There are two kinds of phones which sport Google’s untouched stock UI on them, Nexus devices and Android One devices. I believe that most of you are more than familiar with Nexus devices, but considering Android One’s limited availability, some of you have probably never handled such a device. The Android One project launched in India last year, and has been rolled out in a number of countries after that. What is Android One? Well, it’s Google’s way to release really affordable devices with stock Android installed on them. Google initially partnered up with three India-based OEMs to release Android One handset, and since then, the sales numbers haven’t been all that impressive.
Despite the fact sales haven’t been going all that well, Google has confirmed recently that Android One program is here to stay, and they’ve also said that new devices will roll out soon. Well, it seems like that will happen on July 14, at least according to Economic Times. The upcoming handset will be manufactured by the Indian company Lava, and will cost around Rs. 12,000 ($190). The source also says that this handset will be powered by a MediaTek chip, and that it will feature a 5-inch display and 2GB of RAM on the inside. That’s not all though, the source also claims that this new Android One handset will be available for purchase in retail stores, not only via internet, while other Android One devices were available only online, which might have been one of the reasons why Android One sales haven’t exactly been booming thus far.
We still don’t know who did Google / Lava partnered up with as far as sales go, but it seems like they did a better job as far as availability goes this time around. It remains to be seen if Google intends to release more devices alongside this Lava-branded smartphone, or will other devices follow later in the year. Either way, stay tuned for more information, we’ll report back as soon as additional info becomes available. If you’re interested in this handset, mark July 14th on your calendars, and let’s see what Google and Lava have to offer to us.