Angaza is delighted to announce that we have aligned with Mara Phones, manufacturers of the first smartphone made entirely in Africa. Through this collaboration, Angaza and Mara Phones will provide consumers in emerging markets with even more opportunities to purchase feature-rich, secure, and affordable smartphone devices.
The Mara S smartphone model is now available on the Angaza platform and is the ideal smartphone for first-time mobile users. The Mara S was also created with the intention of meeting the needs of consumers whose device performance expectations have evolved beyond the capabilities of ultra low-end smartphone offerings with limited feature sets.
“As demand for smartphones in last-mile markets continues to increase, Angaza is making it a priority to partner with manufacturers like Mara Phones who are committed to affordable smartphone technology,” said Angaza CEO, Lesley Marincola. “With the Mara S now available on the Angaza platform, we’re providing distributors with the opportunity to further expand their product lines to include these top quality, accessible smartphone devices.” Marincola added, “For our distribution partners operating in Africa, we’re especially excited and proud to introduce this product — the first smartphone made entirely on the continent.”
Photo credit: Business Insider
“Mara Phones’ mission is to develop high quality and affordable smartphone devices that positively impact millions of lives,” said Ashish J. Thakkar, CEO of Mara Phones. “To that end, we are delighted to partner with Angaza and expand the reach of our Mara S smartphone device into the markets that Angaza’s distribution partners serve.”
To increase consumer access to affordable mobile devices, Mara Phones is working diligently within the smartphone industry to overcome barriers to mobile internet adoption in emerging markets. In order to make mobile services and connectivity more relevant and widely understood within these markets, Mara Phones collaborates closely with industry partners (i.e. mobile network operators) to offer affordable data plans, build digital skills, and invest in local digital ecosystems and infrastructure.
Mara S Smartphone: Now Available on the Angaza Platform
Mara S Features
- 4.95” Display
- 1850mAh Battery
- 2MP Front Camera
- 5MP Rear Camera with Dual Flash
- Mali 400 Quad-Core Processor
- 1GB RAM + 8GB ROM
- Expandable to 128GB Memory
- Android 10 GO
- Dual SIM
Africa’s Smartphone Market Continues to Observe Growth Despite COVID-19 Challenges
Africa’s overall mobile phone market enjoyed year-on-year (YoY) growth of 14.0% in Q1 2021, totalling 53.3 million units sold, according to recent data from IDC’s “Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker” report. The region’s smartphone market was also observed to have grown 16.8% over the same period to 23.4 million units.
IDC notes that while vendors in South Africa faced some supply shortages during the reporting period that negatively impacted demand, the rest of Africa’s major smartphone markets performed well in Q1 2021. In general, these markets show strong signs of recovery from the adverse economic conditions that resulted from earlier stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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- To learn more about the Mara S smartphone, now available on the Angaza platform, visit the Angaza Device Catalog.
- To discover how Angaza can help you offer your customers a limitless range of life-changing products, including clean cookstoves, solar home systems, affordable smartphones and more, contact us for a live demo.
