Since the last time we gave the Wiko brand a look, it has added several devices to its Kenyan catalogue. These include devices from the budget K-Kool to the Fever which glows in the dark. And the brand which boasts of having its devices “designed in France” is onto new things this August with not just one or two but three smartphones.
The three are the Wiko U-Feel Lite, the Wiko Lenny 3 and the Wiko Robby. While we don’t know, yet, the motivation behind the names, we do know quite a few things even before they go to market – mostly because they’ve already been announced globally.
The Wiko U-Feel Lite is a cheaper version of the U-Feel with stepped-down specs to match. Both devices were unveiled last February at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.
It has a fingerprint sensor embedded in the physical home button to add to its other feature-set that includes a 5-inch HD display, a 5-megapixel selfie camera and an 8-megapixel main shooter at the back, 16GB onboard storage, 2GB RAM and a 2,500mAh battery. It is the fingerprint scanner, however, that will be the centre of all attention as it is said to allow users to configure up to five different fingers. What’s even interesting is the setting where you can set five functions for each finger besides just unlocking the device.
The Wiko Lenny 3 as the name insinuates, is the third generation member of the Lenny family that goes all the way back to 2014. It sits at the bottom of the three new devices and the pricing will reflect accordingly. It will have the basics albeit upgraded when compared to its predecessors. This means a boost to 16GB onboard storage, 1GB RAM, a 2,000mAh battery and a 5-inch HD display.
Of the devices to be made available in the Kenyan market in coming days, the Robby will be the largest of them all thanks to its 5.5-inch IPS display.
The Robby will be Wiko’s answer to Tecno’s budget music-centred Boom smartphone series as it will have dual speakers and will also work either way you hold it thanks to microphones on both the top and the bottom (reminds us of the Idol 3 from Alcatel).
The focus on sound, the large display, its unceremonious 1GB RAM and the lack of 4G LTE network access is what differentiates the Robby from the U-Feel Lite.
Software-wise, all the three devices will run on Android 6.0 Marshmallow slightly tweaked with Wiko’s own custom overlay which is just several shiny and colourful icons and added features, not a stark departure from stock Android as is the case elsewhere. Having Marshmallow onboard means that the U-Feel Lite’s fingerprint scanner can as well unlock apps like Lastpass before you factor in the extra functionality built-in for it by Wiko.
The devices will be in the Kenyan market by the end of the month and we’ll be sure to have all the pricing and availability details when they do as well as some proper hands-on and reviews. Stick around for that.
