New Delhi: Delivering on its I/O 2014 promise, Google has just announced the first batch of its new Android One program in India. These budget smartphones come with good specifications and the latest build of Android.
The first three Android One smartphones are the Karbonn Sparkle V, Micromax Canvas A1, and Spice Dream UNO.
Karbonn Sparkle V (Magnum Blue, Mild Grey, Wild Red and Pearl White) is available exclusively at Snapdeal; the Micromax Canvas A1 (Black, White) is available exclusively at Amazon and the Spice Dream Uno (Black, White) is available exclusively at Flipkart.
While the Dream UNO costs Rs 6,299, Sparkle V is priced at Rs 6,399, and the Canvas A1 is available at Rs 6,499.
These budget Android smartphones have Google fingerprint all over it. The phones are aimed at improving the overall experience of smartphones at the lower end of the market, while giving Google more direct control over the software, in part to address the issue of cheaper Android devices that are sold and remain on older versions of its OS.
"We expect to see even more high-quality, affordable devices with different screen sizes, colors, hardware configurations and customized software experiences," Google's head of Android Sundar Pichai said in a blog post.
Device and component manufacturers that have signed up to use Android One include Acer, Alcatel, Asus, HTC, Intex, Lava, Lenovo, Panasonic, Xolo, and chipmaker Qualcomm.
Coming to specifications, each of these devices sport a 4.5 inch display at 854 x 480 pixels, offer dual-SIM support and run a stock version of Android 4.4. These devices are powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core processor from Taiwanese chip maker MediaTek, and have 1GB of RAM, 4GB storage, FB radio, microSD expandable storage as well as a front-facing two-megapixel camera and rear-facing five-megapixel camera.
Google has also tied up with Airtel to ensure that those who buy Android One will get 100MB per month data free for Android updates and up to 200MB per month data free for app downloads.
All of the devices will get Android L when it's released in coming months.
Android One devices in India are also guaranteed two-years worth of Android updates, outdoing Google's promise of 18 months for its own-brand Nexus devices.
