FNB smartphone @ R59/month

The bank is stepping up its foray into the mobile telecommunications industry with the launch of its ownbranded smartphones.

Required deposits for the phones are refunded after 12 months with interest.

First National Bank (FNB) is stepping up its foray into the mobile telecommunications industry, launching its own-branded smartphones. The low-cost but “high-quality” ConeXis X1 and A1 phones will be available from 380 branches around the country from as little as R59 a month.

Wide array

The A1 is pitched at price-sensitive Easy bank account holders. The phone is available for R59 per month with 15 minutes of bundled airtime and 50MB/month of data included.

The higher specification X1 is aimed at Gold and Premium (premier, private clients and private wealth) customers. The X1 is available for R150 per month with 25 minutes and 100MB/month of data included.

FNB has integrated the ConeXis smartphone offering with its rewards and banking programme, rewarding customers with cellular discounts.

The A1 and the X1 are available to customers who have a banking transactional account. They require an FNB Connect Sim card. A R500 (A1) or R1 500 (X1) deposit is required to purchase the phone, though this is refundable after 24 months, with interest.

The phones are Sim-locked to FNB Connect, in line with regulator specifications, but will be unlocked after 24 months.

Both phones are made by ZTE in China.

Data bundles

The A1 has a 4-inch display; supports 3G; has a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera (2-megapixel front); quad-core, 1.3GHz Qualcomm CPU, 8GB storage and 1GB RAM; 1 400mAh battery; and a microSD card slot (with support for cards of up to 32GB in size).

The phone runs Android Lollipop and ships with a screen protector and a 2 600mAh power bank.

The X1, meanwhile, has a 5.2inch HD IPS display; supports 3G and 4G/LTE, has an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera (5-megapixel front); Qualcomm quad-core 1.3GHz CPU, 8GB of storage and 1GB RAM; 2 540mAh battery; and microSD slot (128GB cards are supported).

It runs Android Marshmallow and ships with a 16GB memory card, a screen protector and a back cover. — TechCentral