Chinese smartphone maker targets Kenya’s middle class
The smartphones market in Kenya is growing at a steady rate. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
Gionee Communication Equipment will be shipping in its high-end flagship Gionee S6S brand targeting professionals and businesspeople.
The local Gionee S6S price is to be announced in the next three weeks — but the smartphone retails at about Sh40,000 in India.
Chinese smartphone maker Gionee Communication Equipment has launched its flagship smartphones in the Kenyan market, widening the range of products for buyers.
Ranked among the top 10 smartphone brands worldwide with 30 million handsets sold in 2015, the company will be shipping in its high-end flagship Gionee S6S brand targeting professionals and businesspeople.
The local Gionee S6S price is to be announced in the next three weeks — but the smartphone retails at about Sh40,000 in India.
“The smartphones market in Kenya is growing at a steady rate and Gionee is coming in with an eye on getting a bigger share of this market,” said the marketing director of Kilimall, Larry Liu.
Kilimall will be the regional distributor of the brand through its website.
This comes barely a month after Chinese tech firm Huawei Technologies launched its latest high-end phone in the Kenyan market targeting photo enthusiasts.
The Sh55,000 Huawei P9 has dual lenses at the back camera for sharper pictures. The Gionee S6S, launched in India mid-June, has a unibody metal design and fingerprint sensor and is expected to battle for market share in Kenya with leading smartphone brands like iPhone and Samsung.
Gionee has a big market share in China and India. It sells about 60,000 units monthly according to the company’s data. It is also making inroads in Nigeria with about 20,000 handsets sold per month.
The metallic smartphone has a 3130mAh battery, which delivers up to 39 hours of talk-time and standby time of up to 558 hours. It also has an extreme mode, which increases the standby battery time to 33hrs at 10 per cent battery.
The Gionee S6S will be followed immediately by the Gionee P5W and F103 Pro targeted at young people and the middle market at about Sh9,000.
Gionee hopes to replicate its success in India, Europe and China.
“The phone boasts long battery life, making it ideal for business people who run mail and other message on their phones.”
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