Onyx Connect: SA firm to manufacture phones locally

A South African smartphone firm is aiming to manufacture mobile devices in South Africa, according to a new report.

Onyx Connect will begin local production of smartphones in Q1 2017, Bloomberg reports.

“We are talking to companies to manufacture handsets, laptops and possibly Android TV boxes,” sales director Andre van der Merwe told the publication.

Van der Merwe added that it was in talks with the likes of Google and Vodacom to manufacture devices.

Onyx also claimed that it could make a smartphone with 1GB of RAM and a camera for roughly US$30.

SA firm Onyx Connect aims to do more than just put together smartphone parts

The Onyx representative told Bloomberg that they were acquiring circuit board designs and “raw components” from China. The company will then be manufacturing the phone, from the circuit boards to the casing and more.

“Through our international partners  Onyx Connect is set to become the first South African manufacturer and distributor  of smart phones and tablets in South Africa, and we will be using all our combined experience to manufacture a high end quality product,” the company wrote on its website.

We’ve already seen similar efforts from the likes of Zest Mobile, but the company merely assembled the finished parts locally.

We’ve also seen Mint Mobile, which looked set to take things a step further than Zest by manufacturing components as well. However, the company has gone silent lately.

When will we see smartphone processors and other bits of silicon manufactured in South Africa though? MediaTek’s Finnbar Moynihan told Gearburn that we shouldn’t count on it just yet…

Featured image: JD Hancock via Flickr