Snokor Rocket Z5000 is the latest Smartphone to enter the Kenyan market, coming at a time when the number of Kenyans using Smartphones continues to grow drastically. According to the latest statistics by Communications Authority of Kenya (CA), smartphone penetration in Kenya stands at 82%.
It also comes at a time when a number of other Smartphone manufacturing companies continue to invade the competitive Smartphone Kenyan market
Launched in November Snokor, according to the manufacturers has been designed to suit the low end market users targeting to supply the best quality and most affordable Smartphone to African and Asian market.
As promised when we first told you about its entry into the Kenyan market, we are breaking down the features this smartphone entails. Is it worth the prize? Has it really been designed for the low end market users as the manufactures say? What makes it stand out from all the other Smartphones that have recently entered the Kenyan market? This together with other questions is what we will be answering and discussing in this review.
Design
The first time you look at this phone, you might mistake it for an Infinix, in fact the first time I posted a photo of it on my Facebook timeline while unboxing it, I asked my readers to guess what brand they thought it was and most of them actually thought this was an Infinix smartphone. The rounded edges, the flashy colors among other features makes one think this is an infinix Smartphone not until you see the SNOKOR brand printed at the back of the phone.
When you hold the Snokor smartphone in your hand for the first time, you immediately have the impression that it is quite light. While it definitely does feel light it actually isn’t much. It is heavier than most 5 inch display phones I have come into contact with. The reason behind the light weight feeling is the weight distribution. I feel Snokor did a good job at distributing the weight evenly. The handset is also a bit big in terms of physical dimensions measuring 142.4 x 73.2 x 10.1mm and it does not feel a bit big.
On the front, the phone comes with a 5 inch display screen below which it has 3 touch buttons, the home, back and another button that helps display over ten apps you have previously used with the smartphone. Above the display screen, the phone also has an earpiece at the centre. Towards the left of the earpiece there is also the front facing camera. The 3.5mm audio jack and the microUSB port also come at the top most part of the SNOKOR phone.
The left side of the phone is left empty while the right side houses the volume up/down rocker button and the power/lock key. I quite liked the feedback I got when I tried using the keys. They were properly raised from the phone body and this made me easily locate the keys and press. They also provided good feedback through satisfying clicks.
At the back, the phone comes with a 5 megapixel camera which also comes with an LED flash. The phone also comes with its name, SNOKOR, encrypted at the back. At the bottom the phone we have the loudspeaker with the name ROCKET, encrypted slightly above it.
The smartphone comes in three variants, yellow, black and white and I feel the color options are quite good and should be able to appeal to a wide range of customers, especially the young audience the company is targeting.
That said, let us now dwell into the specifications.
Processors and Storage
The SNOKOR phone runs on a 1.2GHz Quad Core Processor and is powered by the latest version operating system Android 5.1 and a 1GB RAM. It also comes with an inbuilt storage of 8GB which is quite good for a Smartphone targeting the low end market. Moreover, the phone has a memory support of up to 16GB and is as well bundled up with cloud storage.
Battery life
The SNOKOR comes with a 3600 mAh Li-ion battery. When I first got the phone I charged it close to 6 hours and it was fully charged and I was able to use it for two days while using it for just calls and messaging services.
Another interesting feature is the fact that I was able to save on my battery with the battery saver feature. The feature reduces the device’s performance and limits vibration, location services, and most background data. With battery saver, Email, messaging and other apps that rely on syncing may not update unless you open. The feature also turns off automatically while charging the SNOKOR phone.
Camera
The SNOKOR comes with a 5 megapixels rear camera and a 2 megapixels front camera. This helps you take quality photos and good video clips too.
I however feel SNOKOR would have done better when it comes to the camera settings considering there are other smartphones in the market with up to 8 megapixels rear and 5 megapixels front camera targeting the same market.
Check out some of the photos I took with the smartphone this Sunday while in Nairobi Central Business District:
Entertainment
For people who love to be entertainment the SNOKOR Rocket Z5000 had you in mind too. The phone has a music player that supports mp3, WAV, FLAC and Eacc+ music formats. The video player feature to help you watch your favorite video also supports videos in four fomarts; MPEG4, H.263,H.264 and XviD. The FM Radio(with RDS) to listen to your favorite stations is something the SNOKOR manufactures did not forget about too.
General Specifications
- Operating System: Android 5.1
- Processor : Quad Core 1.2GHz
- SIM Count : Dual SIM, Dual Standby
- RAM: 1GB
- Internal Storage: 8GB
- Memory card Support: up to 16GB
- Network support: 3G/2G
- Display:0’’ Touch Screen
Network Support
- 2G:850 / 900 /1800 / 1900MHz
- 3g WCDMA: 850 / 2100 MHz
Internet and Connectivity
- GPRS: up to 48kbps
- 3G/WCDMA/HSPA up to 21mbps
- WLAN: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Bluetooth
- USB port: microUSB 2.0
PRIZE
The phone is currently retailing at Kshs.6,500 and can be bought from online shopping portal Kilimal. SNOKOR partnered with Kilimal to sell the smartphone.
Verdict
I have used the SNOKOR Rocket Z5000 for close to two weeks now and it is a phone that I would recommend to people who are thinking of buying their first Smartphone. From the sleek design, to the processor, to the camera, and the prize this is indeed an affordable smartphone for almost everyone
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