New Delhi: The competition in the smartphone market in India is going to grow even more intense as Google is all set to launch its low-cost ‘Android One’ smartphone. According to an invite sent by the company, Google will make “an exciting new announcement†on September 15.
The US-based tech giant had partnered domestic handset makers – Micromax, Karbonn and Spice – to bring these devices into India by October this year.
Sources said the company is going to unveil the low-budget device in September. In June, Google announced its ‘Android One’ initiative to bring in the sub-$100 handsets aimed at bringing the next one billion population to use the Android operating system.
However, the three Indian manufactures are set to price the handsets between Rs 7,000 and Rs 10,000, which is higher than the initially expected sub-$100 (Rs 6,000) tag.
The device with Micromax would be a dual-SIM 4.5-inch screen device with a removable SD card, Google SVP (Android, Chrome and Apps), Sundar Pichai said at the firm’s developers conference in San Francisco. The devices are likely to have 5-megapixel cameras, quad-core processors and 1 GB RAM. They will run on Google’s Android operating system Kitkat 4.4.4 version.
He said while ‘Android One’ devices will be launched around the world, the initiative would start with India.
According to research firm IDC, smartphone sales in the country grew almost three-fold to over 44 million in 2013, buoyed by affordable devices made by local firms such as Micromax and Karbonn.
In the second quarter of 2014, 18.42 million smartphones were shipped in India. Though Samsung is the leader with a 29% market share, Micromax (18%), Karbonn (8%) and LAVA (6%) are close competitors.
While Android is the dominant operating system globally, other OS’ like Windows and iOS (Apple) are also gaining traction. Also, newer platforms like Firefox and Tizen may emerge as strong challengers to Google’s platform.
Last week, Firefox (in partnership with Spice and Intex) launched two new smartphones, priced below Rs 2,300, aimed at those looking to upgrade from feature phones to smartphones.
With PTI inputs