Huawei Ideos Ascend Y-100 Android Phone at Safaricom Shops

The latest Ideos outfit: Huawei Ascend Y-100 which replaces Kenya’s most popular smart phone Ideos U8150, has been retailing in the country for weeks now at Safaricom outlets, whether it’ll perform as good is a question of time will tell. We’ve gone hands-on to provide our readers with a clear picture to make a more informed decision. If you’ve previously owned an Android smart phone, this is a no go zone; there’s little or worse no new additions you’ll get; however, for first timers, Huawei Ideos Ascend Y-100 might be a deal. Gauging from basic specifications and its offer price tag at Safaricom, this handset obviously belongs to the entry-level genre, it’s not the best device we’ve reviewed in that category but it’s a big contender considering everything. Huawei Ideos Ascend Y-100 does everything you’ll expect from an Android v2.3 powered device, but it’ll not take on heavyweights like Samsung I9300 Galaxy S3with plenty of specs.

Ideos U8150 was a major hit in Kenya; however, we are a little skeptical on Ascend Y-100’s success considering the availability of better devices such as Orange San Francisco/ZTE Bladewithin the same price range in Kenya. Under the hood is an 800Mhz processor which’s a major upgrade from the earlier ideos’s 600Mhz with 256mb RAM and 512MB ROM. Safaricom is offering Huawei Ideos Ascend Y-100 for Ksh.8,499 bundled with Ksh.1,000 airtime, 1.5GB data and 7 days unlimited sms.  

• Operating System: Android v2.3 Gingerbread
• Processor: 800 MHz Cortex-A5, Qualcomm MSM7225A Snapdragon CPU
• Display : 2.8inch (320x240p) (143ppi), Capacitive touch-screen
• Camera: 2.0Megapixel (1600x1200p)
• Storage: up to 32GB MicroSD 256MB RAM, 512 ROM
• Connectivity: MicroUSB v2.0, Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP
• Internet: 7.2Mbps HSDPA, 5.76Mbps HSUPA, 802.11b/g/n WiFi/hotspot
• Other ft: GPS, Sensors: Proximity, Accelerometer, Compass
• Battery: Standard Lithium ion 1050mAh