Indian smartphone vendor Spice Mobile has introduced four new entry-level smartphones in its portfolio under a new brand called XLife. The pricing for unlocked, SIM-free versions of the phones starts from an extremely affordable Rs. 3,150 ($50) and goes up to Rs. 4,499 ($70) for the most expensive device in the lineup. The company is mostly targeting first-time smartphone buyers, and is hoping that the dirt-cheap pricing will convince feature-phone users to ditch their older phones and jump onto the smartphone bandwagon. All the four phones will come with dual SIM options, and will run on Android 4.4 KitKat out the box. The devices will be made available online as well as through brick and mortar retail outlets.
Coming to the hardware specifications of the devices, the most inexpensive of the lot, the $50 XLife 404, comes with a 4-inch WVGA display, and is powered by a 1 GHz single core processor of unknown make. The device comes with 256 MB of RAM and 512 MB of internal storage, which can be extended by up to 32 GB via a microSD card. There’s a 3.2 megapixel rear camera with an LED flash and a 1.3 megapixel front camera to do the imaging duties, while connectivity options include 3G HSPA, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS. The phone comes with a 1450 mAh battery. The next in line is the XLife 431q Lite, which has been priced at Rs. 3,850 ($62). This phone also comes with a 4-inch WVGA screen, but is powered by a more powerful 1.2 GHz quad-core processor, and has 512 MB of RAM and 4 GB of internal storage. The battery on this one is also a bit larger, at 1750 mAh. The XLife 431q meanwhile, is almost identical to its ‘Lite’ sibling, but sports a 5 megapixel camera on the rear, rather than the 3.2 megapixel one found on the less expensive variant. This one’s priced at Rs. 3,999 ($65). Finally, the most well specced device of the lot, the Spice XLife 512, comes with a price-tag of Rs. 4,499 ($70). The device comes with a 5-inch FWVGA display, and is powered by a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor. The phone has an 8 megapixel camera on the back, which comes with an LED flash, and there’s a 2 megapixel camera on the front. The phone also comes with 512 MB RAM and 4 GB storage, and the battery on the device is rated at 2000 mAh.
While the phones do target a certain consumer segment, it bears mentioning that there are several better options available at the market throughout the price-spectrum targeted by these devices. Not the least of them are the Android One devices launched last year, which are available for under Rs. 5,000 ($80) currently. Though a little long in their tooth, those devices make for much better choice if you’re in the market for a sub-5K Android smartphone.
The Spice XLife 404 is pictured above, while the XLife 512 is the one right below.
