Multiple Chinese smartphone brands have found incredible success in the untapped African market. Tecno, Infinix, and Xiaomi, to name a few and even more, are trying to break into the low-end markets. To that end, Nokia has taken a page out of Tecno’s book by releasing one entry-level smartphone after the other, targeting the markets mentioned above. The latest iteration of these pocket-friendly offerings, the Nokia C1 has just been launched in Kenya and who knows it may also end up reaching Pakistan soon.
The spec sheet for the new Nokia C1 budget smartphone reminds us of the earliest Android smartphones. While it may seem out of place in 2019, Nokia made the cutbacks on specifications to keep the price as low as $59 or 9,000 Pakistani rupees without taxes.
You get a basic 5.45-inch display on the C1 that produces a 480 X 960P resolution and is layered with toughened glass to protect this modest screen from collecting scratches and dust. On the front, you get a fat forehead and chin, housing a 5 MP selfie camera, accompanied by an LED flash.
The single-camera module on the back of Nokia C1 also maxes out at 5 MP, and sits next to a second LED flash. Calling the internal hardware underwhelming would be an understatement, but they fit the budget-minded price tag. You get a yet-to-be-identified chipset clocked at 1.3 GHz, 1 GB of RAM, and 16 GB of onboard storage.
The internals on C1 by Nokia are powered by a 2,500 mAh battery and Android 9 Go. It doesn’t support 4G connectivity, but you get 3G, and you can also expand the built-in storage up to 64 GB with an external microSD card.
You can pick between Red and Black color options. The modest Nokia price bracket aside, we don’t know how well this hardware can perform for day-to-day usage. It is retailing in Kenya for 5,999 KES and is expected to make an appearance in Pakistan soon, with a starting price of 10,999 PKR.