The Smartphone market in 2015 witnessed beehive of activities. There were old and new entrants with various smartphone devices targeted at different market segments. But Chinese phone manufacturer, Infinix Mobility pushed through with many devices within the year to satisfy all segments.
The competition in the industry remains stiff, resolute and unwavering. Some brands however were able to raise their game and indeed, heads above water. While some courted controversy, earned a ban from the regulatory bodies, others maintained a strong outlook and presence.
The Nigerian smartphone industry is a quite vibrant one characterized by youthfulness. In Africa, the country accounts for 14% of smartphones across the continent in the first quarter of 2015. The figure rose steadily by the end of the second quarter.
Although, Samsung, Tecno, and Apple were the leading smartphone vendors in Africa during the quarter, with Huawei falling out of the top three, other budding brands remained key to sustaining the steady rise.
Perhaps one budding brand that came to the fore is Infinix Mobility as it stood out and remained the phone brand to beat over the year. For a phone whose target market is largely the youth, it quickly endeared itself to the target market and became a choice phone with its unique features tailored to their needs. Other key factor to its vibrancy and emergence is its affordability. Infinix smartphones are known for being affordable while offering high quality service to users.
In March 2013, Infinix Mobility announced its presence into the Nigerian market with a 3G android smartphone and a tablet known as Joypad. The Company had also entered into partnership with MTN Nigeria and Qualcomm to make its coming into Nigeria a commercial success.
Infinix has since successfully introduced 5 different smartphones into the Nigerian market with critical acclaim and success. Another major factor to this success has also been attributed to its great stylish designs with the phones designed to meet specific needs of their consumers.
In clear terms, Infinix emerged as one of the highest selling mobile brand in the Nigerian market for the month of March, 2015. The development ensured that Infinix retained a spot in the top 5 phone brands in the market throughout the year.
With internet penetration on the increase, Infinix was quick to tap into the development with the introduction of its smartphones to a yearning market. In June 2015, Infinix launched the second installment to its Zero series, the Infinix Zero2 to much acclaim at the Main Auditorium, University of Lagos.
The success was immediately followed up with the launch of the Infinix Hot2 in collaboration with Google with the phone being the flagship brand of the newly introduced AndroidOne operating system; bringing high –performance, low-cost Android experience to Nigerians, a first of its kind in Africa. With the introduction of the Hot2, Infinix successfully claimed its position as the brand with affordable smartphones in Africa. The brand sold a record 5,000 units in the first 2 weeks of its release.
By November, the phone maker was ready to delight the market with a new device. The Infinix Hot Note 2 was successfully launched. With the back to back release of phones, one may be quick to think that the brand is quick to release new phones over short period of times. But such thinking will be forgiven considering the success that has attended the brand, thus necessitating the need to satisfy the market demands.
The Hot Note 2 did not disappoint as it was introduced in a bid to raise the bar in the Nigerian smartphone eco-system, according to Seun Ajiboye, E-commerce Manager at Infinix Mobility. The phone yet affordable, packed exciting feature such as a stunning HD screen, advanced mega pixel camera and business visio-conferences tools among others, making the phone a favourite among the emerging middle class.
By the end of the year, Infinix launched another exciting device, ending the year on a high. It launched the perfect gift item for Nigerians in the Infinix ZERO 3 in December 2015, a third installment to the zero series. The phone is the most high profile in the Infinix range thus far.
As the clocked ticked 12:00 am on December 2015, signaling the turn of 2015, it would only be apt for observers and smartphone users to expect a lot more from the brand who have gone from budding to a force to reckon with.
Aside the unprecedented smartphone introduction, the brand took a bold step in the revolution as it developed its own customized user interface- XUI, which is characterized by its speed and aesthetics. Based on Android Lollipop 5.1, XUI aimed to improve battery life, faster responsiveness and customizable interface.
Benjamin Jiang, Infinix Mobility’s Chief Executive Officer during the launch of the Hot2 last August posited that the brand will be pushing the frontiers of smartphone technology with its devices. He maintained that the Chinese phone maker has come to understand the Nigerian smartphone market and is poised to deliver quality and affordable devices to consumers, an effort which has become its hallmark.
“At Infinix we believe that Nigerian end-users deserve to experience the latest in trendy smartphones at competitive price. That is why we are pleased to collaborate with Google to deliver this unique smartphone; the Infinix Hot 2. We are confident that the phone will push the frontiers of smartphone technology to the next level. We are confident of the understanding of the Nigerian industry and will continue to deliver qualitative devices,” he said.
As 2016 unfurls, many smartphone brands will continue to emerge but those who have been able to stake a claim will surely remain the brands to beat, especially with the affordable devices such as Infinix parades. It will also suffice to add that the phone maker has put adequate measures in place for its after sales services with over 100 service centers across Africa with access to about 400 technicians and engineers.
The year 2016 will no doubt be an interesting one for the smartphone market as the existing brands will like to consolidate their presence while perhaps new entrants will like to come in for their piece of cake in the Nigeria’s biggest market.
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