You’ll less likely hear smart phone veterans out there talk about Mi-fone, let alone have a device with such a name, but their latest Mi-A400 device is a big contender if specs are anything to go by. I am not a big fan of this company and it’s probably the first device I am reviewing with such a label, but I got to tell you the specs underneath are almost unbelievable with a rock-bottom price tag. Mi-fone Mi-A400 is a dual sim handset, that’s something most Kenyan’s highly consider, it’s a feature you may not find on pricier devices let alone those powered by android OS. In practice, I can have two separate sim cards from different service providers in the country active at the same time on this phone, using their services is of course optional and the most logical method to choose is by price. I can go on and on outlining the benefits of dual sim capability but let’s not forget there are hundreds of phones with the same feature; however, they aren’t as cheap.

The Galaxy Music Duos S6012 is a new comer with nothing particularly fuzzy beyond its dual sim capability and an impressive 4GB internal storage memory, it’s not the kind of phone you’d sell off your current droid to own but it might appeal to smart phone starters. The phone is secretly retailing in Kenya for a round Kshs.16000 though expected to cost lesser upon availability in major stores, it’s not the price you’d call cheap neither is it near that of close rivals such as Techno N3 which’s going for half that price despite resembling in most features. A 3inh display screen is not something I’d call impressive especially for a device in this price bracket, Techno N3 is 0.5inches larger but costs half the price, and the screen resolution is a total mess, that’s if you’ve played around with a couple of droids. For a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels translating to 133ppi (pixels per inch), you’d better expect small text to look blurry and a pixilated photo gallery.

The Asha 308 has been retailing in Kenya for a while since it was officially unleashed a few months back, so it’s not a new comer but only a few potential buyers have the right facts about it. Like some of the Asha siblings, it’s a dual sim device with a 3.0inch capacitive display instead of a Qwerty key-pad. For those who’ve had or are familiar with the asha lineup, Nokia has been keen to separate dual sim and Qwerty keypad features on these devices, so it’s not unexpected to see the same scenario repeated on Asha 308. There’s not much underneath just like the rest of asha siblings, so don’t expect the same experience as you’d on pricier devices; instead, if you’re looking for an exceptional device, be ready to pay more for a windows, iOS, Blackberry or an android handset. The phone doesn’t have a lot to offer, but that doesn’t mean it’s entirely worthless, for a retail price of around Ksh.10500 in Kenya, I’d say asha 308 deserves unbiased consideration.

‘Pessimism’ is a condition I’ve fought hard to avoid, I honestly can’t recall instances it has weighed down my better judgment but one thing is for sure, my reservations on Nokia’s progress before the first Lumia was introduced were alive and kicking. The Lumia 620 is not by any chance a high-end device and doesn’t cost as much, so you’d better keep expectations realistic to get a fair impression; compromises here were inevitable to keep prices under, but a few tweaks here and there still keep this phone beyond close rivals. I don’t intent to impose any preferences here neither is it my job, everyone has a right to decide but I’d say, the love we’ve adopted for a MicroSD card slot on modern handsets can’t be ignored. These types of slots essentially aids in expanding the internal memory by using an external MicroSD card, it’s a feature you’d not expected on every smart phone including top brands like the iPhones but necessary if you’ve a couple of mp4 files you’d rather carry around on your handset.