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Google expands Android One to North Africa with launch of Infinix HOT 2

Following the recent expansion to Pakistan, Thailand and Myanmar, Google is continuing to roll out its Android One devices to more countries. Today marks the first day of the program’s availability in Africa. Google announced this morning that Android One is making its way to North Africa with the budget-friendly Infinix HOT 2 smartphone in Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya and Morocco.

Infinix’s smartphone packs a quad-core MediaTek processor, 16GB storage (expandable via MicroSD) and runs Android 5.1 Lollipop. It also has dual-SIM support, front and rear cameras and will come as a standard option with 1GB RAM or premium model with 2GB RAM. The former will be available in red, blue, white and black while the premium device comes in gold. All this in a package that costs just N17,500 in Nigeria (approx $87 USD). It’ll be available via online retailer Jumia.

Like all Android One devices, it runs a virtually stock version of Google’s mobile operating system. And although the HOT 2 will launch with 5.1 Lollipop, it will get 6.0 Marshmallow soon after it becomes available to the public.

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As an added bonus to its African customers, Google announced that it will be bringing the offline viewing feature to its YouTube app later this year in the region. Consumers will be able to simply tap the ‘offline’ icon within the app and watch the video without an internet connection for up to 48 hours.

With the addition of these six African countries, Google’s Android One is now available in 16 countries. As the company continues to expand and reach more people, it’s said to be investing heavily in bringing the average retail price of the Android One smartphones to well below $100, making it far more attainable for consumers in developing countries.

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