Mara X, Mara Z : Smartphones Made Entirely in Rwanda

In what can be termed as a major technological achievement, Mara Phones, a Rwanda based smartphone manufacturer has developed two smartphones, Mara Phone X and Mara Phone Z, both of which are being manufactured indigenously in the capital of Rwanda, Kigali.

Mara X, the entry-level smartphone with a 5.5-inch HD+ display and Mediatek MT6739 processor retails for a super affordable $130. Other specifications of the phone include Android 8.1 Oreo, 16 GB Internal Memory, 1GB RAM, 13MP Rear Camera, and 5MP Selfie camera.

Mara Z, which is a premium offering in the segment has a 5.7 inches HD+ IPS Display with a Snapdragon 435 octa-core processor. The device ships with Android 8.1 Oreo and has a 13MP rear and a 13MP selfie shooter. The phone is priced aggressively at just $199.

The President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame expressed great happiness at the release of the smartphones. He was quoted “The Mara Phone joins a growing list of high-quality products that are made in our country”.

Interestingly the phone production factory has women as 60% of the total workforce which is a great achievement in itself. The CEO of the company Ashish Thakkar said that they aimed to produce high-quality smartphones at affordable prices to facilitate financial inclusion in the continent.