Who said that x86-based smartphone should be expensive, bulky and power hungry? Intel Corp. and Safaricom bust the myths with Yolo, the industry’s first handset based on Atom Z2420 “Lexington” platform, a compact smartphone for $125 with high-performance and competitive battery life.

"The new handset extends the benefits of Intel technology to more smartphone users around the world and we believe that Kenyan consumers will welcome the increased functionality and overall value of the device. We look forward to our continued cooperation with Safaricom," said Aysegul Ildeniz, regional director for the Middle East, Turkey and Africa region.

The Yolo smartphone is based on the Intel smartphone reference design for the value segment of the smartphone market. The handset features 3.5” display and is powered by the Intel Atom Z2420 “Lexington” system-on-chip (one core with Hyper-Threading technology and up to 1.20GHz burst clock-speed). Safaricom Yolo is equipped with 5MP camera with 1080p video capture capability, FM radio and an expandable memory slot for greater flexibility, and HSPA+ modem support with Intel's XMM 6265 modem for global roaming. Yolo utilizes Google Android 4.x operating system and can also be enabled with McAfee mobile security software, providing consumers with added protection as well as data backup and restore capabilities when needed.

The device is aimed at the growing number of cost-conscious and first-time buyers in Kenya who do not want to sacrifice device performance or user experience for cost. The Yolo smartphone will be sold in Safaricom shops countrywide at the entry price of 10999 Kenyan shillings (approximately $125.9) and comes bundled with free 500MB data.

"We are redefining what cost-conscious Kenyans can expect from a smartphone. The Intel-based Yolo smartphone strikes a unique balance between price and performance – we consider it to be a real breakthrough. It's great news that Kenya will be the launch country in Africa for smartphones with Intel Inside and we expect a great reception from our customers," said Peter Arina, general manager of Safaricom' s consumer business unit.

Tags: Intel, Lexington, Clover Trail+, Atom, 32nm