SHENZHEN, China—The top player in Africa’s fast-growing smartphone market isn’t Apple Inc. or Samsung Electronics Co. It is Transsion Holdings Ltd., an obscure Chinese manufacturer that won customers by offering handsets with features targeted to local markets. Transsion—whose products are sold under the Tecno, itel and Infinix brand names—developed handsets with two SIM-card slots after research showed people were carrying additional cards to avoid making out-of-network calls to save money. It also optimized its cameras to...
Lesser known Chinese smartphone maker, Transsion Holdings, has become the top player in Africa's rapidly-expanding smartphone market, with 38% market share, beating Apple and Samsung, according to industry research firm IDC. Selling under the Tecno, itel and Infinix brands, Transsion tailored its products to match the needs of local customers, optimising cameras for darker skin tones, and including two SIM card slots after research showed it was common for African users to carry additional cards to avoid higher charges on out-of-network calls.