JamboPhone 1, developed by the Congo-based crypto startup Jambo, is their first Web3 earn phone, announced early this year. Here’s our review of the $99 blockchain smartphone.
DESIGN
The phone comes in a neat box containing the SIM ejector tool, back case, user guide, 10W charger, and Type-C cable. Our unit has beautiful Celestial Gold colour, but other colour options exist, including Cosmic Black and Blue.
It has a 6.52-inch LCD screen sporting 720p resolution and a 60Hz refresh rate. It’s a decent display for browsing and watching content. At the bottom are the speaker grill, microphone, and Type-C port. The top has a headphone jack and another microphone. The side has three buttons: two volume rockers and a power button, while the other side has a SIM card slot. Instead of a side-mounted fingerprint reader, you get face unlock for biometrics.
PERFORMANCE
JamboPhone comes powered by a Unisoc T606 processor with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. It runs on Android 13 and has access to Google apps. The phone handles light and medium tasks well – from scrolling social media, browsing and light gaming.
Jambo has partnered with other crypto companies like Coinbase, Solana, Tether, PixelVerse, and Apto’s network so you’ll find partner apps in the phone like the Coinbase Wallet, Backpack, Call of the Voyd, OKX, OverProtocol, Injective, Sentz, Yellowcard, Sleepagotchi, Matr1x and more.
JamboPhone also comes with the Jambo Super app that features JamboPlay, JamboWallet, and JamboEarn. It is designed to let users earn, save, and manage money through Web3. The app offers a digital wallet, decentralized swaps, and earning options through play-to-earn games.
Users earn Jambo tokens by interacting with the app through the daily quests and the tokens can be converted to stable coins or local currencies. Jambo plans to add features like yield protocols and data-driven services like credit scoring.
CAMERAS
JamboPhone comes with a dual rear setup comprised of a 13MP main and a complementary VGA camera. You also get an 8MP selfie camera. You get basic camera modes including portrait, night, timelapse, pro, and video recording which is capped at 1080p for the main cameras and 720p for the selfie camera. You also get a QR code scanner.
In terms of performance, you get decent and usable photos.
Here are some samples:
BATTERY LIFE
JamboPhone comes with a 4900mAh battery and a 10W charger. The battery can push up to a day and a half with heavy use and three days with light use. Charging speeds are a bit slow but you can top up the phone in two hours.
VERDICT
JamboPhone is a nice affordable smartphone meant for crypto and web3 enthusiasts, especially in emerging markets like Africa. With the phone, Jambo is committing to making advanced smartphones accessible and allowing users to participate in Web3, backed by a $30M Series A funding from Paradigm to further its mission of democratizing digital opportunities.
The company is positioning itself as a pioneer in the African Web3 space, combining education, financial tools, and localized strategies to unlock economic opportunities. Jambo acknowledges regulatory challenges in Africa but is optimistic as governments gradually develop frameworks for Web3.
JamboPhone can be purchased at jambophone.xyz for $99.
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