14 DAY TRIAL // Shortly after launching the slightly downgraded version of Titanium S9, Indian OEM Karbonn released yet another Android smartphone, the A99i.
This time, however, we’re talking about an entry-level smartphone that barely has what it takes to sell well in India. The good news is that A99i is cheaper than Karbonn’s suggested retail price, so Android fans may want to take it into consideration.
Although Karbonn suggests a Rs 6,999 ($115 / €85) retail price, many authorized resellers offer the A99i for just Rs 4,880 outright, which is about $80 or €60.
The A99i hasn’t been officially announced and it probably never will, but those interested can purchase it right now via Flipkart, as well as other major retailers across the country.
The device seems to be a slightly different version of the Karbonn A99, which was released by the Indian OEM quite a long time ago.
The smartphone comes with decent specs considering its price, but they won’t impress those looking for mid-range or flagship smartphones.
As expected, Karbonn A99i ships with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean operating system out of the box and it is likely to remain on this version of the platform until it gets discontinued.
It also sports a 4-inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen display that supports 480 x 800 pixels resolution. The only thing that might please those looking for a cheap Android smartphone is the fact that A99i packs a decent 5-megapixel rear-facing camera with LED flash, autofocus and video recording.
On the inside, the entry-level Android smartphone is equipped with a 1.3GHz dual-core MediaTek processor, 512MB of RAM and 4GB of storage. Obviously, you only get around 1GB of space for installing apps and games, but users will be able to further expand internal memory up to 32GB via microSD card slot.
When it comes to connectivity, Karbonn A99i offers a decent range of options, including 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, microUSB and GPS with A-GPS support. The smartphone also includes 3.5mm audio jack and FM Radio function.
Keep in mind that Karbonn A99i is available in both white and black color versions. It’s also worth mentioning that Flipkart claims that it can ship the smartphone in 4-5 business days, so it might take around a week for customers to receive their orders.