Safaricom, Intel Introduce Yolo™, Africa’s First Smartphone with Intel Inside®

Intel has teamed up with Safaricom to launch an entry level smartphone called Yolo™. For those of us who might be familiar with the term Yolo™  then you must know that it is an abbreviation for “You Only Live Once"  which is a term coined by an American hip hop artist popular with the urban youth. I was lucky to attend the launch of the phone at the Tribe Hotel in Nairobi where I had the chance to ask as many questions as I could. The Yolo™ smartphone is based on the Intel Smartphone Reference Design for the value segment of the smartphone market. The device is powered by the Intel® Atom™ processor Z2420 with Intel Hyper-Threading Technology that can achieve speeds of up to 1.2 GHz. The efficiency of this technology package helps to enable a smooth and responsive user experience, which includes support for1080p HD video capture, and a camera with advanced imaging capabilities, including burst mode that allows people to capture seven pictures in a second in 5-megapixel quality.

Key features

• Intel XMM 6265 HSPA+ modem
• 3.5” touch screen display
• Dimensions at 110.5mm x 61 x 12.6 @ 132g
• 5 Megapixel camera that takes up to 7 photos in less than a second
• 1080p HD video capture
• Micro SD slot
• Single SIM support
• FM Radio
• Support of Intel Wireless Display Technology 
• Pre-installed Waabeh app for African digital content  (Free)

The device is housed in a compact design and features a 3.5-inch touchscreen display for crisp text and images, support for FM radio and an expandable memory slot for greater flexibility, and HSPA+ modem support with Intel’s XMM 6265 modem for global roaming. The handset can also be enabled with McAfee mobile security software, providing consumers with added protection as well as data backup and restore capabilities when needed.

I as a blogger have been a big critic of feature phones being touted as smartphones just for the sake of market capitalization. It will however not be the case this time round as YOLO lives up to the term “smartphone in all aspects. This phone is targeted at the value segment which is the fastest growing segment of the smartphone market, which analysts predict will reach 500 million units by 2015. As Intel looks to expand its customer footprint and geographic presence sees tremendous opportunity in bringing a rich Intel mobile experience to first time buyers across emerging markets, including Africa, India and SE Asia.

It was not clear on the color variants that will be available on the Kenyan market. It is however important to note that the phone is to be exclusively distributed in Kenya by Safaricom but Intel shall seek more partners around the continent.  As you may have noticed, disputed the Yolo code name the phone  is branded Intel Inside just like on other components that spot Intel chips  such as laptops, servers and desktops. The argument by Intel is that “Intel Inside brand is one of the most recognized brands in the world, and Safaricom recognizes the value in going to market with a strong brand that has global reach. They believe that leading with Intel Inside is a key differentiator for this market segment”. This takes me back to my college days when I first got my “Intel Inside” desktop PC with the same features as this phones chip….

Intel seems to have a clear strategy on seeing this product succeed and they have with no doubt have done their homework.  The device is aimed at the growing number of cost-conscious and first-time buyers in Kenya who do not want to sacrifice device performance or user experience for cost. The Yolo smartphone will be sold in Safaricom shops countrywide at the entry price of Kshs. 10,999 and comes bundled with free 500 MB data.

The phone is based on Intel’s latest smartphone platform for emerging markets, launched earlier this month at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES). With Intel Inside, users of the Yolo smartphone are assured of fast Web browsing, impressive multimedia capabilities and a great Android* applications experience. “We’re redefining what cost-conscious Kenyans can expect from a smartphone," said Peter Arina, general manager, Safaricom’ s Consumer Business Unit. "The Intel-based Yolo smartphone strikes a unique balance between price and performance – we consider it to be a real breakthrough. It’s great news that Kenya will be the launch country in Africa for smartphones with Intel Inside and we expect a great reception from our customers.” “We are delighted to partner with Safaricom in bringing the first smartphone with Intel Inside to Kenyan consumers” said Aysegul Ildeniz, Regional Director for the Middle East, Turkey and Africa Region. “The new handset extends the benefits of Intel technology to more smartphone users around the world and we believe that Kenyan consumers will welcome the increased functionality and overall value of the device. We look forward to our continued cooperation with Safaricom.”

My understanding is that this is just but the beginning by Intel as they take no prisoners when it comes to doing business. You can imagine what they will be launching next assuming that they stick having Kenya as the launch pad. But Intel faces intense competition in mobile processors from the likes of Qualcomm (QCOM), Nvidia (NVDA), Texas Instruments (TXN) and  Broadcom (BRCM).

Techcrunch explains why Intel’s back is up against the wall:

Making the shift to mobile systems on a chip won’t happen overnight. It will take time and a lot of partnerships with big smartphone manufacturers. As Samsung and Apple are by far the dominant players, convincing them to switch will be tough. The reference device launched in Kenya might just do the trick.