Lots of buzz over new smartphone battles

The newly introduced Samsung Galaxy S4 zoom, the first smartphone to offer 10x optical zoom, for perfect picture taking. It is a combination of the latest Samsung GalaxyY S4 smartphone with advanced photographic capabilities. The Samsung wave continued to dominate the mobile-phone market, a year after the Galaxy series was launched for middle-class consumers. PHOTO/FILE 

In Summary

• The smartphone became more affordable due to price wars as phone makers fought for revenues from growing demand for Internet-enabled mobile devices.
• Experts say 2014 will see manufacturers become more creative with their products to keep a hold on the market.
• The Samsung wave continued to dominate the mobile-phone market, a year after the Galaxy series was launched for middle-class consumers.

By John Njiru
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The Kenyan smartphone market 2013 witnessed increased activity as manufacturers fought to win the loyalty of demanding consumers with more suave gadgets.

The smartphone became more affordable due to price wars as phone makers fought for revenues from growing demand for Internet-enabled mobile devices.

Experts say 2014 will see manufacturers become more creative with their products to keep a hold on the market.

About 100,000 smartphones are sold monthly in Kenya.

The Samsung wave continued to dominate the mobile-phone market, a year after the Galaxy series was launched for middle-class consumers.

Beauty, awe and bulk

The South-Korean manufacturer also boasts of a widened range of products from Note 3 (Sh75,000) to Galaxy Pocket (Sh8,700).

A surprise contender for the prime market share is Nokia’s Windows phones—the Lumias—that have gained traction over the past few months.

Others like Huawei and LG employed beauty, awe and bulk to woo the market, while Sony and iPhone appealed to high-end consumers.

Still, consumers were able to sample products by new contenders like Mi-Phone and Tecno, who are using low pricing to gain market-share.

Growth Markets Survey 2013 by MEF Africa, says, 70 per cent of industry leaders in Kenya were optimistic about revenue growth in 2014.

Here are the smartphones that made a bold statement in Kenya in 2013:

Nokia Lumia 1020

It came rather late in the market (early this month), but the Lumia 1020 is a marvel—a digital camera that can make calls.

With a 41 mega-pixelled camera, which boasts of various apps like Nokia Pro Camera, Nokia Smart Cam and Bing Vision (for scanning barcodes, QR codes, books, DVDs and CDs), the gadget makes an experienced cameraman out of a novice.

The PureView technology by Nokia (partly Microsoft) supplements the Windows Phone operating system that defines the Lumia series.

The retail price is Sh80,000.

HTC One

The HTC One is a beautiful smartphone. Introduced in February, it exudes elegance and sophistication.

At Sh65,000 the consumer can sample the 4.7-inch Android phone. 

Overall, the design and construction of HTC One makes one disregard any imperfections it may have.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3

Built with an aim of outdoing laptops, Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is one of the world’s most powerful smartphones.

Introduced to Kenya in mid-October, Note 3 is undeniably innovative and classy.

Accompanied with Galaxy Gear smart watch (another innovative but superfluous product) it targets high-end consumers.

It has a 5.7-inch display for video-conferencing, data input, games and movies.

For Sh75,000 one can also enjoy the bliss of playing with a stylus (S Pen function) on the super-clear (1920 x 1080 pixel resolution) screen.

Sony Xperia Z1

Another cameraphone, the Sony hosts a 20.7 megapixel camera on its flagship product. Running on Android OS, the Sony Xperia Z1 is a 5-inch water-resistant gadget. The smartphone has an impressive spec sheet and is retailing at Sh65,000.

Samsung Galaxy S4

This is the improved version of S3, a Sh74,000 product that can be controlled by one’s eyes. If you look away while watching a video, it pauses until you stare at the screen again.

With impressive colours on its 5-inch screen, the consumer is rewarded with a more rounded phone.

Huawei Ascend P6

Huawei Technologies proved that Chinese manufacturers can infuse finesse and substance to one of the slimmest phones in the world, the P6.

The miniature Ascend Mate, the P6 exudes class and beauty. It costs about Sh42,000.

LG G2

This is the first smartphone in East Africa to retail without side buttons.

A variant of LG’s G-series, the G2’s operating buttons—volume and power—are at the rear.

And like the HTC One, the G2 has dashing colours on its 5.2-inch screen.

The device is retailing at about Sh60,000 and targets mainly corporate executives and large consumers of data.