local players offering affordable Android phones including Motorola, Xiaomi, ZTE and Huawei.

Microsoft believes its budget phone experience is superior because the Lumia devices come with Microsoft services, and can be upgraded with the latest operating system, something that doesn’t always happen with Android.

Windows Phone also offers tighter integration with apps such as Office Word and Excel, as well as its virtual personal assistant Cortana.