Nokia has launched the new Windows 8-powered Lumia 520 and Lumia 720 in Kenya, expressing a desire to tap into the high demand for smartphones in the region.
The Nokia Lumia 520 will retail for KSh15,999 (US$190), while the Lumia 720 is available for KSh28,999 (US$350).
“The adoption of smartphones is growing rapidly in East Africa, especially in Kenya,” said Bruce Howe, general manager at Nokia East Africa. “This is growth is being largely driven by the affordable smartphone segment,and we are pleased to add the Nokia Lumia 520 to our range.”
Both phones have the HERE suite of applications which include HERE Maps and HERE Drive with turn-to-turn navigation. They come in different colours and have multitasking options allowing them to keep ten applications running.
Nokia and Microsoft have built a Windows ecosystem, while available for both phones exclusively is the “Apps4Afrika” collection, providing more local content to the market.
HumanIPO reported earlier this month Nokia investors had told chief executive officer (CEO) Stephen Elop they were losing patience with his current tactics for challenging Apple and Samsung in the smartphone market.
Many shareholders used the Nokia annual general meeting (AGM) to tell Elop his 2011 decision to switch to the Microsoft operating platform should be reversed.
