One of China's biggest smartphone makers has never sold a handset in the country. Yet thousands of miles away, it dominates markets across Africa. Unknown in the West, Transsion has left global players like Samsung and Apple trailing in its wake in a continent that's home to more than a billion people.

In cities like Lagos, Nairobi and Addis Ababa, busy streets are awash with the bright blue shopfronts of Transsion's flagship brand, Tecno. In China, the company doesn't have a single store, and its towering headquarters in the southern megacity of Shenzhen goes largely unnoticed among skyscrapers bearing the names of more famous Chinese tech firms.

The company took a different path to success from other top Chinese smartphone makers such as Huawei and Xiaomi, which started out in China before eventually expanding overseas.
Transsion built its business in Africa. And it has no plans to come home.

The Perfect Selfie
In Edna Mall on the bustling Bole Road in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, Mesert Baru poses for her Tecno Camon i. "This phone is seriously nice for selfies," says the 35-year-old shop assistant, admiring the picture she just took.
Mesert's satisfaction is no accident. Tecno cameras have been optimized for African complexions, explains Arif Chowdhury, vice president of Transsion. "Our cameras adjust more light for darker skin, so the photograph is more beautiful," he says. "That's one of the reasons we've become successful."

Transsion founder George Zhu had spent nearly a decade traveling Africa as head of sales for another mobile phone company when he realized that selling Africans handsets made for developed markets was the wrong approach.
His timing could hardly have been better. By the mid-2000s, the Chinese government, under its "Going Out" strategy, was encouraging entrepreneurs to look abroad and forge stronger ties with African nations in particular. Cell phones were spreading rapidly in China, but in Africa — which has a roughly similar population — they were still a very rare luxury.

Africa, in other words, could be the new China.
Full article: edition.cnn.com

And they came to dominate the African Market. That's strategy. A prophet is not always recognized in his home town i guess.

This is understand. Tecno are more grassroot than Apple, making devices for the low, middle and high class earners. For a brand to make such impact, they must be able to serve all segments or types of phone user, satisfying their phone needs and demands. tecno has done that well.

I think we should commend Transsion for identifying and providing affordable devices for the African market. Transsion are employers of labour here in Nigeria and other parts of Africa. Chinese has a lot of smartphone companies and Chinese are well known for exporting.

Rubiesangel:
This is understand. Tecno are more grassroot than Apple, making devices for the low, middle and high class earners. For a brand to make such impact, they must be able to serve all segments or types of phone user, satisfying their phone needs and demands. tecno has done that well.

I support this motion...because of the middle class n low class in Nigeria, product should be made available for them which are they people that needs it most for various activities... Which Tecno has made available from spark 2 - camon x n x pro...

These phones should be compared with the likes of iPhone etc...

They have actually transformed the phone industry n now first in it...good one....and very interesting topic...

These people know what they're doing. Understanding the market is key. And providing the things people need is important too.

It is surprising to know that they don't even sell to where it is produced and they're widely accepted here. They have a plan and they're seeing to it. Tecno will dominate for a long time

scarycuteface:
These people know what they're doing. Understanding the market is key. And providing the things people need is important too.

Some brands dont take time to do correct analysis of the market they are going into, poor visibility and viability studies. yet when some brands get it right, people would think otherwise. They case of tecno in my opinion is one who did a robust analysis and viability study.

Freelancerx:
It is surprising to know that they don't even sell to where it is produced and they're widely accepted here. They have a plan and they're seeing to it. Tecno will dominate for a long time

A producer determine why, where and who to produce for. Who to produce for determines where he sells his product. So its not wrong that Tecno is produced in china and sold in Nigeria.

Tecno's story is peculiar. I'm impressed

Rubiesangel:
Some brands dont take time to do correct analysis of the market they are going into, poor visibility and viability studies. yet when some brands get it right, people would think otherwise. They case of tecno in my opinion is one who did a robust analysis and viability study.

You get it. And that's why I admire them.

Behankey:
Tecno's story is peculiar. I'm impressed

Quite fascinating.

Rubiesangel:
A producer determine why, where and who to produce for. Who to produce for determines where he sells his product. So its not wrong that Tecno is produced in china and sold in Nigeria.

Not saying it's wrong, I'm just pointing out the fact that they are very successful in Africa