Huawei has expanded its budget smartphone offering in Kenya by introducing three new devices. The Huawei GR5, GR3 and Y6Pro, will spearhead the company’s quest to take up at least a quarter of Kenya’s smartphone market by mid-2016.
The three devices have all been announced within the last two months with the GR5 and GR3 being unveiled in late January and the Y6Pro being launched in early February.
The Huawei GR5 is the superior of the three devices. It has a fingerprint scanner at the back and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 processor. The GR3 and the Y6Pro pack processors from Taiwan’s MediaTek.
The Y6Pro’s biggest strength is its 4,000mAh battery unit which is larger than that found on the other devices and guarantees long battery life. As a result, it is thicker and heavier than the other two devices.
According to Huawei, the Y6Pro is able to last at least two days on a single charge or push through a day while on just 10% of charge when under minimal use. The device can even be used to charge other devices.
Here is a full rundown of the specifications of the three devices, again:
| GR3 | GR5 | Y6Pro | |
| Size & weight | 143.5 x 71.0 x 7.6 mm, 135g | 151.3 x 76.3 x 8.15 mm, 158g | 143.1 x 71.8 x 9.7 mm, 160g |
| Display | 5.0-inch HD, 1920 x 1080 pixels | 5.5-inch Full HD, 1920 x 1080 pixels | 5.0-inch HD, 1280 x 720 pixels |
| Processor | 64-bit octa-core MediaTek MTK6753T clocked at 1.5 GHz | Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 | Quad-core MediaTek MT6735P chip clocked at 1.3 GHz |
| Memory | 16 GB internal memory (expandable), 2 GB RAM | Same | Same |
| Camera | Rear : 13MP, Front : 5MP | Same, has OIS | Same |
| OS | Android 5.1 (Lollipop) with Emotion UI 3.1 Lite on top | Android 5.1 (Lollipop) with Emotion UI 3.1 on top | Android 5.1 (Lollipop) with Emotion UI 3.1 Lite on top |
| Battery | 2,200 mAh | 3,000 mAh | 4,000 mAh |
| Network | 3G, LTE | Same | Same |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 4.0,Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n | Bluetooth 4.1,Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n | Bluetooth 4.0,Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n |
| Others | N/A | Fingerprint sensor | Dual-SIM |
| Colour | Gold/Silver/Gray | Same | Gold/White/Gray |
With the three smartphones, Huawei has expanded its device portfolio in the Kenyan market. Huawei currently has several devices in all the segments of the Kenyan market. The gigantic Huawei Mate 8 that targets enterprise customers and the P8 which will soon get a successor, sit at the top of the Huawei smartphone food chain. The new devices join the existing Huawei Ascend G6 and G7 and Honor-branded devices in the mid-range category. The low-end segment is taken care of by the Huawei Y5C and Y360 introduced into the market last year alongside other older options like the Huawei Y330.
With the Huawei Y6Pro, GR3 and GR5, Huawei has effectively provided alternatives to other notable mid-range options like Infinix’s Zero 3 which is in the same price range as the Y6Pro, Alcatel’s Idol 3 and Samsung’s Galaxy J3 and J5 smartphones.
The Huawei GR5 costs Kshs 28,000 while the GR3 and Y6Pro cost Kshs 21,000 and 17,000 respectively.
As can be seen from the above spec sheet, all the devices are 4G-ready.
The devices are already available on sale in the Kenyan market through outlets like FoneXpress, Tuscom, Naivacom and Phonelink.
