CONQUERING AFRICA-The Story of Transsion, Maker of Tecno, Infinix and Itel Phones
For over ten years now, I have had the privilege of telling people what phone to buy. I have watched many brands come and go. Nokia was heartbreaking but I have felt no remorse for Blackberry. This story is not about the Finnish and Canadian manufacturers who lost due to their inability to compete with the more aggressive players that have now saturated the market.
This is about Transsion, the company that makes Tecno, Infinix and Itel phones. Several years ago, the name Tecno could only be associated with lousy feature phones that could wake you from coma when they rang. Tecno phones were also perceived as low quality, probably made in the backyard of some Chinese students looking for what to experiment with. In several instances, I have had people tell me they cannot carry a Tecno phone around and most times I offered to cover the logo and brand name of the device,usually boldly printed on the back or front panel, with paper tape.
Today the story has changed. Transsion smartphones overtook Samsung in Africa in 2017.
Not only have they dominated the smartphone market, they also top the charts for feature phones(phones that cannot do too much beyond basic internet access and a few pre-installed applications ).
Transsion does not sell its smartphones in china where they were founded in 2006 as Tecno Telecom Limited. They are now fully focused on Africa with a manufacturing plant in Ethiopia where they have even trained locals to run the plant. According to data from the International Data Corporation (IDC), the Chinese manufacturer overtook Samsung for the first time in 2017 with a market share of 28% with Samsung having 27% market share.
Think Globally, Act Locally
With this slogan, the company has been able to adopt global strategies in solving problems in the African mobile phone market as Arif Chowdhury, Vice President of Transsion explains;
“In the African market, we’ve done lots of things as a first, such as solving the dual-SIM problem, and we have to continue to listen to the market, staying ‘on the ground’ and not managing Africa from China. Africa has to be managed from Africa.”
Africa Focus: Camera for Black Faces
Using over 10,000 photos from African consumers, the company has been able to create a special algorithm to enhance camera performance. This enhancement makes it possible for cameras in some Tecno, Infinix and Itel phones to capture 30% more light on darker faces. I have seen Tecno phones bundle up to 16mp front facing cameras with flash, all for selfies. Rejoice!!! oh ye dark skinned selfie takers.
Dense Batteries
Some very affordable Itel and Tecno phones have dense batteries with ratings between 3000mAH — 6000mAH. Battery capacities are rated in milliamp hours and the more the mAH, the longer the battery should last. Before now the average battery rating for a smartphone was 2600mAH. Some very reputable and well respected smartphones proudly ran with this capacity. The Transsion smartphones have raised the bar. It has to be said however, that battery performance cannot be judged from the capacity alone. Other things like processor, display technology and operating conditions have a part to play. For the sake of this post, we shall not explore these other factors.
Dual Sim Slots
Some Tecno feature phones even have up to three or four sim slots. The need for more than one sim slot is an African problem. Our network providers are not reliable. We end up carrying two to four sim cards in order to optimize for peculiar offerings from these providers. Some give cheap data at very slow speeds while others have cheaper call rates with high cost of data. Nigeria leads the pack of countries with highest multi-sim phone usage with 66% of nearly 140 million active lines as at the year 2014 as reported by Quartz. Multi-sim phones from brands like Tecno deserve the credit for this feat.
Local Languages/Content
Chowdhury also talks of efforts made by Transsion to add local languages to devices;
“We developed local language. In Ethiopia, we launched our phones with Amharic, Tigrinya and Oromo in the East African market and in countries such as Kenya and Tanzania we launched devices with Swahili, and in Nigeria with Hausa. This brought to the consumer’s mind: ‘OK, this company is very serious and wants to stay in the market’.”
You may have also noticed the Palmchat and Palmplay apps on Tecno, Infinix or Itel phones. Palmchat now has over 170million subscribers. This is so because the app works on feature phones and enables the low income users to enjoy instant messaging like smartphone users do with Whatsapp.
Pricing Points and Consumer Segments
Contrary to the perception of many, Transsion does not set out to make cheap phones. They focus on providing value while appealing to the price consciousness of the African market. This explains why you find Tecno, Infinix and Itel phones for almost every price range and consumer segment. You can get a smart phone for about fifteen thousand naira (N15,000 and less than $50) that performs all the basic functionalities of a smartphone that costs thirty thousand naira (N30,000 and about $83). A typical example is the Itel it1408 which packs a 3000mAH battery, 500MB RAM and 8GB internal memory at fourteen thousand five hundred naira (N14,500 and less than $50). Itel phones are made to accommodate the mass market. Something affordable for anyone. You will observe that the average Itel phone does not have a very good display (screens with low pixel density). Tecno phones have grown to be more premium and exquisite, like the Tecno Phantom 8. Infinix phones are designed to have very good specifications while remaining affordable. The average Infinix phone has a good display (screens with mid to high pixel density).
After Sales Services
This is where Transsion wins the heart of many on the continent. The Carlcare, a subsidiary dedicated to after-sales services and support, will fix a bad Tecno, Itel and Infinix phone still under warranty without asking for the receipt or where you bought it. I have experienced the commitment of the brand in this aspect on three occasions and I can say this is a big deal. No phone is perfect, not even the Apple devices, you need a place to run to when something strange happens. The penetration of the Carlcare outlets is worthy of praise. You will find them in every major city in Nigeria.
Manufacturers like Transsion have been able to improve smartphone penetration in Africa due to their low cost but valuable phones. This is not to discredit or downplay the efforts of other global players like Samsung, Apple, Huawei and the rest. Their own story shall come.
This is the story of a company that has grown from obscurity and bad reputation to conquer the African mobile phone market. From phones that had charging port issues to devices that went to sleep and never woke up after a few months of usage, Tecno, Infinix and Itel phones have evolved into a position of global competitiveness. This, in fact, is worthy of praise.
The next time you wield a Tecno device, see someone with an Infinix or pass by an Itel phone, remember that these brands are made in Africa for Africans, they are not substandard or without pedigree. They do not emanate from nowhere and are not begging for recognition. They have paid the price and earned their place in the palms of many.
