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Seemahale low-cost Android to debut

Bonnie Tubbs
By Bonnie Tubbs, ITWeb telecoms editor.
Johannesburg, 20 Apr 2015
The SeeTel Phoenix, a five-inch Android device comparable to Google's Nexus, will be available for pre-orders soon and in-store around June.
The SeeTel Phoenix, a five-inch Android device comparable to Google's Nexus, will be available for pre-orders soon and in-store around June.

Seemahale Telecoms is all set to bring a new Google device to SA, with the 5-inch SeeTel Phoenix expected to make an appearance towards the end of May.

The local empowerment company, which was at one stage involved in talks with local electronics manufacturer CZ Electronics before the deal went south, has used Taiwanese giant Foxconn as its Google 3PL, or third-party lab, to conduct a Google Mobile Services (GMS) check.

This is final step before bringing an approved Android device to market. Seemahale chairman Thabo Lehlokoe says GMS testing is a stringent process that costs "hundreds of thousands" and guarantees a uniform Android experience for users.

The new device falls in the low- to mid-range smartphone bracket and will cost around R1 700 - or R2 500 for the SeeTel Phoenix plus a range of add-ons, including a power bank and R499 (once-off) data plan, a power-bank and R100 airtime (once off).

SeeTel specs

Running Android 4.4.2 (with over-the-air upgrades to Android 5.1 set to take place in future), the Phoenix is a dual-SIM phone that is similar in look and feel to Google's Nexus smartphone, according to Lehlokoe. It has 1GB RAM (processing power) and 8GB ROM (storage capacity), with the option of expandable memory using a memory card.

It features a 2MP real (enhanced to 5MP) front-facing camera and a 5MP real (enhanced to 8MP) back camera, and sports a 1700 mAH lithium ion battery. The phone takes both a micro and standard SIM.

Lehlokoe says the company is in talks with all of SA's operators, including mobile virtual network operator Virgin Mobile, but has so far only signed up with Telkom to launch the device, with a data bundle.

"We are trying to do more than just sell a phone. We are trying to use the phone as a tool to empower communities to transact and increase knowledge. To do this, we need to give them an affordable device together with a data package."

Lehlokoe says, through Telkom, Seemahale will provide customers with 1GB every month for 12 months. "When you buy the phone this comes with a SIM that includes the 12-month data bundle, which costs R499 once-off."

The first model will not be long-term evolution-enabled, says Lehlokoe - a decision made with data conservation in mind. "Also, with WiFi becoming more prevalent, we want to encourage users to download big files via [that technology] where possible, and save their data."

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