In a significant move for Kenya’s budget smartphone segment, itel has launched the CITY 100, the first device in its new CITY Series. Priced at KES 11,200, this smartphone aims to challenge established competitors by bringing advanced AI capabilities to the entry-level market, where budget brands already command over 50% of devices on Safaricom’s network.
Design and Display: Breaking Budget Phone Stereotypes
The CITY 100 introduces several design elements rarely seen in its price bracket. At just 7.65mm thick, the phone features a unibody frame with an ultra-flat display that sits flush with the chassis – a design approach typically reserved for more expensive devices.
The 6.75-inch display offers specifications that compete directly with recent budget releases like the Redmi A5, featuring a 90Hz refresh rate for smoother scrolling, 700 nits peak brightness for outdoor visibility, and an 83% wide color gamut for more vibrant colors. These display specifications position it competitively in the KES 10,000-14,000 segment, where refresh rates and brightness levels have become increasingly important differentiators.
Durability and Battery: Built for Kenyan Conditions
Understanding the practical needs of Kenyan users, itel has emphasized durability with IP64 dust and water resistance certification. The device has undergone rigorous testing, including 1.5-meter drop tests and 25,000 micro-drop simulations – addressing common durability concerns in the budget segment.
Battery performance, a critical factor for Kenyan consumers, is addressed with a 5200mAh capacity battery – matching the Redmi A5’s battery size. The CITY 100 supports 18W fast charging, which while not class-leading, offers reasonable recharge times for its price point. More notably, itel provides a 4-year battery health guarantee, addressing long-term reliability concerns that often plague budget devices.
DeepSeek AI: The Standout Feature
What truly distinguishes the CITY 100 from competitors is its integration of DeepSeek R1 AI technology – making it one of the first budget smartphones to feature this emerging AI platform that has recently been adopted by brands like TECNO, OPPO, and Infinix.
DeepSeek, a Chinese AI startup founded in 2023, has quickly gained attention for delivering advanced AI capabilities at lower costs than competitors like Google’s Gemini. The R1 model specifically has been praised for its reasoning capabilities and efficiency, making it suitable for on-device AI processing even on mid-range hardware.
On the CITY 100, DeepSeek AI enables several creative functions including:
- Text-to-wallpaper generation
- AI image styling and enhancement
- One-press AI search for shopping
- Real-time translation
- Image-to-text conversion
- AI writing assistance
- Call noise reduction
- Voice-activated photo capture
These features mirror capabilities previously limited to flagship devices like Samsung’s Galaxy S25 series, which showcases similar AI-powered creative tools but at significantly higher price points.

Market Context: Targeting Gen Z in a Competitive Landscape
The CITY 100 enters a challenging market where brands are fighting for Kenya’s growing smartphone user base. With smartphone shipments growing just 1% year-on-year in Q1 2025 according to Canalys, competition for market share is intense.
itel’s parent company continues to dominate the African smartphone market alongside Samsung, collectively holding 78% market share. However, brands like Xiaomi, OPPO, and HONOR have been making significant gains, with HONOR growing an impressive 283% year-on-year across Africa.
The CITY 100’s focus on Gen Z aligns with broader industry trends, as this demographic increasingly drives smartphone adoption in Kenya. Gen Z users prioritize camera capabilities, battery life, and increasingly, AI features that enhance creativity and productivity. The device’s emphasis on durability also addresses practical concerns in the Kenyan market, where device longevity is a key purchasing factor.
Competitive Analysis: Value Proposition
At KES 11,200, the CITY 100 positions itself in the heart of Kenya’s budget smartphone segment, competing directly with similar budget devices from Vivo, Infinix and Xiaomi’s budget brand Redmi.
While these competitors offer similar core specifications, the CITY 100’s DeepSeek AI integration provides a unique selling proposition. Most budget smartphones in this price range offer basic AI features limited to camera enhancements, while the CITY 100 brings more advanced creative and productivity tools previously unavailable at this price point.
The device also stands out with its 60-month fluency guarantee, addressing software performance concerns that often plague budget Android devices after extended use. This long-term support promise exceeds what most competitors offer in this segment, where software update commitments are typically limited or unspecified.
Conclusion: Democratizing AI in Kenya’s Smartphone Market
The itel CITY 100 represents a significant step in bringing advanced AI capabilities to Kenya’s budget smartphone segment. By combining competitive hardware specifications with DeepSeek R1 AI technology, itel is challenging the notion that cutting-edge features must remain exclusive to premium devices.
For Kenya’s tech-savvy but price-conscious consumers, particularly Gen Z users, the CITY 100 offers an intriguing balance of style, durability, and AI-powered features at an accessible price point. As smartphone adoption continues to grow across Kenya, devices like the CITY 100 play an important role in democratizing access to newer technologies.
Whether the CITY 100 can disrupt established players in Kenya’s competitive smartphone market remains to be seen, but its combination of design, durability, and AI capabilities certainly makes it a noteworthy contender in the budget segment.