Three new South African-made smartphones to be launched in 2020

[Hanno Labuschagne]

Three new South African-made smartphones to be launched in 2020

South Africa’s first smartphone maker, Mara Phones, will launch three new smartphones this year.

These will be in addition to the two smartphones that Mara Phones’ factory currently produces – the Mara X and the Mara Z.

Speaking with MyBroadband, Mara Phones Head of Growth Sylvester Taku said that Mara Phones plans to launch the following three new smartphone models this year:

• Mara Z1
• Mara X1
• Mara S

 

[backstreetboy]

Haven't seen any of these phones anywhere.

 

[RedViking]

Haven't seen any of these phones anywhere.

allegedly to be launched

 

[backstreetboy]

allegedly to be launched

These will be in addition to the two smartphones that Mara Phones’ factory currently produces – the Mara X and the Mara Z.

 

[RedViking]

Seen it at $Vodacom$

 

[FiestaST]

I will wait for the Mara Y.

 

[Rickster]

Didnt the government try to make a smartphones and failed hard leading to a huge factory closure?

 

[RedViking]

Didnt the government try to make a smartphones and failed hard leading to a huge factory closure?

Ramaphosa opens South Africa's first smartphone factory - Cape Business News

President Cyril Ramaphosa opened South Africa’s first smartphone factory at the Dube TradePort in Durban on Thursday. The launch of the Mara Phones plant comes 12 months after Mara Group company chief executive Ashish Thakkar announced at the inaugural Africa Investment Forum in November last...

www.cbn.co.za

Maybe got a bail out.

Edit:

The Corrupt Capital branch closed down:

R1-billion South African electronics factory shutting down – Here’s what happened

Yekani Manufacturing’s R1-billion electronics factory in East London could soon close its doors for good.

mybroadband.co.za

Fortunately only 1.5 billion lost.

Edit 2:
Doesn't seem to be relate to Mara.

Edit 3:
Maybe it is related.

 

[Willie Trombone]

Haven't seen any of these phones anywhere.

Phones Archives - RSA Made

www.rsamade.co.za

Product Details

www.vodacom.co.za

 

[Willie Trombone]

R1-billion South African electronics factory shutting down – Here’s what happened

Yekani Manufacturing’s R1-billion electronics factory in East London could soon close its doors for good.

mybroadband.co.za

Not related to Mara. That's Yekani.
Mara is not really a south african company. They manufacture here, but are foreign owned AFAIK.

 

[RedViking]

Not related to Mara. That's Yekani.
Mara is not really a south african company. They manufacture here, but are foreign owned AFAIK.

I have a suspicion it is one and the same thing. Follow the bread crumbs and it will lead to the same place. But of course it is just that, a suspicion.

 

[ToxicBunny]

Not related to Mara. That's Yekani.
Mara is not really a south african company. They manufacture here, but are foreign owned AFAIK.

I would also question whether the phones are made here, I'm guessing its an SKD type of operation, the phones are assembled here, but technically manufactured elsewhere

 

[Gravedigger]

Ehh, R3k for the Mara X?

Wondering what CPU are they offering?
Most likely a MediaTek CPU.
MediaTek is useless to me.
Been a Snapdragon fan from day one.

 

[Willie Trombone]

I have a suspicion it is one and the same thing. Follow the bread crumbs and it will lead to the same place. But of course it is just that, a suspicion.

Show us these bread crumbs please.
One is a manufacturing plant in East London and owned by South Africans. The other is a Dubai company based in KZN. The only breadcrumb I see is they are electronics manufacturers. You know Yekani are the DSTV decoder manufacturers?

Ashish J. Thakkar Launches Smartphone Factory In Rwanda

Mara Phones, a subsidiary company of the Mara Group owned by businessman Ashish J. Thakkar, has built a high tech smartphone manufacturing facility in Kigali’s Special Economic Zone, Rwanda.

www.forbes.com

Africa’s Mara Group Launches Phone Factories in Durban, Kigali

Calling them the first “Made in Africa” smartphones, the Mara Group has opened two factories this month, with a $100 million investment near Durban, in what is described as South Africa's first fully-fledged smartphone manufacturing plant.

www.forbes.com

 

[Willie Trombone]

I would also question whether the phones are made here, I'm guessing its an SKD type of operation, the phones are assembled here, but technically manufactured elsewhere

Agree

 

[RedViking]

Show us these bread crumbs please.

Will need to follow the money trail which we don't have access too.

 

[Willie Trombone]

Ehh, R3k for the Mara X?
View attachment 904886
Wondering what CPU are they offering?
Most likely a MediaTek CPU.
MediaTek is useless to me.
Been a Snapdragon fan from day one.

Mediatek MT6739 in the Mara X

 

[Willie Trombone]

Will need to follow the money trail which we don't have access too.

Ah, so your 'Follow the bread crumbs and it will lead to the same place' is based on how you slept last night and feel this morning.

 

[backstreetboy]

Ehh, R3k for the Mara X?
View attachment 904886
Wondering what CPU are they offering?
Most likely a MediaTek CPU.
MediaTek is useless to me.
Been a Snapdragon fan from day one.

Nothing wrong with Mediatek. Even my 5 year old Mediatek phone is getting custom rom updates as well.

 

[RedViking]

Ah, so your 'Follow the bread crumbs and it will lead to the same place' is based on how you slept last night and feel this morning.

You struggle to read?

But of course it is just that, a suspicion.