In a bid to address the barrier of cost of smartphones in Africa and their limited battery life, African mobile phone company Mi-Fone has launched the Mi3000 model — the first-ever “smart feature phone” with a 60-day battery standby time and EDGE connectivity.
Mi-Fone’s strategy is to make available the latest technology at affordable prices, while at the same time not compromising on quality.
Commenting on the new entrant in the market, Mi-Fone chief CEO Alpesh Patel said the Mi 3000 has the upper hand of long battery life, which is one of the greatest challenges for most competing brands.
The Mi 3000 handset boasts beautiful candy bar design with a large 2.8 -inch Touch screen and keypad. It also comes with Mi-Apps with some free downloadable content, and Opera Mini as default browser.
Other features include phone directory up to 1000 contacts, 1Gb Flash, 256 Mb RAM and a battery stand by time of up to 60 days.
It’s a smart feature phone in that it is very similar to some of the Android smartphones Mi-Fone sells but at a lower price point.
The Mi3000 is a smart feature phone in that it is very similar to an Android smartphone but at lower price points.
“We all need to communicate, and having a handset that keeps us communicating addresses a crucial need among our customers,” Patel said.
He added that consumers are using their device to access the internet and applications, which quickly drains battery life. The Mi3000 addresses these concerns in a cost effective manner.
Mi-Fone has already differentiated itself from other low-cost handset manufacturers with its focus on music, local talent and its new “Mi-Apps Java” store. This will be instrumental in linking the acquisition of local music in capturing revenue streams, which are often lost to piracy.
The Mi 3000 also comes packed with the following features: 2.75G, Dual SIM, 2.8” Color display, Talk up to 15 hrs, 2MP Camera, Bluetooth and Support Memory Card.
Established in April 2008, Mi-Fone has sold over 1.3 million units and is shipping to 12 African countries including Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ghana, Senegal, South Africa, DRC, and Mauritius.
