(China Daily)

Handsets made by Transsion Holdings, a little-known Chinese smartphone company based in Shenzhen, have become hot products in Africa, Guancha.cn reported.

According to foreign media, Transsion sold 50 million cell phones in Africa in the first half of this year, surpassing Samsung to become the largest handset provider in Africa.

Transsion is expected to sell 120 million of its handsets to 41 countries this year, according to media estimates.

Market research firm ID also said that Transsion ranks fourth in global mobile phone sales, following Samsung, Apple and China’s Huawei.

Transsion entered the African market in early 2007 when its competitors were keeping an eye on the Chinese and Southeast Asian markets. The company has mainly focused on developing affordable handsets according to Africans’ needs.

The company has spared no effort to develop products for Africans from cameras that take into account African consumers’ darker skin color to sweat-resistant materials that can handle the hot climate.

In addition, it developed a music handset equipped with several loudspeakers, as Africans enjoy music with strong rhythm.

This year, the company is expected to sell 100 million handsets and achieve 20 billion yuan in revenue, indicating the average revenue for each one is only 200 yuan, Zhu Zhaojiang, CEO of Transsion disclosed, adding that the price is fixed considering Africans’ consumption habit.

According to Zhu, the company plans to also focus on other emerging markets, including North Africa, India, and the Middle East.

At present, it has set up a factory and an industrial park in India and Ethiopia, respectively, to support its product manufacturing, according to Zhu.