Huawei already has the Y7 Prime 2018 selling in the country (look out for a review of the device soon). Soon, it will also start selling other budget smartphones in its budget Y series, the Huawei Y5 Prime 2018 and the Huawei Y6 2018.
Interestingly, the two may be joined later by another new device from the Chinese company: the Huawei Y3 2018. At least if the company’s actions last year are anything to go by.
On an ordinary day, the Huawei Y3 2018 is nothing to write home about. Really, it’s an entry-level smartphone with just the basics and none of the additional features that can be found on its other Y-series siblings. Quite the opposite of what we expected the company would be doing after its boss signaled a change last year.
What makes the Huawei Y3 2018 a device of great interest is the platform that powers it: Android Oreo Go Edition.
The Y3 2018 is the first smartphone from Huawei, and indeed any of the big smartphone makers in the world, to pack Android Go, the version of Android Oreo that is targeted at devices with low memory in emerging smartphone markets.
The device is currently listed on Huawei’s Ghanaian website even though there are no immediate reports of the device going on sale in the West African nation.
Media reports from earlier on indicate that Zhao Likun, the General Manager for Huawei South Africa’s Consumer Business Group, had confirmed that the Huawei Y3 2018 would be the company’s first Android Go smartphone and that it would be heading down south this month (May).
Specifications of the device are as follows:
| Dimensions and weight | 145.1 x 73.7 x 9.45mm, 170-180g |
| Display | 5-inch FWVGA (854×480 pixels) |
| Camera | Main camera: 8MP Selfie camera: 2MP |
| Processor | MediaTek MT6737M |
| Memory | 1GB RAM, 8GB onboard storage |
| Operating System | Android Oreo (Go Edition) |
| Battery | 2,280mAh |
| Network | 3G, 4G |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB |
| Colour options | White, Gold, Grey |
Currently, it is only the Nokia 1 from HMD Global that is available in the Kenyan market that is powered by Android Go. The recently-launched Tecno F2, F1 and POP1, are also expected to become available in the country soon. It is not yet clear whether TCL, which makes devices selling under the Alcatel brand and which have been in the local market for quite some time, will be availing the Alcatel 1X, the world’s first smartphone to be announced running Android Go.
Pricing information for the Huawei Y3 2018 has not yet been revealed.
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