Google has kicked off its Android One initiative in India,
announcing three new smartphones from local manufacturers Micromax,
Karbonn and Spice Mobile. The three smartphones will go on sale for
6,399 INR or $105 USD.
The three smartphones will be fitted with decent specs, compared to the feature phones 70 percent of Indian phone users still use, even if they are a little higher priced. Google will also be working on stricter hardware or software control, to make updates smoother.
Google has plenty of reasons for starting in India, like we said before, 70 percent of the customer base still use feature phones, despite having the disposable income for a smartphone. The new Android One phones should tempt some Indians, with work from local providers.
The hope is that Android will continue to grow in India, allowing more smartphones and ultimately more money for Google, from app, music and media downloads. Apple has near to no market share in India, same with Microsoft’s Windows Phone.
Amazon, Snapdeal and Flipkart will start the sales of the three Android One devices. This gives them a good shot online, since these are the three biggest online retailers in India. Google is also planning a big advertising campaign in India for Android One.
Android One won’t stop in India though, Head of Chrome and Android, Sundar Pichai, said they will look to expand into The Philippines and Indonesia before the end of 2015, jumping into two markets with over 400 million potential customers.
Google will continue to expand into South East Asia, the hot spot for lower priced Android phones. No word on if an Android One program will be brought to China, considering the smartphone demographic in that country, it might be hard to see low-end smartphones.
We do not expect Android One will come to the United States or Europe either, although South America and Africa might be potential spots in the future.
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