Freedom 251 News: World's Cheapest Smartphone Unveiled In India
The world's supposedly cheapest smartphone will soon be available in the Indian market as handset manufacturer Ringing Bells has finally launched a device that will carry a price tag of less than $7 or Rs 500.
The handset device is dubbed as "Freedom 251," according to Android Central.
The just-launched phone is reflective of the Indian government's effort to "empower India to the last person, transforming India's growth story." The production of the world's cheapest smartphone is a fruition of the partnership of the Indian government with Ringing Bells, as spearheaded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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Incidentally, the move by the government to partner with a brand is not the first time in India's history. In 2011, the government also collaborated with Datawind to come up with tablets that were priced lower than $50.
The New Indian Express opined that Ringing Bells' partnership with the Indian government may affect the booming handset market in the country.
India is currently one of the robust smartphone markets in the world and is predicted to overtake the U.S. as the second biggest market in just a couple of years. Currently, the country's smartphones sold in the country carry an average of Rs 1,500 price tag or roughly $22 only.
Ringing Bells penetrated the Indian market only last year. It also released the country's cheapest 4G smartphone priced at Rs 2,999, short of $45.
Meanwhile, the first handset vendor that the Indian government partnered with, DataWind, also announced last year its partnership with Anil Ambani-owned Reliance Communications (RCOM) that will launch their own version of "the world's most affordable smartphone," to be priced at Rs 999. However, the unit is yet to hit the market.
In the last couple of months, global smartphone makers made their exodus from India as they stopped the business of assembling of their respective products in the country.
The Indian government is pushing its local manufacturing industries through its "Make in India" campaign.
