If you thought Freedom 251 was the most affordable smartphone, there is a new kid on the block. A lesser known company has joined the fierce competition with a smartphone at mind-boggling price of Rs 501 ($8).
The ChampOne C1 is an Android-based phone and comes with 4G LTE connectivity and even a fingerprint scanner. The parent company, ChampOne Communications, claims the original price of ChampOne C1 as Rs 8,000. However, it is sold for Rs 501 as an introductory offer.
The ChampOne C1 features a 5-inch HD IPS display and is backed by a 1.3GHz MediaTek MT6735 quad-core processor. (photo: champ1india.com)
The first flash sale is scheduled on September 2. It must also be mentioned that the sale is only for Cash on Delivery mode. Those interested need to register on the website.
Notable features of ChampOne C1 include: 5-inch 720p display, MediaTek 6735 quad-core processor with 2 GB of RAM, rear camera of 8 MP, front camera of 5 MP and internal memory of 16 GB. The phone is powered by a 2500mAh non removable battery.
It is indeed a mystery how a phone with such impressive features can come at a price that is exceptionally inexpensive. It was, however, Freedom 251 that gripped the popular media over being the world’s cheapest smartphone at Rs 251 ($4). The device was reported to carry a 4-inch QHD IPS display, 1.3Ghz quad-core processor, 1GB RAM and 8GB internal memory.
The company did deliver about 5,000 devices, while another 65,000 handsets are on their way. Thanks to the hype, Ringing Bells received over seven crore registrations before its payment gateway crashed.