The Tecno Phantom 9 will be available in a shop near you very soon. The phone comes more than one and a half years since its predecessor, the Tecno Phantom 8, graced the Kenyan smartphone market.
Unlike a few years back where the Phantom series had only the Infinix Zero series as its serious competitor, things are changing and at an alarming rate. The market now has Xiaomi, the company that recently launched its first Mi Home Kenya store to much fanfare at The Hub mall in Karen, Nairobi.
Huawei has also stepped up its game despite all that it is battling while Samsung is soaring up from where it was back in 2017 as far as the budget and midrange smartphone segment is concerned. HMD Global, the company behind the revival of Nokia, isn’t playing games either and neither are Oppo and Honor, the latter being the brainchild of Huawei.
With all these players now plying their trade in the Kenyan market, the Tecno Phantom 9 finds itself in a tight spot. Looking at the specs, there’s no doubt the company’s 2019 flagship offering will be going against some serious competition, at least on paper.
Without further ado, here’s the competition that awaits the Tecno Phantom 9 when it arrives in Kenya, in no particular order.
Redmi Note 7
Hands down, the Redmi Note 7 must be the budget phone of the year. It has a great hardware package that should easily make the Phantom 9 sweat for its money, but the icing on the cake is the insanely affordable price tag. You can have it either in 4/64GB or 4/128GB memory options.
Here are the specs:
- 6.3-inch FHD+ LCD display screen with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor
- 3GB or 4GB RAM
- 32GB, 64GB or 128GB expandable storage
- Dual-lens 48MP + 5MP main camera
- 13MP front camera
- 4000mAh battery
- Android 9 Pie with MIUI 10
- Extras: Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C, 3.5mm audio jack, rear-mounted fingerprint scanner, Quick Charge 4, etc.
The base model of the Redmi Note 7 can be had for under Kshs 15,000 while the high-end 4/128GB variant can be yours for just Kshs 23,000.
Huawei P30 Lite
Huawei P30 Lite is one of the best budget phones on the market right now. The combination of striking design, a generous amount of onboard storage space and an excellent camera system for the money adds to the device’s discounted pricing, making up for a compelling option in the market right now.
Here are the specs:
- 6.15-inch FHD+ LCD display screen
- Kirin 710 processor
- 4GB RAM, 128GB expandable storage
- Tri-lens main camera: 24MP + 8MP + 2MP
- 32MP selfie camera
- 3340mAh battery
- Android 9 Pie with EMUI 9.0
- Extras: Bluetooth 4.2, USB-C, 3.5mm audio jack, rear-mounted fingerprint scanner, 18W fast battery charging, etc.
As of this writing, the P30 Lite can be had for Kshs 22,449 and is available in Black, Pearl White, and Peacock Blue color variants.
Huawei Y9 Prime 2019
Released in Kenya in July 2019, the Huawei Y9 Prime 2019 is the first from the company to offer a pop-up selfie camera, but this isn’t the only highlight of this phone. The phone packs some punch on matters hardware and even better is the camera, a triple-lens setup that promises some of the best photos at this price point.
As for the rest of the specs, check the list below:
- 6.59-inch FHD+ LCD display screen
- Kirin 710F processor
- 4GB RAM, 128GB expandable storage
- Tri-lens main camera: 16MP + 8MP + 2MP
- 16MP pop-up selfie camera
- 4000mAh battery
- Android 9 Pie with EMUI 9.0
- Extras: Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C, 3.5mm audio jack, rear-mounted fingerprint scanner, fast battery charging, etc.
The Y9 Prime 2019 is available countrywide priced at Kshs 25,000, although Jumia has multiple retailers selling it at Kshs 23,500 in Midnight Black (including free Bluetooth headsets) Sapphire Blue and Emerald Green color variants.
Huawei Honor 8X
Huawei’s Honor doesn’t have a strong presence in the country, but one of its best handsets from late 2018, the Honor 8X, is available for purchase locally. Besides the striking design featuring glass panels joined by an aluminum frame, the Honor 8X also ships with the same processor as the Huawei P30 Lite and Huawei Y9 Prime 2019, which makes it an equally competitive handset, especially now that its price keeps dropping each passing day.
Here are the specs:
- 6.5-inch FHD+ LCD display screen with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection
- Kirin 710 processor
- 4GB RAM, 128GB expandable storage
- Dual-lens 20MP + 2MP main camera
- 16MP selfie camera
- 3750mAh battery
- Android 8.1 Oreo, upgradable to Android 9 Pie
- Extras: Bluetooth 4.2, microUSB port, 3.5mm audio jack, rear-mounted fingerprint scanner, 10W battery charging, etc.
The Honor 8X is available in Pink, Black, Red, and Blue paint jobs, although the Pink variant isn’t available as of this writing. Where the Blue variant can be had for Kshs 24,699, the Red finish is going for Kshs 23,999 while the Black variant is available for Kshs 24,499.
Samsung Galaxy A50
Samsung Galaxy A50 is one of the stars of the new Galaxy A series. The major highlights of this handset are the in-display fingerprint scanner and a triple-lens main camera. The Tecno Phantom 9 also ships with an in-display fingerprint scanner and tri-lens main camera, but the Galaxy A50 beats it when it comes to battery capacity and performance hardware.
Here are the rest of the specs:
- 6.4-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED display screen with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection
- Exynos 9610 processor
- 4GB RAM, 128GB expandable storage
- Tri-lens main camera: 25MP + 8MP + 5MP
- 25MP selfie camera
- 4000mAh battery
- Android 9 Pie with One UI
- Extras: Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C, 3.5mm audio jack, under display fingerprint scanner, 15W fast battery charging, etc.
To get your hands on the Galaxy A50, you’ll need Kshs 25,600 for the Black color variant while the Blue and White color variants can be had for Kshs 25,899.
In 2017, the Phantom 8 arrived priced at Kshs 37,000. Given the above competition coupled with Indian and Nigerian pricing of about Kshs 22,000, it’s possible the Phantom 9 could get a cheaper price tag in Kenya. For what is obvious, it is the pricing that will make or break it.
Let’s wait and see how Tecno Mobile goes about with the pricing of the Phantom 9 in Kenya.
