Aiming to grab its own share of the booming smartphone market, Microsoft has recently announced the availability of the Microsoft Lumia 535 Dual SIM, the first Microsoft branded smartphone, in Kenya.

Key features of the phone as revealed during the launch include a new 5 MP wide angle front camera for Skype calls and selfies, a functionality that supports the editing and sharing of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote documents with the pre-installed software, 15GB of free OneDrive Cloud Storage, built in Microsoft Outlook and the Smart Dual SIM capability.

“Many people, especially the younger audience, aspire to own the latest flagship smartphone but often don’t have the means to get it. With access to the best services right out of the box, including the Windows Phone 8.1 update, Lumia Denim, The Lumia 535 Dual SIM helps people do more of what they want, for less,” said Mariam Abdullahi, General Manager Microsoft Mobile Device Sales, East Africa.

Vicnent Lobry, CEO of Orange Telkom Kenya also expressed great optimism adding that the price point was very suitable for such a large screen.

“More of our customers are demanding a large screen experience at an affordable price. With the 5 inch screen, the latest Windows Phone operating system and access to a range of Microsoft services, the Lumia 535 Dual SIM is an ideal device to offer them. We are also very excited to offer, for a limited period, a discounted launch price of Kshs 8,450 ($94) at selected Orange outlets including GPO – Mega, Extelecomms – next Co-operative house, T-Mall, Galleria and Sarit centre in Nairobi.”

Generally available for purchase at a price point of Kshs 13,800 ($153), Microsoft Lumia 535 blends the best of Lumia 730 and 830, featuring high speed 3G functionality of up to 42.2Mbps downlink. With its full featured Microsoft branding, the phone is a sure win for Windows 8 loyalists.

By Emmanuel Iruobe