Freedom 251, the world's cheapest smartphone priced at less than $4, will be shipped starting June 30. Nearly 200,000 units will be shipped in the first batch by Indian startup company Ringing Bells Pvt Ltd.
Indian Express has learned from Ringing Bells' Founder and CEO Mohit Goel that after the first batch of deliveries have been made, the company will be accepting pre-orders for Freedom 251.
The world's cheapest smartphone is a 3G device with 1.3GHz quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM and internal memory of 8GB. It also supports external memory of up to 32GB.
Freedom 251, which is named after its price in rupees, features an 8MP primary flash camera, 3.2MP front camera and 1,800mAh battery. In addition, the smartphone is equipped with Android 5.1 (Lollipop) OS and basic Google apps. It is also available in colors black and white.
With its affordable price being Freedom 251's main selling point, as of the moment, there are still doubts on the Ringing Bells-developed smartphone. Thus, according to Goel, the company is currently taking on its losses and hopes to (eventually) make profit through volumes.
In light of the negative feedback a few months ago, Goel has recently clarified in an Indian Express report that Freedom 251 is entirely made in India and pointed out that their smartphone is developed in Ringing Bell's manufacturing unit based in Haridwar. Moreover, he also shared how pleased he is with the idea on how he is able to achieve his dream to connect rural and poor Indians through Ringing Bells' Freedom 251.
According to The Verge, the company drew flak due to a number of issues earlier this year. Review units of Freedom 251 shown to the media during its launch last February were revealed to be Adcom Ikon 4s, a $61 smartphone developed by a Delhi-based company with units produced in China and Taiwan and available in the market. In addition, their Noida-based office was also shut down because the building owner faced some issues with the government.
The Verge has also learned that as a result, Ringing Bells stopped immediate selling of their products posted on their website and also suspended pre-ordering of Freedom 251. This move by the company received a backlash from their customers who posted unhappy comments on their social media platforms.
See video below for a preview of the world's cheapest smartphone.