Millions can get their hands on a new smartphone … for the price of a coffee

A smartphone which costs the same as a cup of coffee has been launched in India. The Freedom 251 phone, which costs about £2.50/$3.80, has a four-inch screen and runs Android Lillipop software. The company behind it, Ringing Bells, says its mission is to give the 500 million citizens in rural and semi-urban areas of the country access to digital technology.

India is a country of announcements and such launches need to be taken with a pinch of salt. It’s an artificial pricing and subsidised by companies and investors. It’s got to have a longevity and be able to sustain itself.

Mobile entrepreneur Sachin Sen casts doubts on the phone’s sustainability

The Freedom 251 has a 1.3GHz quad-core processor and 8GB of memory, which can be expanded to 32GB. There are cameras back and front. A women’s safety app is pre-loaded, while other apps are aimed at farmers, fishermen, and provide medical assistance to the elderly. Ringing Bells, which is backed by two government initiatives, is offering a one-year warranty and has more than 650 service centres across the country.

freedom 251