Getting past the obvious “YOLO” jokes, today’s launch comes from Africa, where a new handset was announced by Safaricom and it’s dubbed Yolo. This is Africa’s first Intel-powered smartphone, available for $126 and bundled with 500 MB of data traffic.
The handset offers HSPA+ support and relies on an Intel Atom Z240 processor clocked up to 1.2 GHz. This is the same Lexington processor that was sampled by a select few at CES 2013. The Yolo phone also comes with Android 4.0, a 3.5 inch display and a 5 megapixel camera at the back, with the ability to do 1080p video capture. Safaricom is aiming the product at first time buyers of smartphones, on a budget.
It’s a wonder that a handset power by Intel technology ended up so cheap. Just look at the Intel-powered tablets and their prices… The Intel Atom CPU is the one to save them all, but the power is far from Ivy Bridge levels. We’ll have to wait and see if AMD can pull a move in this area or if the likes of Mediatek/Allview/Rockchip will take over.
