Most of you reading this are part of the 1.75 billion people on Earth that own a smartphone, but most Indonesians are part of the other 5 billion who still lack a high-tech HP. Obviously, the market for low cost smartphones is enormous and many phone manufacturers are trying to tap into it. Now, tech industry giant Google is stepping into the fray with the release of its Android One line of smartphones in India, with prices starting at just $105 dollars.
According to a blog post by Sundar Pichai, Google’s SVP of Android, Chrome & Apps, Android One phones will also be making their way “to Indonesia, the Philippines and South Asia (Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka) by the end of the year, with more countries to follow in 2015.”
The Android One phones are quite cheap by smartphone standards, but they’re hardly the cheapest. In fact, Firefox, makers of the popular web browser, are getting into the hardware game with a $25 smartphone that is set to launch later this year. Samsung and other major manufacturers offer smartphone models priced at or below $100 as well.
So what makes Google’s entry so exciting? Well, besides the price point, Google promises the Android One phones will have “lots of processing power” and “high-quality front- and rear-facing cameras.”
“And for all those pictures, along with your apps and videos, Android One phones will have expandable storage. We also added features that people in India will find particularly useful, like dual SIM cards, a replaceable battery and built-in FM radio.”
In addition to the hardware specs, Android One phones “will receive the latest versions of Android directly from Google. So you’ll get all the latest features, up-to-date security patches, and peace of mind knowing your stuff is always backed up.”
“It also means Android One devices will be some of the first to be updated to the Android L release later this year.”
The first wave of Android One phones in India were produced by Google hardware partners Micromax, Karbonn, Spice and chipmaker MediaTek. They are also partnering up with manufacturers like Acer, ASUS, HTC, Lenovo and Panasonic to create more models with a variety of screen sizes, hardware configurations and customized software.
