14 DAY TRIAL // Indian company Videocon Mobiles has just announced the immediate availability of a brand new feature phone that would offer customers a little bit of a smartphone taste thanks to its premium look.
Although it’s aimed an entry-level market, the new VPhone Grande feature phone was especially built for those who favor look over specs. Obviously, the handset targets consumers who can’t afford to purchase a smartphone or those who do not want to.
Even though the Indian telecom market is flooded with Android smartphones every day, feature phones remain the bread and butter of most native handset makers.
This is also confirmed by Jerold Pereira, CEO, Videocon Telecom, who said that “Feature Phones category still retains a mega share of the Indian mobile handset market. Normally phone designs are staid and boring.
“There is a shift towards premium ID’s in feature phones. Vphone Grande is Videocon first step to make the Feature phone category exciting with premium design, international looks & great features at an affordable price,” said Jerold Pereira, CEO, Videocon Telecom.
Given the fact that VPhone Grande is a feature phone made by an Indian handset maker, it has been priced cheaper than expected, so customers will be able to pick this one up for just Rs 1,950 outright, which is about $33 or €24.
First of all, the feature phone offers dual-SIM capability and FM Radio with Recording, which are mandatory for customers in India.
Then there’s the microSD card slot, which will allow users to further expand internal memory up to 32GB. This is another important feature that no phone should lack in India.
The rest of VPhone Grande’s specs are standard for a feature phone, so expect a small 2.8-inch regular display that supports 320 x 240 pixels resolution and a sub-par 1.3-megpaixel main camera with LED flash on the back.
The phone also packs audio and video player, as well as WAP/GPRS and Bluetooth with A2DP. The VPhone Grande is powered by a rather small 1100 mAh battery, but for a feature phone that should be more than enough.
It’s also worth mentioning that Videocon’s handset comes preloaded with lots of apps and services, including Local Search, Security Inbox and Smart Call Divert. There’s also support for 6 regional languages and the phone comes with an additional back cover in the sales package.