By Abdi Ali
Published March 5, 2018
A Uganda-based information technology (IT) company is set to release a smartphone for the African market in the second quarter of 2018.
The company, known as Mara Corporation Limited (MC), shall release the Mara X phone in partnership with Google. It says the smartphone ‘will be launched as part of Google’s Android One portfolio, getting a software experience designed by Google to be smart, secure and simply amazing.’
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The Mara X, according to MC, will come with the latest innovations from Google:
- it will run the latest operating system (OS)
- it will get two years of OS upgrades; and
- it has been optimised for the Google Assistant.
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“With unlimited high quality photo storage from Google Photos and a carefully curated set of pre-installed apps, the Mara X makes sure African users have enough space for the apps they love,” MC says in a statement to the media. “Regular security updates and Google Play Protect built-in mean the Mara X is among the most secure devices available.”
“Across Africa and in other emerging markets, we need smartphones that are both extremely affordable and high quality,” explains Jagdish Thakkar, Chairman of MC. “These phones will give people the ability to improve their lives through accessing information online and using them for trade and financial services.”
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Ashish J Thakkar, Founder of MC, says, “The Mara X is a device that people can have fun with, learn with and use to build a better future. Africa is seeing a new generation of entrepreneurs looking for mobile technology to help run their businesses, and the Mara X will work for them to pursue greater heights. Our continent is expected to have over 700 million smartphones within a few years, and that connectivity will truly transform lives.”