You may not have heard about it yet but KaiOS is one of the new operating systems for smart feature phones. It’s not really an Android competitor and you should not be comparing the two at this point, let’s see how it grows before we start the comparisons.
Since this OS is made for feature phones, it is pretty basic but has a target market. The feature phone market is massive especially in developing countries such as Kenya. Not everyone can afford a smartphone and even though their prices have been coming down, not everyone is able to get one yet.
With the gap that is there, KaiOS hopes to fill that with its devices. So far, there have been 12 devices running KaiOS (the list of all the devices is at the end of this post). Most of those devices are not available in Kenya but you can find them in other developing markets. For our local market, we need the manufacturers who have focused on this region to adopt KaiOS for us to see most of these devices locally.
Tecno is one such manufacturer and the company has just announced its first device running KaiOS. This device is the Tecno T901 and has just been announced and is not yet available in Kenya in case you were wondering. I am not sure when or if it will even get here, will update once I have that information.
“With the arrival of T901 powered by KaiOS, users gain access to apps such as WhatsApp, YouTube, Google Maps, and others on an affordable TECNO smart feature phone for the first time. The phone also supports GPS, Wi-Fi, and 3G, with significant network speed growth and better anti-signal interference performance as well as faster signal reception in call mode than those in 2G. T901 also comes equipped with the Google Assistant, allowing users to operate the device with their voice. With all these features, TECNO is practicing our commitment to allowing the consumers to reach beyond their current limitations and uncover a world of possibilities.” says Stephen Ha, Managing Director of TECNO Mobile.
For a feature phone, the T901 sounds like a good deal and it is. We do not have its exact price but it should not be expensive or that will make it irrelevant. The phone comes with a 2.4-inch display with a resolution of 240×320 pixels. It has 512MB of internal storage space that can be expanded further using a MicroSD card.
For the battery, the phone comes with a 1900 mAh unit that should be good enough given that it is a feature phone. The phone is available in gold, blue and black.
Here are some of the other KaiOS devices:
- Alcatel Go Flip 2
- Cat B35
- Doro 7050 and 7060
- JioPhone (Reliance Jio)
- JioPhone 2 (Reliance Jio)
- MaxCom 241
- MTN Smart
- Multilaser ZAPP
- Nokia 8110 (HMD Global)
- Orange Sanza
- Positivo P70S
- WizPhone WP006
Now Read: WhatsApp For Kai OS Can Now Be Downloaded through the KaiStore