Nokia 1 launches in South Africa with Android Oreo Go Edition

Nokia is officially back and making waves in the mobile phone world. Last year we saw the return of the 3310, and more recently an updated version of the infamous banana-phone (or 8110, if you prefer the official name). On the “smarter” side of things, Nokia mobile’s parent company HMD Global has announced details of its entry-level smartphone, the Nokia 1.

Though it’s a smartphone and not a feature phone, the Nokia 1 is powered by Android Oreo Go Edition, a lightweight version of Android for devices with 1GB of RAM or less that takes up less memory and helps keep data use down on certain apps. The timing’s good because Google Go, Google’s similarly lightweight mobile browser, was launched in South Africa yesterday. 

HMD’s promising the sort of build quality with the Nokia 1 that made Nokia’s phones of old famous (just don’t throw it down a three-storey building). As far as innards go, there’s a quad-core processor, 4G connectivity and dual SIM slots. The 2150mAh battery is removable, and it has an IPS display, which, with Go Edition apps, should help keep the demands on the battery down.

Personalisation is still high on Nokia’s priority list. The Nokia 1 will be available in two colour variations — warm red and dark blue — but you’ll be able to customise it heavily with Xpress-on covers (which you can bet will come in various hues, and from both official and unofficial sources).

You’ll be able to purchase the Nokia 1 smartphone for R1,000 from Cell C, MTN, Vodacom. No word from Telkom Mobile yet. For the price, the Nokia 1 is a great starter for users looking to enter the smartphone realm.