Sun King has spent nearly two decades building a reputation as the company that keeps the lights on in off-grid Kenya. Now, it wants to be the screen you stare at under those lights.
The company, famous for its yellow solar lanterns and home systems, has launched the EZ 1, its first-ever self-branded smartphone. On the surface, it is a standard budget Android device: a 6.56-inch screen, a large battery, and a modest camera array. But the hardware isn’t the real product here; the financing is.
The EZ 1 is available immediately across Kenya for a deposit of KES 2,999 and daily instalments of KES 60.
For Sun King, this is a calculated expansion from “powering homes” to “powering connection.” For the consumer, it is an accessible entry point into the digital economy—albeit one that comes with the steep, invisible math of the lipa pole pole (pay-as-you-go) model.
The Hardware: What you actually get
Let’s strip away the marketing gloss. The EZ 1 is assembled at Sun King’s new manufacturing facility in Tatu City, Kiambu—a significant win for local assembly narratives.
Spec Sheet Breakdown:
- Display: 6.56-inch HD+ (720p). It’s not sharp, but it’s standard for this segment.
- Memory: 4GB RAM + 128GB Storage.
- Note: The marketing materials claim “4GB + 4GB VRAM.” This is “Virtual RAM,” which uses slow internal storage as temporary memory. Do not confuse this with a true 8GB RAM phone; it will not perform like one.
- Battery: 5000mAh. Given the low-resolution screen and modest processor, this should easily last a day and a half.
- Cameras: 13MP rear, 8MP front. Serviceable for WhatsApp and document scanning, but don’t expect miracles in low light, despite the “low-light mode” claims.
- OS: Android (Likely Android 14 Go Edition or a light skin, though unspecified).
It is a functional, utility-first device designed to survive the dusty, rugged reality of daily Kenyan life. It comes with a pre-installed screen protector, a small but essential detail for a device that cannot afford to break.
The high cost of KES 60
The hook is the KES 60 daily payment. It sounds like pocket change—less than a loaf of bread. But we need to look at the total cost of ownership.
Sun King has not explicitly stated the contract duration in the press release. However, standard industry practice for this tier of lipa pole pole device (popularised by competitors like M-Kopa) is typically 365 days.
If we assume a one-year term, the math looks like this:
- Deposit: KES 2,999
- Daily Payments: KES 60 x 365 days = KES 21,900
- Total Cost: KES 24,899
A comparable device with these specs (4GB/128GB) from brands like Itel or Xiaomi typically retails for between KES 11,000 and KES 14,000 in Nairobi.
This means the “unbanked” customer pays a premium of roughly 80% to 100% over the cash price. This is the “poverty penalty”—the cost of accessing credit when you have no formal credit history. Sun King provides the device, the data bundle, and the warranty, but the customer effectively buys the phone twice.
The Strategy:
Why is a solar company making phones? Because they have the one thing traditional phone manufacturers don’t: a relationship with the customer.
Sun King already has agents in deep rural areas. They have the payment infrastructure (locking the solar panel if you don’t pay). Now, they are applying that same “lock” technology to the phone. If you miss your KES 60 payment, the EZ 1 likely turns into a brick until you pay up.
This puts Sun King in direct competition with M-Kopa, which has dominated the device-financing market in Kenya. But Sun King has a unique advantage: they power the house. Bundling a phone with a solar home system creates a sticky ecosystem that is hard to leave.
Analysis
The EZ 1 is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it genuinely democratises access. For a boda boda rider or a small-scale farmer in Bomet, KES 25,000 upfront is impossible. KES 60 a day is manageable. It enables access to WhatsApp, mobile money apps, and information that can increase their income.
On the other hand, it normalises high-interest asset financing for depreciating goods. Unlike a solar panel, which saves money on kerosene and generates light for years, a budget smartphone will likely be slow, cracked, or obsolete by the time the user finishes paying that final KES 60 instalment in 2027.
Sun King is betting that the utility of connection outweighs the cost of the credit. For millions of Kenyans, they are probably right.
