Android One devices go on sale in India, more countries later this year
Back at Google I/O we heard about Android One, a new initiative to get Android devices in the hands of the 5 billion people without smartphones. Since then we haven’t heard much about this program, but today Google is finally announcing the first batch of devices. Today in India the first Android One devices from Micromax, Karbonn, Spice and chipmaker MediaTek are available starting around just $105.
This is just the beginning for Android One. Today Google has also announced partnerships with phone manufacturers Acer, Alcatel Onetouch, ASUS, HTC, Intex, Lava, Lenovo, Panasonic, Xolo, and chipmaker Qualcomm. Later this year we can expect Android One devices to be available in Indonesia, the Philippines and South Asia (Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka). Even more countries will be announced in 2015.
The importance of Android One devices are huge. Markets like India can provide a huge boost for a platform. One recent example is the original Moto G. Here in the U.S. the Moto G was not a big deal, but because of emerging markets it became Motorola’s most successful phone ever. Android One will help our favorite little green robot continue to spread across the globe.
