It’s that time of the year when e-commerce player Jumia Kenya has a few things on the mobile front that should whet our appetite. Normally, there’s usually not much in the way of savings that one can hope to make but the deals are normally such that you get to save a coin or two. In this economy, that definitely goes a long way.
This year’s Jumia Mobile Week runs from 19th March all the way to 25th March. Every day, there will be a couple of “deals” that people can take advantage of and probably grab their dream device. That may be one of those elusive treasure hunts where one can get a device for a crazy price like Kshs 1 or Kshs 2 or the usual discounted prices.
Whichever the case, these 5 deals on smartphones that I have either used (and probably reviewed on here) or like very much are worth keeping an eye on:
1. Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus
The Redmi 5 Plus is also what Xiaomi is calling the Redmi Note 5 elsewhere. The confusing names shouldn’t bother you that much since this is perhaps the only 2018 device that will be making it to the Jumia Mobile Week that is worth talking about and, eventually, buying.
Other than the big matter of arriving with Android Nougat in 2018, the Redmi 5 Plus brings a nearly-6-inch 18:9 display, the same Snapdragon 625 processor that can be found on my budget Android smartphone of choice at the moment, the Xiaomi Mi A1, and more storage and memory (64GB and 4GB respectively) to satisfy the user’s needs.
For a discounted price of Kshs 22,000, it doesn’t get better than that.
2. Infinix S2 Pro
When I reviewed what was Infinix’s best phone in the market at that time, I loved the S2 Pro’s design and “welfie”-focused camera but loathed it for the overheating, scratches on the surface that it easily picks and the usual, the software. If you are able to live with those inconveniences and have some Kshs 14,000 to spare then this might be it. I am not so sure if that is the best use for your money, though, as by walking to the right store front you can easily walk away with either the Nokia 3 or Tecno’s Camon CM, both excellent devices for the price.
3. Huawei GR5
This is the old model of the GR5 i.e. the very first generation device. I don’t know why Jumia Kenya is using the 2017 model in the Mobile Week promotional material but that’s not what you are getting. You will be getting a 2-year-old device that I really loved when it was made available in the Kenyan market and I got to play with it for quite some time, even having it tagging along during a trip to its home, China.
While Android devices normally don’t age like wine thanks to that ghost called updates, you will still be getting a device that you can pop in your 4G SIM and still be at home browsing the web and taking some okay shots. Since the price is dropping to Kshs 13,000 for the Mobile Week, from the Kshs 28,000 that it debuted at (and the Kshs 24,000 that it shamelessly goes for on Jumia Kenya during ordinary days), there’s not much to complain about, really. The GR5’s design and feature set is still a much better proposition than what some pricier devices from the last one year can offer.
4. OPPO F5
When I reviewed this device at the start of the year, I loved everything about it bar the pricing, which I found to be insane, and the software, which I found to have made two steps forward as Color OS had gotten a tad better when compared to my previous encounter with it in 2016 but also three steps backwards as OPPO still went ahead and made some reckless mistakes. Like not allowing users to fully customize their device by doing something as basic as swapping launchers. Seriously, I asked then and I still ask now, who does that?
While my misgivings about the F5’s software will live on, unfortunately, Jumia Kenya has fixed the price. The F5’s price drops from a high of Kshs 32,000 to Kshs 25,000, just a hair short of matching the junior F5 Lite’s price. Honestly, you won’t find a better camera on any device at that price and that makes getting the F5 during the upcoming Jumia Mobile Week a no-brainer.
5. Samsung Galaxy S9
Well, this makes it to this list only because Jumia Kenya will have it up for one of those treasure hunts where a lucky person will supposedly get it for a paltry Kshs 5. Watch out for it this Sunday (the 18th) starting from midnight. Otherwise, be prepared to part with those insane amounts that have us shuddering in fear in a corner behind the door.