Google has announced the launch of its first Android One smartphone in Africa. This is made possible with the partnership of hardware partner, Infinix. The name of the smartphone is Infinix HOT 2 and this smartphone is being rolled out in the following countries in Africa: Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Egypt, and Morocco.
Like all Android One phones, the HOT 2 combines a high-quality hardware experience with pure Android software. Bringing together a quad-core MediaTek processor with 1GB memory, dual SIM support, and black, white, red, blue, and gold (with 2GB memory) models, the hardware is a great complement to Lollipop 5.1.1, which provides up to 2x better performance and extended battery features. The Android One HOT 2 will also receive an update to the next version of Android (according to Infinix’s schedule), and thus stays fast and responsive over time.
Starting today, the HOT 2 is available in Nigeria at select retail outlets and online through Jumia at a recommended retail price of N17,500* (~88 USD), and it will become available in the other countries over the next few weeks.
Nearly one year ago, Google introduced the Android One program and YouTube Offline in India. Today, 6 countries in Africa — with combined populations of 379 million people — join the list of places where Android One phones are sold. In a blog post announcing its Android One Africa push, Google VP of product management, Caesar Sengupta, says the company has been thrilled by the progress and feel humbled by the work that’s left to do. He also states that Google looks forward to continuing its work with partners to ensure that people have a great way to access the Internet, using it in ways that are relevant and useful.
