Struggle in Nigeria’s Smartphone market continues as Infinix pushes
Competition in the Nigeria’s Smartphone big market is unwavering as the big players try to stamp their dominance while new entrants such as Infinix Mobility and others are pushing with new devices.
Nigeria is the fastest growing market globally for Smartphones. It is said that the country accounts for 14 per cent of Smartphone market in Africa ahead of South Africa with 12 percent in the first quarter of this year.
According to a media report quoting a technology consulting firm, International Data Corporation (IDC), Nigeria and South Africa who are contributing significantly to the overall growth seen in Africa are experiencing year-on-year growth of 135 per cent and 56 per cent, respectively. A research by GfK in 2013 shows that as at 2012, Nigerians spent about N92 billion buying 1.82 million Smartphones, yet the market is thirsty of affordable Smartphones.
Samsung, Tecno and Apple were identified by IDC research as the leading Smartphone vendors in Africa during the first quarter, with Huawei being ousted from the top three. “The three leading vendors accounted for a combined 55 per cent share of Africa’s Smartphone shipments in the first quarter of 2015”.
Market disruptions
As seen in other technologies such laptops and cars, Smartphone market will not be an exception where disruptions are expected and perhaps it is already happening. The new and young players in the Nigerian market will, and are taking on the dominants with innovation, features and affordability and the table is expected to begin to upturn.
Infinix competes with innovations
Infinix Mobility, one of the global manufacturers of trendy smartphones is in a hurry to catch up any missed ground. The company, which made its debut in the Nigerian market in February, 2013, is already winning the hearts of the consumers with its range of products and creative consumer promotion. Within the first eight months of operations, the company launched a wide range of smartphones including Race Max Q, Bolt Q and x570 Alpha to the delight of the target market.
In August this year, the Hong Kong-based smartphone maker launched Infinix Hot 2 in Nigeria in collaboration with Google, MTN, Jumia. The phone comes with a 5.00-inch touchsceen display with a resolution of 720 pixels by 1280 pixels The Infinix Hot 2 is powered by 1.3GHz quad-core and it comes with 2GB of RAM.
Last week, it also launched the latest in its NOTE series, the Infinix NOTE 2. According to Seun Ajiboye, e-Commerce Manager, Infinix Mobility, the InfinixNOTE 2 was introduced to raise the bar in smartphone brands in Nigerian market.
He said: “Since we entered the Nigerian market three years ago, we have had positive response from customers and with the InfinixNOTE 2; we intend to raise the bar because it is one of our most advanced smartphones in terms of design and features”.
While listing the features of the NOTE 2, Ajiboye stated that the NOTE 2 comes with exciting specs customized for daily use.
“The Infinix NOTE 2 offers a bright and large 6.0 inchscreen with slim bezels that maximizes the space of the display.Its stunning HD 720 X1280 resolution display reproduces natural colors with deep contrast and the 6.0 inchscreen enhances productivity. With the Infinix NOTE 2, carrying out tasks such as emailing, writing down notes or even business Visio-conferences will be fun and easy to accomplish”.
He said NOTE 2 possesses an advanced 13 Mega pixel rear camera and an optimized 3P lens 2 Mega pixel front camera f/2.0 aperture. The rear camera features a Samsung S5K3M2 ISOCELL CMOS sensor and 5P lens with an f/2.0 sensor aperture offering a 78 degree shooting angle.
InfinixNOTE 2’s 4040mAh Li-polymer battery can last for up to 2 days achieving 80% efficiency for daily tasks. Additionally, the phone provides up to 30 hours talk time, 12 hours of video viewing, 45 hours of music listening and 10 hours of Internet experience.
With fast charging technology, Infinix NOTE 2 will definitely simplify and improve users’ life. While Infinix HOT NOTE provides a 20 min charging time for 7 hours performance, NOTE 2 improved fast charging feature by 50% offering a 15 min fast charge for 8 hours with a 4.5A current.
In its three years, Infinix Mobility has built a strong reputation in the Nigerian market and globally from the Middle East, Europe and South East Asia regions leveraging research, technology and innovations.
Nigerian market is hard to ignore in spite of some environmental challenges. This is perhaps what diplomats in Nigeria are telling their investors back home. Malaysian and other foreign investors received this message from their high commission in Nigeria not to ignore the opportunities provided by Nigeria, citing its huge population of 160 million and status as West Africa”s biggest economy.
There are other smartphone brands in Nigeria competing for space but only price, research, features and strength of the phones will distinguish them. Infinix understands this.
Daniel Obi