Remember Freedom 251, yes that $4 smartphone that was deemed a scam by everybody who heard the news myself included. The Indian company Ringing Bells, who announced this cheapest ever smartphone had over 70 million orders despite the concerns. Such was the level of incredulity at the $4 phone that Indian government was forced to look into the matter and find out for itself whether it was a concrete thing or not. A year later after many delays and highly questionable dealings, the company is back with a bang and will start shipping the phones at the end of this month!
Source: Freedom 251
So, the old phrase “If it is too good to be true, it probably is” doesn’t apparently apply to this smartphone. Furthermore, the original specs of the phone have been upgraded rather than downgraded, and now the phone will come with a better 8 MP rear camera as well as an improved 1,800 mAh battery. The 4″ screen, Quad Core 1.3 GHz, 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of space part will remain the same, and it is astonishing to see the company is actually going to pull it off. How did they arrive at this magical price even for these lower-end specs? Remember they may not be much but in some aspects, they are better than the Galaxy S2, which still works fine with the average apps. Since the primary customers ar going to be the far flung villages and similar remote areas, these specs are more than enough to create a more connected and smart country.
Source: Freedom 251
The company has already started on plans to fulfill 2.5 million orders by the end of the month, and it will continue shipping 200,000 units every month after that. The company has already clarified that their business model isn’t based on profiteering, and therefore they will be a loss on each unit sold, more than the original price itself it is clear. So, if it isn’t profits-driven, what exactly is it? I guess the new government had always wanted smartphones in the hands of the people so that the population and its productivity can be utilized in a much better way. Maybe they are at the back end of this company and want to give subsidized phones over to the populace which is a good step but futile if the phones are poor quality and not made to last that long.
So, what do you think about this matter? Check out the video below for more details: