Chinese gadgets set the pace in affordability and quality- Report

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The price of smartphones has declined by at least Sh1000 over the last three years to 2018, proving an increased entry mobile technologies in the country.

According to Jumia Mobile Report 2019, the average amount spent to purchase a smartphone on the platform in 2014 was Sh18,500 ($186), reducing to Sh9,600 ($97) in 2016 and 8500($86) in 2018 respectively.

“Although affordability of the smartphone has historically been quoted as a major challenge, Jumia has reported a continuous decrease in average price of smartphone over the last three years,” the report stated.

According to the online retail store, this is attributed to the rise of affordable entry-level devices from brands adding in smartphone adoption.

The smartphone industry has remained a truly competitive landscape throughout the years, with Chinese brands dominating both Kenyan and African markets

In 2018, Jumia recorded top mobile sales in Infinix brands. Xiaomi and Huawei were seen as strong new entrants, gaining five per cent and nine per cent market share on Jumia respectively in the year.

Despite the price of smartphones falling, smartphone users, continue to focus on specifications along with brand perception and quality.

“This has resulted in brands offering higher specifications at lower pricing by investing in higher storage, larger screen size, better camera resolution and 4G network connectivity on their devices.  This with the need to create value for consumers,” Jumia added.

Mobile adoption currently stands at 91 per cent representing 46.94 million users compared to 80 per cent mobile penetration in Africa.

Chinese brands have in recent years firmed their presence in the local market with low-cost, medium and high-end smartphones, providing consumers with a wide range of internet-enabled devices.

The entry of Techno, Huawei, Lenovo, Oppo and Infinix into Kenyan market has exerted downward pressure on smartphone prices in a market teeming with other brands like South Korea’s Samsung, Wiko of France and Blackberry of Canada.

The total value of goods from China imported into the country was worth Sh346.61 billion in 11 months through November 2018, according to Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) data.

The value was, however, Sh19.6 billion lower than the Sh366.21 billion purchased in the same period in 2017. The total value imported in 12 months of 2017 amounted to Sh390.6 billion, representing an increase of 15.8 per cent in the previous year.

In 2015, the handsets top the list of items that traders ordered from China.

KNBS also showed Sh15.5 billion worth of Chinese phones were shipped into the country in the year to November, beating the value of machinery and construction equipment valued at Sh13 billion ordered over the same period despite ongoing construction of roads and standard gauge railway (SGR) line.

This was followed by construction equipment like bulldozers, graders and excavators at Sh11.9 billion.

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