Samsung has introduced a new cheap, low-spec handset to the country in the form of the Ch@t 333 phone. Bearing more than a passing resemblance to the older line of BlackBerry devices, the Ch@t 333 is being marketed as a “smart messenger phone”, using a proprietary operating system to power a series of social networking applications.
The Ch@t 333 uses a tiny single core processor (208MHz) to run a 2.4-inch TFT display. The phone only features a tiny 2 megapixel rear camera and supports microSD cards up to 32GB but the specs aren’t really being marketed as being as important as the functionality of the phone.
Samsung Electronics South Africa’s Craige Fleischer has said in a statement that “…consumers are looking to become more connected and the Samsung Ch@t 333 is designed to meet these exact messaging and connectivity needs in the form of a cost-effective device.” The cost-effectiveness can be seen in the pricing, a relatively cheap R600. Samsung’s latest low-cost device will never replace your smartphone but it should find a market in South Africa at that price point.