As personal technology writers, we are asked one particular question on a daily basis, by colleagues, friends, family and social media followers—which affordable phone should we buy? The answer usually depends on what sort of performance and power they require, but at the end of it all, the primary criteria remains the price. Now, Noida-based company Ringing Bells is pretty much redefining what a truly affordable Android smartphone should be. Guess the price? Rs.2,000? Rs.1,000? You are not even close.
With a sticker price of Rs.251 (yes, you read that correctly—it is Rs.251), the Freedom 251 smartphone fits right into the government of India’s Digital India initiative of bringing a vast majority of the population under the “connected” umbrella and this phone is Made in India too. According to the World Development Report 2016, 1,063 million of India’s population is still not connected to the Internet. And the best way to get them online is through a smartphone.
Back to the Freedom 251, and the specs make for rather interesting reading. Well, you might feel as though these specs would take you back to the smartphones launched in 2005, but do remember the price tag.
The Freedom 251 will run a Quad Core 1.3GHz processor, with 1GB of RAM. We believe this will be a MediaTek MT6582 processor, which is powering most sub-$100 smartphones globally. The motherboard (main circuit board assembly) would cost upwards of $30 (Rs.2,000 approximately).
It has a 4-inch screen with the IPS panel. We do not yet know the resolution, but if it is indeed the MT6582 processor, then this will not be higher than 1280x720 pixels, which is what the processor is designed to support. A 4-inch display assembly (LCD, digitizer, and front bezel) would itself cost upwards of $35 (Rs.2,400 approx).
There is 8GB internal storage, with additional support for memory cards up to 32GB (incidentally, a microSD card will cost you more than the phone, with the Samsung Evo Plus 32 GB MicroSDHC Class 10 card priced at Rs.676 on Flipkart).
With these specs, the Freedom 251 runs on Google’s Android 5.1 (Lollipop) operating system—it would be harsh to expect Android 6.0 Marshmallow—with a no-frills interface, and is at par with the most affordable Android phones.
There is a 1,450mAh battery, and a 3.2-megapixel camera on the back and a 0.3-megapixel camera for selfies. The cameras themselves would cost around $3 (Rs.200 approximately).
Ringing Bells has also managed to pack in 3G support as well, for better web connectivity. Remember, every component in the phone, such as the headphone jack, power button, vibration mechanism and the charging port, all generally cost anywhere between $3 and $10 each (Rs.200 and Rs.680 approximately).
It is difficult to find the exact price of each component, since phone makers strike different deals with the component manufacturers. But with the approximate price range for each, we do get a clue as to how much each unit may cost to make. Besides pre-installed WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Google Play etc., the Freedom 251 comes with apps such as Swachh Bharat, Women Safety, Fisherman, Farmer and Medical, leading us to ask if this Made in India phone is subsidized by the government of India? But more on that later. Adding up the approximate prices for all components, we are touching the Rs.5,000 price mark, which is pretty much the entry barrier for affordable Android phones.
The Freedom 251 bookings start on 18 February, and close on 21 February on their website—www.ringingbells.co.in. We do not know, at present, how many units the company will put up for sale in the first batch. However, Ringing Bells has confirmed that the deliveries of the phone will be completed by 30 June.
