Chinese-based tech giant, Vivo, which is the fifth largest smartphone maker globally, has confirmed plans to set up a regional office in Nairobi.
Vivo is joining an increasingly crowded Kenyan smartphone market. Some of the more dominant smartphone brands include Samsung, Apple, Oppo, Tecno, Huawei and Infinix.
A study by the International Data Corporation (IDA) reported that the worldwide mobile phone market is projected to hit a peak of 1.7 Billion unit shipments in 2019, down from 2018’s 1.8 Billion units shipped.
It also stated that the total phone shipments would drop to 1.7 billion units globally by 2023.
Anthony Scarsella, a research manager at ICD’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, said, “The continuing trend of elongated refresh cycles continues to put a damper on the overall smartphone market.”
Scarsella adds, “The second half of the year will be a fierce one at the high end as most of the big players will push their latest flagship devices for the holiday shopping rush. The question remains whether consumers will opt for low-cost options as a short-term replacement solution or wait for a full-force 5G device that won’t break the bank like many of the early devices that recently hit the market.”
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According to Arthur Xian, Vivo Kenya’s General Manager, the firm elected to set up its office in Kenya as it is a suitable entry point into the populous African continent.
In addition to this the Vivo GM explained that Kenya has a high ranking in technology uptake.
Xian added that the Vivo’s mid-range phones are suitable for use by members of Africa’s middle class.
The Vivo flagship mid-range smartphone will boast features such as, a world first 32MP dual pop-up elevating front cameras.
The Vivo Brand will be launched alongside the flagship phone.
Some of the other features include:
- A 6.44-inch Full HD + Super AMOLED display with a 20:9 aspect ratio
- An octa-core Snapdragon 675 chipset powering the Vivo Phone
- 8GB RAM and 128GB internal storage
- It will run the Android 9 based Funtouch OS 9.1.
