French telecoms firm Orange has partnered Google to launch an affordable smartphone for its African and Middle Eastern customers.
As a result of this partnership, the Orange Rise 31 Special Edition smartphone has been unveiled for $40 (that’s about 8,000 Naira).
The device is specially made for Africa and the Middle East and is a part of Orange’s flagship smartphone series.
The Orange Rise 31 is scheduled to go on sale in the second quarter of the year and will come with a three-month ‘communications bundle’ that includes voice minutes, SMS messaging, and data.
The Orange Rise 31 runs Google’s latest OS Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box. It sports a 4-inch screen and comes with the latest version of Orange Experience 8 to ensure a smooth smartphone experience.
The smartphone is powered by a quad-core processor and boasts of 1GB RAM. The phone sports 8GB of internal memory and is further backed by a 1500mAH battery.
The Orange Rise 31 has a 3 mega pixel camera with LED flash and will be the first cheap Orange customized smartphone to run Android 6.0 Marshmallow.
Orange’s Executive Vice President of Connected Objects and Partnerships, Yves Maitre, said the device and bundle are about delivering affordable internet access across the region.
“As the first pan-Africa and Middle East mobile partnership with Google on this scale, we are able to bring direct value to our customers by offering the best access and services to ensure they get the most out of the mobile internet,” he said.
Director of Android Partnerships for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Richard Turner, said the phone will have a positive impact in the life of its users.
“Today, over three billion people across the world are using the internet to live better, richer lives and create opportunities for themselves and their communities. The driving force behind this growth – particularly in Africa and the Middle East – is smartphones. We are very excited to work with Orange to bring together data services, content and a high quality Android device to provide a great experience for first-time or experienced smartphone users,” he said.