Entry-level smartphones should be priced around $30 and we’re hopeful of making that happen.Sundar Pichai, CEO, Google
It seems Sundar Pichai’s plea for introducing sub-Rs 3,000 smartphone in India haven’t gone unheard, as the government has reached out to mobile brands to make this happen.
According to report, companies like Micromax, Intex and Lava among others, have been directed to start work on manufacturing these phones at the earliest.
The phones are expected to offer fingerprint as well as iris scanners, so that digital payment options like BHIM and Aadhaar payments app can be adopted at the grass-root level. Government-approved phones with iris scanners will let people carry out transactions via their Aadhaar accounts, doing away with the need for paper.
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With the launch of free 4G internet service from Reliance Jio, India’s internet penetration has seen a massive spike. And in order for this trend to continue, affordable services need to be married with entry-level devices that fit everyone’s budget.
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Google’s Android One initiative could also be in the reckoning for making affordable yet quality devices, but that’s something only Google can confirm. And we’re hopeful that will happen soon.
Grim Reality Needs a Change
Sadly, the price that one pays to get a quality device right now is higher than what Pichai quoted recently. For a 3G phone, you need to spend upwards of Rs 4,000, while the figure for an entry-level 4G handset is Rs 5,000. We can definitely leave out the $4 Freedom 251 smartphone from this discussion.
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Local manufacturing and expertise from industry bigwigs could help bridge this gap, but there’s a long way to go before it truly happens.
It’ll be interesting to see if brands like Micromax can live up to their quality standards, and still manage to dish out a phone that no one will mind using, or owning for that matter.
(Source: The Economic Times)
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