Smartphones, most especially Android smartphones have taken all the shine off every other communication device. And it has gotten to a level where we no longer pay attention to the feature phones. For people that use two phones, the secondary phone is cheap in most cases. Phone users buy these phones only to make and receive calls, which they are limited to. But MTN is now teaming up with Unisoc and KaiOS to provide more options.
South African Telco giants MTN is staking a claim in the phone making business once again just like they have done before. This would see MTN launch a feature phone that has Apps and features strictly meant for Android phones all thanks to kaiOS.
Recently Google in invested huge sums in kaiOS just so its Apps would feature on phones running on kaiOS. And even more recently, WhatsApp expanded it’s compatibility to kaiOS feature phones again.
So, this implies that this phone, unlike many other feature phones will include Facebook, YouTube, music-streaming services, Twitter and Google Maps functionalities. “The new product will allow customers to upgrade from a feature phone with only voice and text capabilities, to a fully connected handset with fast 3G Internet,” MTN said. “Because of the competitive pricing of the device, access to advanced digital services is finally a reality for everyone.”
What To Expect From MTN And KaiOS Partnership
There will be Wi-Fi, 3G, Bluetooth for better connectivity speed, GPS as well and includes the Google Assistant and other smart services. WhatsApp, however, is not yet supported for now even though we think it will definitely happen.
The phone has a rear and front-facing camera, dual-Sim support and a long battery life thanks to a 2000mAh battery. It is powered by the Unisoc SC7731EF processor, has a 2.4-inch screen, 256MB RAM and 512MB of storage. It will be available starting from the first quarter of 2019.
MTN Feature Phone Price
MTN is willing to let each unit go for $20 while they hope to sell up to 10Million units in the next 3 years. I can already imagine my call and text phone being replaced by a call, text, internet, photo, entertainment phone of the same class and stature.
