Ringing Bells is a relatively new domestic smartphone manufacturer and vendor in India, with only two feature phones and one 4G-enabled smartphone under its belt. The company is now set to launch its second smartphone later this week, which will be priced for under Rs 500 ($7.31 at today’s conversion rate) as part of the Indian government’s “Make In India” initiative.
We can all probably agree that premium smartphones such as the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 are exciting to say the least, but in the real world and in a global market, budget-friendly smartphones have become more powerful, less expensive, and thus have become more popular to the average consumer. But how cheap can they become? Well, apparently Ringing Bells’ upcoming smartphone set to be unveiled tomorrow – February 17 – will be retailed for under Rs 500, or $7 to be precise. This is an insanely cheap device so in case you’re wondering, the very low price tag is attributed to the fact that the smartphone is manufactured in India as part of the Indian government’s “Make In India” initiative, which promotes innovation, investment, protects intellectual property and aims to build a strong manufacturing infrastructure.
The smartphone is called “Freedom 251” but unfortunately, Ringing Bells was not able to disclose any details regarding its specifications. The good news is that the smartphone will be launched tomorrow at an event hosted by India’s Union Minister of Defence, Manohar Parrikar, so it’s very likely that more details surrounding the smartphone’s hardware capabilities and availability will be revealed by the end of the week. In any case, it’s worth noting that Ringing Bells’ first smartphone known as the Smart 101 was sold out within 72 hours of availability, so the Freedom 251 might be sold like hotcakes too. The Smart 101 was released earlier this month for Rs 2,999 (the equivalent of $44) and features a 5-inch IPS display with a resolution of 480 x 960, a quad-core processor clocked at 1.3 GHz per core, 1 GB of RAM, and 8 GB of internal storage expandable by up to an additional 32 GB via MicroSD. The handset also sports an 8 MP main camera complemented by a flash, a 3.2 MP front-facing sensor, a 2,800 mAh battery, and runs Android 5.1 Lollipop out of the box.