How affordable can you make a smartphone? Well, India-based startup Ringing Bells has an answer by way of the Freedom 251, and it is coming this Thursday.
Widely touted as the world’s cheapest smartphone, the Freedom 251 will be sold at Rs 251. When converted to the Ringgit, the Freedom 251 will have an asking pricce of around RM 16. Ringing Bells’ CEO Mohit Goel has admitted that the Freedom 251 will be sold at a loss, but he is hoping that this would be offset through seer volume.
Specifications of the Freedom 251 makes the smartphone the textbook definition of the word ‘entry-level.’ For starters, it sports a 4″ 960×540 screen, a 1.3GHz quad-core processor, 1GB of memory, 8GB of expandable storage, an 8MP rear camera, a 3.2MP front camera, and runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop.
While the Freedom 251 may be unappealing to many despite its price tag, do keep in mind that the target market for the Freedom 251 is the folks living in the rural areas of India. “Our humble beginning to provide a high-tech gadget that will benefit all in the hinterland and bridge the huge gap that clearly exists between the metros and semi-urban/rural areas is in keeping with the (Indian) government’s initiatives,” says Ashok Chadha, President of Ringing Bells.
Source: The Indian Express, Engadget
