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One of the not so talked about news from Mobile World Congress 2019 is the announcement of 8 KAIOS-powered Energizer feature phones, or smart feature phones, to be more precise.
The tech media are largely smartphone-crazy, and so this kind of announcement isn’t big news for them. But, the global smartphone market has hit a plateau, currently making up only about 50% of mobile users.
Contrary to what you may have heard, smartphones do not exactly rule the world. It is a near-even split. And the smartphone market has stopped growing.
That means there is a huge market for a new generation of feature phones that have smart features. And KaiOS is a mobile operating system makes that possible.
This feature phone runs KAIOS
The Energizer brand is stepping in to take advantage of that. The new Energizer feature phones will run on KaiOS and come preinstalled with the KaiStore, as well as several apps and services including the Google Assistant, Facebook, Google Maps, YouTube, and Twitter.
KaiOS currently runs on more than 50 million devices in over 100 countries. It is the operating system that runs of the famous Jio Phone lineup in India, and also Nokia’s 8110 4G rehash.
Smart feature phones are a solid way to bridge the gap between feature phones and smartphones. The rise of KAIOS in the last two years is testimony to that.
Release Date of the Energizer feature phones
Avenir Telecom is the company with the exclusive rights to produce Energizer feature phones . The new smart feature phones will be in the market by June 2019 with manufacturer’s suggested retail price pegged at 19.99 Euros – about NGN 12,500 each.
That price makes sense, considering that feature phones thrive primarily because of their low prices. Which is why we still find it baffling that Nokia’s KAIOS-powered 8110 4G costs as much as ₦ 25,000 in the market. That is the price of a decent entry-level Android-powered smartphone.
Our Nokia 8110 4G review should interest you.
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Author:Mister Mobility
Digital Skills and Communication Coach | Mobile Phone Connoisseur since 2001 | Tech Blogging since 2004
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The F(x)tec Pro 1 is a very odd name for a smartphone, and it has all the DNA of a Nokia Communicator . Nokia’s Communicator design still continues to inspire many devices, long after we saw the last one. Some took a look at the recently announced Samsung Galaxy Fold and while it lacks a hardware QWERTY keyboard, the design style reminded them of a Communicator.
In recent times, we have seen the Gemini PDA and Cosmo Communicator , both reminiscent of Nokia’s big boys from years past. And now, we have been introduced to the F(x)tec Pro 1. It has a full, touchscreen display, and hidden underneath that is a hardware QWERTY keyboard. Let’s have a quick look at the specs before I proceed.
F(x)tec Pro 1 Specs
- Mobile network support: 2G, 3G, 4G
- SIM: Dual Nano SIM
- Software/Operating System: Android 9 Pie
- Display: 5.99-inch, 2160 x 1080 pixels, AMOLED, Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3
- Physical Keyboard layout: 5-row, 64-key, staggered, backlit, landscape QWERTY keyboard
- Keyboard mechanism: sliding (angled)
- Sensors: Fingerprint (side mounted), Accelerometer, Magnetometer, Gyroscope, Proximity, Ambient Light, Hall effect
- Materials: Polycarbonate
- Processor: Qualcomm MSM8998 Snapdragon 835, Octa-core 2.45 GHz, Kryo 280
- GPU: Adreno 540
- RAM: 6 GB
- Internal Storage: 128 GB
- Removable Storage: microSD up to 2 TB
- Rear Camera: 12 MP f/1.8 Sony IMX363 + 5 MP f/2 dual camera
- Front Camera: 8 MP f/2
- WiFi: 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (WiFi 5)
- Bluetooth: 5.0 + LE
- Connectivity: NFC (supports Google Pay), USB Type-C with HDMI support
- Battery Type and Capacity: Non-removable 3,200 mAh
- Battery Charging: Quick Charge 3.0
The F(x)tec Pro 1 also has a 3.5 mm headphone Jack.
And here is a video, courtesy of XDA Developers:
F(x)tec Pro 1 Release Date and Price
The Pro 1 is expected to hit the market stalls in July 2019 and will cost $649.
Prospects
With a name like F(x)tec Pro 1, this isn’t a device targeted at mainstream users. We already know that hardware QWERTY keyboards are no longer mainstream, either. But there is a niche market for devices like this, and it is good to see someone address that market. Looking at it from the front when closed up, you could mistake it for a Samsung Galaxy S9. And it is quite usable in that form.
You can then switch to QWERTY mode and have the display sit at an angle while you make use of the full hardware keyboard. Part of the sweet spots include being able to create keyboard shortcuts to open apps.
The OS has been optimized for landscape use in some apps, so the layout is presented in a highly efficient way. This landscape optimization is present in the Home screen, email, and calendar apps. This is the way the original Nokia Communicator functioned when the OS in use was Series 80. Nokia was to later dumb the UI down when it ditched S80 for Series 60.
One small niggle with the F(x)tec Pro 1 is that it uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, which is about two years old now. It isn’t a bad processor. It still provides great performance, but I imagine that many people will be more open to parting with N230,000 for a device that uses SD845 or SD855.
Meanwhile, have you noticed that the companies coming up with Communicator-style smartphones are predominantly based in Europe – mostly the UK? Gemini PDA and Cosmo Communicator are made by UK-based Planet Computers. F(x)tec is a UK-based outfit too. The British have a strong nostalgia for the Communicator, it appears.
If you would like to pre-order one, the manufacturers are not asking for any payment details until 2-3 weeks prior to shipping in July, so you can pre-order if you are sceptical or if your bank account is empty right now. The pre-order page is right HERE .
Author:Mister Mobility
Digital Skills and Communication Coach | Mobile Phone Connoisseur since 2001 | Tech Blogging since 2004
