One of the smartphones from HMD Global tagged as “entry-level” in markets where it is selling, like the United States, the Nokia 3.1 Plus, is now available for purchase in Kenya.
According to a statement from the company’s local handlers, the Nokia 3.1 Plus is going for Kshs 17,500.
Unlike abroad, where consumer tastes tend to be skewed towards pricey flagship-level devices (thanks in part to favourable pricing models that make the use of contracts instead of requiring users to pay full prices upfront), locally, the asking price of the Nokia 3.1 Plus puts it in the mid-range segment. Up there with the likes of Infinix’s Hot S3, Samsung’s Galaxy J4, Huawei’s Y7 Prime 2018 (maybe that upcoming successor as well?), several devices from Xiaomi (Redmi Note 5, Redmi S2, Mi A2 Lite, etc) among others.
What sets the Nokia 3.1 Plus device apart from the immense competition it is bound to face with such a price tag, though, is the near-stock Android build it packs. As an Android One device, consumers get certain assurances that users of other devices may not get.
“The Nokia 3.1 Plus will receive three years of monthly security patches and two years of OS updates, as guaranteed in the Android One programme,” the statement from HMD Global notes.
Like the other devices that are further down HMD Global’s food chain, the Nokia 3.1 Plus rocks a MediaTek chipset, the octa-core Helio P22.
Like the very first generation Nokia 3, the 3.1 Plus also has NFC. That means that it can be used to make payments via M-Pesa 1Tap, where that is available and works.
Specifications of the device are as follows:
- Display: 6-inch HD+
- Camera: Main 13 MP + 5 MP; Secondary 8 MP
- Processor: MediaTek Helio P22
- Memory: 3GB RAM; 32 GB internal storage (expandable up to 400GB)
- Operating System: Android 8.1, Oreo
- Battery: 3,500mAh
- Network: 3G, 4G (Faiba 4G-ready, VoLTE supported)
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.1, microUSB, 3.5mm headphone jack
The Nokia 3.1 Plus arrives running Android Oreo out of the box but its slice of Android Pie is already available, having started seeding just last week.
Only the Baltic and Charcoal colour options, and not the blue one whose picture is used in this article, are available for sale in Kenya.
