Smartphones are getting cheaper by the day and manufacturers have been really competitive about providing the best hardware and experience at a justified price. However, a Noida- based company called Ringing Bells on WEdnesday (17 February) announced a smartphone which seems to completely turn the tables when it comes to pricing. This is the same company that had earlier launched India’s most affordable 4G smartphone, the Smart 101 at Rs. 2,999. It had recently given out a hint that a new smartphone is coming to town with a price tag lower than Rs. 500 and the company kept its word by announcing the Freedom 251 bearing a price of just Rs. 251.
Officially the most affordable 3G-enabled smartphone in the country, the smartphone also goes on to become the world’s most affordable Android smartphone. The company is getting support from the Indian government as it will comply to the Make in India, Digital India and Skill India programs. The handset will be officially unveiled today evening at a launch event in the presence of Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.
So what does one get for that small amount? Well the Freedom 251 features a 4-inch qHD (960×540 pixels) IPS display, a 1.3GHz quad-core processor with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage, which can be further expanded up to 32GB using a microSD card. At the back there is a 3.2MP autofocus camera, a VGA selfie camera, and connectivity options like 3G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. It will be running on Android 5.1 Lollipop and will be preloaded with apps like Women Safety, Swachh Bharat, Fisherman, Farmer, Medical, WhatsApp, Facebook and YouTube. The handset will come with a one year warranty and the company claims to have over 650 service centers all over India. All of this for just Rs. 251 is a super deal and honestly one wouldn’t mind paying such a small amount.
Interesting proposition, but of course there is a catch.The Freedom 251 will be available through its own website for which pre-bookings will start on the 18th of February at 6AM, which could mean that the company has limited stocks. Reports also claim that the handset will only start shipping three months from now, so don’t expect to get the handset before June. Will this handset have the same fate as the Aakash tablet, or will it be the next disruptive smartphone for India? Time will tell.
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