Jumia Mobile Week is back and given that the company has promised some crazy mobile deals, I thought it is a good idea to list down five smartphones you should check out during this period. I will list down the five phones in different price points just to make sure everyone has a chance to grab one they can afford.
I have not reviewed all the phones here but for the ones I have, there is a link at the end for those who are interested. I have also included an affiliate links to Jumia if you want to buy any of the phones listed here.
Below Ksh 10,000: Xiaomi Redmi 5A
If your budget is Ksh 10,000 or less, the Xiaomi Redmi 5A is the phone to consider. This phone was officially announced in November 2017 so you are getting a not so old smartphone and Its price is exactly Ksh 9,999 which is a bargain if you ask me. Some of the specifications of the Xiaomi Redmi 5A are listed below.
Display Size: 5.0 inches with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels
Processor: 1.4 GHz Quad-core Snapdragon 425
RAM: 2/3 GB
Storage Space: 16/32 GB, can be expanded to 256GB using a microSD card
GPU: Adreno 308
Android Version: Android 7.1.2 Nougat
Camera: 13MP Camera at the back with a 5MP front facing one
Camera features: Geo-tagging, touch focus, face/smile detection, HDR, panorama
Battery: 3000 mAh removable battery
Buy the Xiaomi Redmi 5A from Jumia
Ksh 10,000 to Ksh 20,000: Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus
If your budget is anywhere between Ksh 10,000 and 20,000, the Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus is worth checking out. I know we already have another device from Xiaomi but I had to include this one in this list. The company makes really good phones and this is just one of them. Below are some of its key specifications.
Display Size: 5.99 inches with a resolution of 1080 x 2160 pixels
Processor: 2.0 GHz Octa-core Snapdragon 625
RAM: 3/4 GB
Storage Space: 32/64 GB, can be expanded to 128GB using a microSD card
GPU: Adreno 506
Android Version: Android 7.1.2 Nougat
Camera: 12MP Camera at the back with a 5MP front facing one
Camera features: Geo-tagging, touch focus, face/smile detection, HDR, panorama
Battery: 4000 mAh removable battery
You can buy the Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus from Jumia for Ksh 18,999 here.
Extra
If the Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus is not something you are interested in, the Infinix S2 Pro is also worth checking out. It is a decent phone from the company with a great build quality and a good camera. Its other specs are listed below.
Display Size: 5.2 inches with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels
Processor: 1.3GHz Octa-core MediaTek MTK6753
RAM: 3 GB
Storage Space: 32 GB, can be expanded using a microSD card
GPU: Mali-T720MP
Android Version: Android 6.0 Marshmallow
Camera: 13MP camera at the back with a 13MP + 8MP dual setup front facing camera
Camera features: Geo-tagging, touch focus, HDR, panorama
Battery: 3000 mAh removable battery
Buy the Infinix S2 Pro for Ksh 14,000 here.
Read Now: The Infinix S2 Pro Review
Ksh 20,000 to Ksh 30,000: Huawei P10 Lite
For those looking for a smartphone under Ksh 30,000, my recommendation would be the Huawei P10 Lite which is available in Kenya from as low as Ksh 24,499. The P10 Lite is the smaller brother to the company’s 2017 flagship, the Huawei P10, and even though its successor is to be announced soon, it still comes with impressive specifications. Below are the said specifications.
Display Size: 5.2 inches with a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels
Processor: HiSilicon Kirin 658 – Octa-core (4×2.1 GHz Cortex-A53 & 4×1.7 GHz Cortex-A53)
RAM: 4 GB
Storage Space: 32 GB, can be expanded to 256GB using a microSD card
GPU: Mali-T830 MP2
Android Version: Android 7.0 Nougat
Camera: 12MP camera at the back with an 8MP front facing camera
Camera features: Geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, HDR, panorama
Battery: 3000 mAh removable battery
Buy the Huawei P10 Lite from Jumia for Ksh 24,499
Honourable mentions: Still in this price range, you may want to check out the OPPO F5 for Ksh 28,999.
Read Now: The OPPO F5 Review
Ksh 30,000 to Ksh 50,000: Huawei Mate 10 Lite
Huawei Mate 10 Lite
Another device from Huawei that makes it to my list is the Mate 10 Lite. The Huawei Mate 10 Lite is available in Kenya from as low as Ksh 32,000 which is a very good deal considering what it has to offer. It is the smaller brother to the company’s flagship phablets, the Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro. Below are some of its key specs.
Display Size: 5.9 inches with a resolution of 1080 x 2160 pixels
Processor: HiSilicon Kirin 659-Octa-core (4×2.36 GHz Cortex-A53 & 4×1.7 GHz Cortex-A53)
RAM: 4 GB
Storage Space: 64 GB, can be expanded to 256GB using a microSD card
GPU: Mali-T830 MP2
Android Version: Android 7.0 Nougat
Camera: Dual 16MP + 2MP cameras at the back with Dual 13MP + 2MP front facing unit
Camera features: Geo-tagging, touch focus, face/smile detection, panorama, HDR
Buy the Huawei Mate 10 Lite from Jumia for Ksh 32,000.
Ksh 50,000 and Above: Samsung Galaxy S9
Samsung galaxy s9
The last category is made up of smartphones above Ksh 50,000. This is a wide one but my favourite is the Samsung Galaxy S9. This is the latest from the Korean giant and you can get it from Jumia for Ksh 78,000. It comes with an upgraded camera and the infinity display that we have come to associate Samsung flagship devices with.
Display Size: 5.8 inches with a resolution of 1440 x 2960 pixels
Processor: Exynos 9810 Octa – Octa-core (4×2.7 GHz Mongoose M3 & 4×1.8 GHz Cortex-A55)
RAM: 4 GB
Storage Space: 64/128/256GB, can be expanded to 256GB using a microSD card
GPU: Mali-G72 MP18
Android Version: Android 8.0 Oreo
Camera: Dual 12MP camera at the back with Dual 8MP front facing unit
Camera features: Dual Pixel PDAF), phase detection autofocus, OIS, Geo-tagging, simultaneous 4K video and 9MP image recording, touch focus, face/smile detection, Auto HDR, panorama
Buy the Samsung Galaxy S9 from Jumia for Ksh 78,000 here.
Besides the S9, some other devices I would recommend include the Nokia 8 for Ksh 50,600 and the Huawei Mate 10 for Ksh 80,000.