So suddenly there's a lot of talk about Android One... Is it the next big thing in smartphones? In India it is.
Why you ask - its a good smartphone at just Rs. 6k!! It can't get better than that for a country where majority of the people are hard on money.
An amazing fact in India is, even people who may not live in swanky apartments or work in hi-fi jobs have smartphones! These people may be short on money at other times and for other things, but they still aspire to have a smartphone. And why wouldn't they? A phone like that can give them a camera, a calculator, a calendar, a torch, access to news, access to TV, access to social media, etc - all for just the cost of a basic smartphone.
Android (or should I say Google) is tapping into this market to expand its market share. Up till now, people with smartphones less than Rs. 10k were always stuck with phones that would either have a low RAM or low processor speed or low resolution cameras etc.
With Android One, all this is going to change. Google has tied up with all the providers of 'cheap' phones in India to bring out Android One. Thus putting phones that are almost at par with Moto G and Nexus, into the hands of nearly everyone. At par I mean having some features similar to them and low cost phones that will receive Android updates as soon as they are released.
The 3 smartphones launched currently with Android One all seem to have the same features - 4.5" screen, 1.3Ghz processor, 4GB RAM, expandable memory upto 32GB, 5MP rear camera and a 2MP front camera. So what's the difference?
The sole difference is in the Brand - what do you prefer - Micromax, Karbon or Spice?
Here's a look at the TOI review of Micromax Canvas A1 (the Android One phone from Micromax).
First Impressions: Micromax Canvas A1 Android One smartphone http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/mobiles/First-Impressions-Micromax-Canvas-A1-Android-One-smartphone/articleshow/42559430.cms
