Why is the Neon Ultra important to Kenyans?
One of the most read articles on this publication has everything to do with the Neon Ultra, a smartphone that initially launched as a Safaricom exclusive before its reach expanded to more Kenyans under the digital literacy program by President Ruto. Through the ICT and Digital Economy Ministry, the state had promised affordable smartphones to locals that would go for about KES 5,000. While that did not happen, Ruto finally launched the devices – the Neon Ultra and Neon Smarta. These are familiar devices for Safaricom customers because they have been around for a while. However, they are now assembled in Athi River and can be accessed from another partner: mobile operator Faiba. The Neon Ultra smartphones from Safaricom and Faiba differ in many aspects, but we will discuss that along the way.
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Specifications
To note, the Neon Ultra is an entry-level smartphone, meaning its affordable. Affordability comes with its set of compromises, and we will discuss them. They are not a big deal for a first-time smartphone user, but they can surely annoy a seasoned user who has enjoyed faster and more capable devices.
Right off the bat…
| Neon Ultra | Specs |
| Screen | 6.5 inches |
| Main camera | 8 MP |
| Selfie | 5 MP |
| RAM | 2 GB |
| Internal memory | 32 GB |
| Chipset | Quad-core Unisoc SC9832E |
| Operating system | Android 13 |
| SIM | Safaricom: Single SIM locked Faiba: Dual SIM |
| MicroSD card slot | No |
| Battery | 3750 mAh, removable |
| Charging | Speeds unspecified Type-C |
The specs are fairly decent for the price, but how does the whole device feel in terms of daily usage? Read on…
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Price and availability
The unit at Safaricom (which can be purchased from Safaricom care centre shops or its e-commerce platform, Masoko) goes for KES 9,000. The unit at Faiba goes for KES 10,800. The Faiba unit, as the spec sheet above suggests, is dual SIM and is not locked to any specific network. Does that warrant its slightly higher price? Well, that depends if you have two SIM cards, which is most Kenyans. If, however, have one Safaricom SIM card, then save your money and pick the Safaricom unit.
Design
The Neon Ultra is ordinary-looking. There isn’t much to talk about its design: all the buttons are on the right, a headphone socket is at the top, and a USB-C socket at the bottom. However, it has a nice trick: the backplate is removable to access a user-removable battery. This is handy for those who will choose to purchase another battery to replenish charge. For now, we are not sure if Faiba or Safaricom has the batteries in store or how much they cost. But I am glad this feature is here because it reminds me of the old times when we would swap batteries instead of being a wall hugger (my age is showing).
Everything else is pretty standard. The back has a camera island that houses an 8MP shooter, with two fake cameras just to confuse you.
Screen
Measuring 6.52 inches, the Neon Ultra’s display is quite generous. In fact, I can argue that it is one of its best features. If you like watching stuff on YouTube on a big phone screen, this will do the work. It also has a notch at the top, something I do not wish to see in 2024, or ever again.
It does not get as bright outside, so that is something you need to take note of. Otherwise, it is passable, for the price.
Software
The software situation here is pretty standard: it is powered by Android 13 (not the Go version that is usually toned down to be easy on entry-level specs It is actually Android 13, Go Edition). There is no added skin on top, which is a good thing because skins can be punishing, performance-wise, for budget devices. This means that the software experience is clean and akin to stock Android.
Since this is a Safaricom unit, it ships with two pre-installed apps: M-PESA and mySafaricom. These are popular apps here, and many users will not see the need to uninstall them. Overall, I am a big fan of the software experience situation here, although it is not as responsive. Which brings me to the next point…
Performance
The Neon Ultra is powered by a quad-core Unisoc SC9832E chipset. Simply put, this is one of the cheapest CPUs in the world, and it shows. The Ultra struggles to execute basic daily tasks. Apps take too long to open or even run. If you decide to download or update them, the phone will take forever (this is an exaggeration) to do so. There are many other performance hiccups along the way. For a keen eye, it is easy to tell that this is a budget phone, and it ensures that you know that based on its crawling performance.
This is not a phone for an experienced smartphone user who has enjoyed the best of devices in the market because the Ultra will frustrate them. It needs a lot of patience, which a lot of people, including yours truly, do not have.
For a first-time smartphone user, which the Neon targets (and is the theme of the local assembly plant that wants to sell these devices to the unconnected population), it is a perfect phone because it will usher them into a digital world, and at a fairly reasonable price.
Battery
First of all, it is removable, a rare feature in today’s smartphone world. It is a 3750 mAh cell that can last a whole day with moderate usage. However, it drains quite fast even when the phone is idle. Charging takes up to two hours, but you can do so using a Type-C cable, another rare feature in this price range.
Camera
Great smartphone cameras cost a lot of money to develop. Cameras are also what differentiate an expensive device from an affordable one. In this case, you can fill in the blanks.
Anyway, on brightly lit days, you will be able to squeeze decent-looking snaps. In more challenging lighting situations, the picture performance deteriorates. This is the easiest way to talk about cameras, and I really do not have anything else to add.
Oh, one more quick thing: the selfie snaps 5MP images. The rear camera is an 8MP unit with a flash. The other two ‘cameras’ are not cameras but fake ones to simulate a camera island. They are there for looks, so to speak.
Here are some samples…
Competition
Ever since inflation happened, and Kenya’s knack for increasing taxes on everything, smartphones have generally become expensive. It is impossible to get a functional smartphone for under KES 10,000 – which is why the Neon Ultra makes sense for Kenyans who are struggling to put food on the table and while wanting to stay connected.
There is a younger sibling of the Ultra called Neon Smarta that goes for about KES 7,000. You can read about its specs here. It does the same things that the Ultra does, but it is smaller.
Other devices that would compete with the Neon Ultra from manufacturers such as HMD Global (Nokia), Xiaomi, TECNO, iTel and Infinix are slightly pricier, and no budget-hunting Kenyan wants to pay more for a smartphone.
Should you buy the Neon Ultra?
Buy it if it is your first smartphone or for someone who is yet to use a smart handheld. It will be a device for them to connect with other people on the TikToks and Instagrams of the world.
Don’t buy the Neon Ultra if you have previously used faster phones. It will frustrate you because it is just slow.
FYI: I have been hard on the Neon Ultra, and for good reason – which is – I really have to because reviews are supposed to be subjective. That should not mean that it is not a great device for the said demographic.
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