The Infinix Zero is yet another ultra low cost Android smartphone set to take on the Nigerian market. It was unveiled earlier today to lots of fanfare at a media event in Lagos. It will retail exclusively online via Konga at the interesting price points of N20,900, for the 8GB internal /1GB RAM version, and N23,900 for the 16 GB internal / 2GB RAM version. If you think that’s too much of a giveaway price, wait till you find out the other specs
Spec Highlights
The 8GB ROM / 1GB RAM and 16GB ROM / 2GB RAM variations have similar specs:
- 5.0 ” IPS HD Display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection
- Android 4.4.2 KitKat OS
- Dual Micro SIM 3G/2G
- 1.4 GHz Octa-core Mediatek processor
- 13 MP rear camera with flash BSI sensor for optimized low light shots
- 2 MP front-facing camera
- Expandable external memory up to 32GB
- 1920 mAh non-removeable battery
You can view the full specsheet here
Unboxing Photos
The Infinix Zero comes in a quite attractive boxing. That seems to be the norm now with these “Chinko” devices. You will find the usual stuff in the box, manuals, the charging kit, earpiece and of course the device itself.
A pin is also included for popping out the SIM and memory card slots. Ah, the slots. Now, I find what Infinix did with the slots very interesting. On the left edge of the device is the SIM slot.
The SIMs are inserted face-down from the side
On the right, you will find the volume controls, the power button and the memory card slot. The memory card lost works just like the SIM slot.
In front, just at the top bezel, you’ll find the front camera, proximity sensor and front speaker
And the rear camera and flash are of course behind
First Impressions
The Infinix Zero looks and works great for a 20k device. The few hours I’ve spent with the device has left quite an impression on me. And it isn’t necessarily so cheap because it has sub par build quality. In fact, it has impressive build quality with equally impressive specs. I do have my reservations for the battery capacity. I don’t imagine a 1900 mAh battery will power an octa-core processor effectively. That remains to be seen.
We are beginning to see a trend in Nigeria where OEMs are cutting off the middlemen and massive marketing budgets by selling their devices directly to the customer through eCommerce channels. This is obviously inspired by Xiaomi’s model in China. Innjoo were the first to replicate this in Nigeria with the Innjoo i1s sold directly by Jumia. Now Konga and Infinix have partnered to offer something similar. And just like with the Innjoo, they have bundled it with free data from Etisalat. When I imagine all the long term results of these, I can only see scenarios where the consumer keeps winning.
The Infinix Zero is now available for pre-order via Konga.com but won;t start shipping until the first week of September. I’ll be sure to share my first hand experiences with the device in the coming days and weeks.
