Google launches three Android One handsets in India

Sep 15, 2014 09:04 GMT  ·  By

As was expected, this week Google announced the advent of their Android One platform, and in the process launched the first three smartphones under this banner.

The event took place in India, where the company is hoping to attract more and more customers with the mirage of a near-stock Android experience.

The first partners jumping onboard with Google’s latest attempt at smartphone world domination are Micromax, Spice, and Karbonn – all well-known names on the Indian mobile market, says the Economic Times.

Micromax, Spice, and Karbonn lead the Android One race

The specifications for these smartphones shouldn’t vary greatly, but prices are expected to differ a little bit, depending on manufacturer.

Anyway, the standard bundle includes a 4.5-inch FWVGA IPS display with a meager 854 x 480 pixel resolution. Under the hood lies a 1.3GHz MediaTek quad-core processor fitted with 1GB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage (microSD card slot that allows for memory expansion).

The handsets will take advantage of two cameras (5MP on the back and 2MP up in front), while in the connectivity department users will see dual-SIM, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, and GPS.

The three smartphones run the latest version of Android (4.4.4) and you can expect them to receive Google updates quite quickly.

The Android One smartphones come with localized features

Android One devices will ship out to customers complete with support for multiple languages, like Hindi, plus a local section of the Google Play Newsstand.

On top of that, the search giant is outfitting the handsets with a special version of YouTube that allows users to download videos and re-watch as much as they like, without worrying about data overload.

The first Android One devices are expected to retail for around $105 / €81 and should become available starting this week.

Sure, budget smartphones like this aren’t a novelty especially in the Indian market, which is focused on providing wallet-friendly solutions, but Google is trying to woo in adopters by promising a clean Android experience, devoid of customization and such.

On top of that, the search giant will be in charge of pushing out the updates itself, which is a major plus. Until now, buying an extremely cheap phone meant you had to settle for an outdated OS with no hope of getting a taste of the latest updates.

But this is no longer the case with the Android One host, which is now being subjected to the same treatment the Nexus and Google Play Edition devices benefit from.

First Android One Smartphones (3 Images)

Karbonn Sparkle V is one of the first Android One phones
Micromax Canvas A1 is one of the first Android One smartphonesSpice Dream Uno is one of the first Android One smartphones
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