The Steppa Smartphone Launched By MTN; The Most Affordable Smartphone Ever
MTN South Africa has launched a smartphone going for just R499 ($46.5), undoubtedly the cheapest phone currently in the market. The Steppa smartphone as it is called is expected to revolutionize the telecommunication industries by bridging the digital divide between the affluent and those who are not. It will do this by bringing smartphone features to the budget of low income earners, thereby bringing onboard consumers who for a long time have been locked out from enjoying smartphone use, due to high prices.
Today Innova8tiv Magazine takes an in depth look at exactly what does the Steppa smartphone has got to offer, other than the very affordable price of R499 ($46.5). To begin with the pricing, R499 ($46.5) is quite affordable for most consumers, hence Steppa scores highly on that. A general review on its features reveals that the Steppa gives you all the relevant features you would need in a smartphone while leaving out the features you don’t or will never have to use. This is probably what makes it inexpensive compared to the conventional smartphones in the market, most of which give you high-end feature that you rarely ever use if at all you use them.
Finally let us take a microscopic look at the features the Steppa smartphone has in store for users. Some of these features are listed below:
- Design: MTN got it right when it came to design. The Steppa is quite eye-catching with its beautiful & crisp design. It has the option of black or white exterior cover, both option have a very contemporary look. Another thing adding up to its design is the fact that it is quite snuggly in your hand’s palm making it quite convenient for fast typing. It has a dimension of 121.4×63.2×11.8 mm and weighing in at just 125g, making it fit easily in your pocket.
- Display: It has a clear 3.5 inch Touchscreen display with a resolution of 320×480 HVGA 16M TFT.
- Hardware: Under the hood, the Steppa is fitted with a Single Core 1.Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, backed by a 512MB RAM, with the Android 2.3.5 (Gingerbread) OS. It also has a 1GM ROM that can be expanded via a MicroSD card up to 32GB of memory storage.
- Camera: It only has the rear camera of 2MP AF Camera properties with a video recording capability.
- Battery: It is powered by a 1300mAh battery, and according to reviews done by experts. This battery can power the phone for the entire day based on an extensive web surfing and chatting usage.
- Other Features: The Android 2.3.5 OS of the Steppa phone has been customized to the needs of the MTN subscribers, giving them easy access to MTN products. This feature has been enabled by a preloaded apps like the myMTNza app. This app enables you to easily check balance, purchase airtime, data & SMS bundles. It also comes preloaded with various apps such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Google+ and Twitter among others.
Pros: The Steppa phone is inexpensive making it affordable to many consumers, without compromising on the essential features the average consumer would require from a smartphone. The battery power is quite impressive giving you the ability to go the entire day without need for recharge.
Cons: The 3.5 inched screen is quite small compared to the Phablet categories. Meaning user experience while watching videos or playing games will not be as rewarding comparatively speaking. The RAM size of 512MB and a single core processor, means users can run many apps simultaneously and be able to switch seamlessly between different apps.
Verdict: The Steppa smartphone is undoubtedly the best phone in terms of entry level into smartphones usage. It’s ideal for users who want to enjoy the essential benefits of a smartphone, but have don’t have enough spare income to buy the best smartphone in the market. It will definitely go a long way in terms of bridging the digital divide between the high income consumer market and the low income consumer market.
