Google has announced Android One program in the summer. The main aim of this program was to provide affordable smartphones to people and reaching to another one billion people.
There is already a Nexus program, which was designed to keep developers in mind but it has converted to more mainstream as people are buying those devices for regular use.
Android One is targeted more towards the Low-cost segment as the price range has been kept under $100, Nexus smartphones are more towards high end smartphones.
There are many manufactures like Samsung, LG which has android handsets for this specific range and it is getting sold in bulk. Moto E was an good example, which has become one of the best selling phone for motorola in that segment.
The main problem with the low cost segment is software updates. Manufacturer like Samsung, LG does not carry good reputation for providing timely updates. Motorola has been an exception but other then that other handsets never see any major updates.
Though its not only a problem with this segment, I am using Samsung Galaxy Note 3 for my daily use and it is still running Android 4.4.2 rather then Android 4.4.4.
Android One will get the same preference as Nexus or at least Google Play Edition devices in terms of updates. Google is already promising updates up to 2 years for the Android One handsets.
The Android One handsets has been launched in India this month with three manufacturer participating in the program. All three handsets carry a similar price point and selling at around Rs. 6300 ($100).
Android One Phone Specifications
There are three handsets which has been launched, all of them carry similar specifications.
[asg-column firstcolumn=”first” columnno=”third”] Micromax Canvas A1
- Android 4.4.4
- 4.5 inch (480 x 854 pixels)
- 1.3 GHz Quad Core Processor
- 5MP Rear Camera, HD Recording
- 2MP Front Camera
- 4GB Internal Storage
- SD Card up to 32GB
- 1700 mAh Battery
- Dual Sim (GSM + GSM)
- Rs. 6499
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[asg-column columnno=”third”] Spice Dream
- Android 4.4.4
- 4.5 inch (480 x 854 pixels)
- 1.3 GHz Quad Core Processor
- 5MP Rear Camera, HD Recording
- 2MP Front Camera
- 4GB Internal Storage
- SD Card up to 32GB
- 1700 mAh Battery
- Dual Sim (GSM + GSM)
- Rs. 6299
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[asg-column columnno=”third”] Karbonn Sparkle V
- Android 4.4.4
- 4.5 inch (480 x 854 pixels)
- 1.3 GHz Quad Core Processor
- 5MP Rear Camera, HD Recording
- 2MP Front Camera
- 4GB Internal Storage
- SD Card up to 32GB
- 1700 mAh Battery
- Dual Sim (GSM + GSM)
- Rs. 5999
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You can see there are not much of the difference in the specs other then small differences in price, so the choice more depends on the looks and manufacture.
The specs are also nothing extraordinary, there are handsets which are in the market with similar specs. The only benefit with Android One is that it delivers pure Android experience and timely updates to the OS.
Even with the entry level specs, it should provide a decent performance because of pure android experience.
I am working on a detail review of Micromax Android One Canvas A1, which will show the real world performance of the handset. Just keep watching this space for that detail review, where we will compare the responsiveness, browser performance, multitasking and Games performance of that handset.
Android One handsets has been launched with the collaboration of e-commerce sites Flipkart, Amazon and Snapdeal. Each site has exclusive access to one of the handset.
Are you planning to buy Android One Handset? Provide a feedback on the comment section about what you like about this program.
