The Long-Awaited “Made in Kenya” Smartphones Fall Short of Expectations

For several months, Kenyans had been eagerly anticipating affordable “Made in Kenya” smartphones, with a promised price of $40 by the government.

However, the recent launch of the East Africa Device Assembly Kenya (EADAK) by the President revealed a different reality.

The first batch of smartphones assembled at the facility, while not locally manufactured, carried the NEON branding.

These devices, known as NEON Ultra and NEON Smarta, were already familiar to the market, and they were priced slightly higher than the $40 promised, with the Smarta at KES 8,000 and the Ultra at KES 11,500.

The NEON brand’s ownership, long associated with Safaricom due to their sales of NEON devices, has taken a surprising turn. It appears that the 4G-only network Faiba Mobile will also be selling these locally assembled NEON Ultra and NEON Smarta devices.

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Safaricom had previously sold rebranded NEON devices, with the initial batches being smartphones sold by Vodafone in other markets.

This association was logical given the close relationship between Safaricom and Vodafone. Some examples of these devices include the Neon Sky, Neon Tablet, and Neon Pulse.

The Safaricom Neon Kicka 4, which gained immense popularity, further solidified the belief that NEON equaled Safaricom.

The shift in perception, with other telcos like Faiba entering the NEON device market, marks a significant change in mindset.

It is possible that the first batch of NEON Ultra and NEON Smarta phones was not locally assembled, and the new batch, launched recently, might be different.

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There is speculation that Safaricom may have invested in the local assembly plant and is now selling its devices to other telcos, potentially generating profits.

At the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Kigali, Safaricom’s stand mentioned device assembly. A statement from KBC indicates that the assembly plant is a collaboration between local mobile network operators and international device manufacturers, with a projected monthly production of around 210,000 units, as stated by CS Owalo at the MWC.

Key Information about Faiba Mobile’s NEON Ultra and NEON Smarta:

One of the main attractions of acquiring the NEON Ultra and Neon Smarta through Faiba Mobile is the free data included. Purchasing either device provides 65GB of free data worth KES 2,000, presumably applicable to new Faiba lines when activated.

The NEON Smarta features a 5-inch display, a 3000mAh battery, a 5MP rear camera, a 2MP front camera, 2GB RAM, and 32GB storage. It supports 4G networks but is locked to Faiba or Safaricom networks, depending on the source. It is a dual SIM phone.

The NEON Ultra, when obtained from Faiba, is not network-locked. It features an 8MP rear camera, a 5MP front camera, a 3750mAh battery, 2GB RAM, and 32GB storage.

Information about the processors used in each device, the specific Android versions, and the duration of software support is currently unavailable.