Google is planning to launch a new Android One smartphone in India made by Lava. According to a report from The Economic Times, Lava has made a new Android One smartphone for Google with 5-inch display and 2GB RAM, based on a MediaTek chipset with expected pricing to be around Rs. 12,000.
That's almost double the price of the previous Android One devices launched in India. But this is a shift in strategy from Google, now the Android One project is looking towards involving the larger masses and not just be someone's first smartphone.
The report also highlights that unlike before, this time around Google has allowed for deeper collaboration on design, hardware and software with Lava and MediaTek. Previous Android One smartphones had pretty much the same design. The new Android One smartphone from Lava will have an improved/optimized OS with services and apps from both Lava and Google.
The new specs are a significant upgrade as well, up from a 4.5-inch display and 1 GB RAM, you will be getting a 5-inch display possibly of HD resolution and 2GB RAM. If I had to venture a guess, at this price we might also see 4G LTE bundled in with MediaTek's quad-core MT6732 processor. Lava might not skimp on the camera department either and gives us 8MP rear and 5MP front cameras. But this is all conjecture, what we hope to see.
Last year Google had launched three Android One smartphones, Micromax Canvas A1, Karbonn Sparkle V and Spice Dream UNO. All Android One devices are now running the latest build of Android 5.1.1 in India which is a huge feat and shows that Google stays true to its promise on updates to the platform. But the reception to these handsets wasn't met with much enthusiasm. This time things are a bit different with Google allowing for more customization in the design department to Lava and with promised updates, Android M around the corner, we might see a shift in momentum here.
