Cheapest smartphone Freedom 251 launched in India for Rs 251

Considered a luxury not too long ago, smartphones have reached a point that they can now be considered a commodity. But from today, things will reach a whole new level.

As part of its attempt to connect every Indian, local smartphone manufacturer Ringing Bells 'with immense support' from the India government will launch an affordable smartphone called the Freedom 251 today.



The smartphone with a 4-inch WVGA resolution display, features a 1.3 Ghz quad-core processor, 1GB RAM, 8GB total storage space and a 3.2 megapixel camera on the back. It will have 0.3 megapixel camera on the front and has a 1450 mAh battery.

Bookings for the Freedom 251 will start from Thursday 18 February from 6.00 am in the morning and will close on 21 February at 8.00 pm. This is dual-SIM 3G capable phone.

Ringing Bells says that the smartphone is in line with India Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision to connect every Indian and enrich their lives. The company also asserts that its smartphone is built to meet the goals of Make In India, the government's project to entice multinational as well as domestic players to manufacturer their products in India.

Last year, DataWind had announced that it is teaming up with Anil Ambani-owned Reliance Communications (RCOM) to launch the world’s most affordable smartphone, priced at Rs 999. The phone is yet to hit the market.

The purpose behind the Freedom 251 reminds us of Aakash tablet, also known as Datawind Ubislate 7+, which was promoted by the Indian government to provide college students with affordable computing and Internet-browsing machines. The tablet was launched in India in 2011, and was sold at a price point of under Rs. 3,000. The project, before closing last year, further decreased the price of the device and it was being made available to students across the country at a price of under Rs. 2,500.

Key Specs

Display	Processor	Front Camera
4.00-inch	1.3GHz	0.3-megapixel
Resolution	RAM	OS
540x960 pixels	1GB	Android 5.1
Storage	Rear Camera	Battery capacity
8GB	3.2-megapixel	1450mAh

With making a smartphone available at a price under Rs. 500, the Freedom 251 has the potential to significantly improve the lifestyle of people in the country with a low income. It will be interesting to see whether or not Ringing Bells is able to manufacture and sell this device at a large scale.