Nigeria has become the first African country to experience the new Infinix Hot 2 smartphone as the maker, Infinix Mobility in partnership with Google, MTN and Jumia, has introduced its latest Smartphone programme, AndroidOne, to the African market.
America’s multinational technology giant, Google has introduced its latest Smartphone programme, AndroidOne, to the African market using Nigeria as the entry point.
At a major announcement by the company’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Ms. Juliet Ehimuan in Lagos, AndroidOne was launched on Tuesday, making it the second announcement after the Asian country of India.
The product was launched in partnership with telecommunication giant, MTN; online retail store, Jumia; and tech manufacturer, Infinix.
The AndroidOne product, is a project sponsored by Google and the tech giant is responsible for the design, development, marketing, and support of the product while Infinix mobile is responsible for the manufacturing the mobile. Google also makes sure that timely software updates get to AndroidOne Smartphones for two years after launch of each device.
The AndroidOne was launched with Infinix mobile phone, HOT 2-X510 Smartphone, which is the first device to run the Android One programme in Africa. The Smartphone (Infinix HOT 2) offers a high-quality experience while running the latest version of Android (5.1 Lollipop), all for N17,500.
The device, which is the first smartphone on the AndroidOne program in Africa, will enable all users enjoy the latest version of Android with guaranteed software upgrades after release, premium hardware specs and a wide range of customized apps.
Speaking on the device, Benjamin Jiang, Managing Director, Infinix Mobility, stated that the new Infinix Hot 2 will redefine the smartphone industry in Nigeria.
“At Infinix we believe that Nigerian end-users deserve to experience the latest in trendy smartphones at competitive price. That is why we are pleased to collaborate with Google to deliver this unique smartphone; the Infinix Hot 2. We are confident that the phone will push the frontiers of smartphone technology to the next level.”
Under the partnership, MTN will provide data connection to consumers 1Gb data plan for N500 for the next one year, and Jumia will act as partners in logistics.
Speaking at the launch, Caesar Sengupta, Vice President, Google Product Management, noted that the product could now be launched in 5 other African countries namely Ghana, Kenya, Egypt, Ivory Coast, and Morocco after which it would be launched in Saudi Arabia as well as in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Present at the launch include Mr. Michael Ikpoki, Chief Executive Office (CEO) MTN Nigeria; Jeremy Doutte, CEO 0f online retaile store, Jumia as well as Benjamin Jiang, Managing Director, Infinix Mobility among other.