Last week, Safaricom unveiled the most affordable Android Go smartphone in Kenya, the Neon Kicka 4, as part of the “Maisha Ni Digital” campaign to increase smartphone uptake among Kenya’s feature phone users. This three-month campaign will see the company offer affordable 3G devices, convenient payment terms and personalized data offers.
Safaricom hopes to give at least 10 million Kenyans Access to internet through their mobile devices through the “Maisha Ni Digital” campaign. One of the devices the company is offering is the Neon Kicka 4 which is an Android Go smartphone that will retail at Ksh 3,499. This makes it the cheapest Android Go smartphone that you can get in Kenya at the moment.
For those who may not be aware, Android Go is the same version of Android but is tweaked to work with devices with between 512 and 1GB of RAM. These devices are meant for emerging markets where users can benefit from access to the internet but do not have money to spend on expensive devices and are thus forced to stick with feature phones or entry level smartphones that do not offer the best in terms of performance.
Speaking about this partnership, Mahir Sahin, Director – Africa Android Partnerships, Google said, “Android’s mission is to bring the power of computing to everyone, and part of that is ensuring a great experience across the broadest range of devices. The Neon Kicka 4 gives millions of people the opportunity to connect to the Internet for the first time via an affordable mobile device.”
“Safaricom’s purpose is to transform lives, and we want to do this by connecting people to people, people to knowledge and people to opportunities through our latest campaign,” said Charles Wanjohi, Interim Director –Consumer Business Unit, Safaricom.
“As smartphone usage and share of Internet traffic from mobile phones grows in Kenya, we are witnessing a marked difference in income generated by those with Internet-enabled devices compared to those without. Vendors have been able to increase their customer bases by leveraging online marketplaces, and bodaboda riders are taking advantage of the online taxi or delivery services and mobile applications to increase their income, two examples that highlight the power of the Internet,” said Mr. Wanjohi.
Safaricom Neon Kicka 4 Availability
For those interested in the Neon Kicka 4, you can get it from Safaricom shops countrywide and online through Masoko. You can get the device through a layby payment scheme that will allow payment in instalments over a three-month period.
Every device that you buy will come with 500MB of data during the first month, after which customers can unlock 500MB in each of the next five months upon purchase of a data bundle worth KES 50 or more.
Neon Kicka 4 Specifications
Below are some of the Safaricom Neon Kicka 4 Specifications
Display Size: 4 inches
Processor: 1.3 GHz Quad-core MediaTek processor
RAM: 512 MB
Storage Space: 4 GB, can be expanded up to 32GB using a microSD card
Android Version: Android 8.1 Oreo (Go Edition)
Connectivity: 2G/3G
Camera: 2 MP Camera at the back with a 0.3 MP front facing one
Battery: 1500 mAh removable battery
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