Ringing Bells’ smartphone will cost less than Rs500

Smartphone maker Ringing Bells is set to launch its Freedom 251 smartphone on Wednesday. The new phone will cost less than ₹ 500, making it the cheapest phone available in India.

At present, the cheapest smartphone in India is the Firefox OS-based Alcatel Fire C, priced at ₹ 1,729. The likelihood of the Freedom 251 running the Firefox OS, however, is remote as Mozilla, its maker, is planning to phase out the Firefox OS soon. Which means Freedom 251 will be based on Linux OS or Android. Last year, Data Wind, the makers of Aakash tablets, and telecom operator Reliance Communications had announced a smartphone based on the Linux OS for ₹ 999. The smartphone has not been rolled out yet.

If the Freedom 251 is based on Android, it could trigger a price war between phone manufacturers. The most affordable Android smartphone available in the market right now costs ₹ 2,000-3,000. The Micromax Bolt S301 ( ₹ 2,150) and Karbonn A108 ( ₹ 2,538) are two of the most affordable Android-based phones right now.

The Micromax phone comes with a screen size of 3.5 inches and a resolution of 854x480p, and runs on a 1 GHz dual-core processor with 512 MB RAM and 4 GB internal storage. It runs the Android 4.4.2. The Karbonn smartphone has the same screen size but a lower resolution (480x320p), and is powered by a 1 GHz processor with 256 MB RAM and 512 MB internal storage.

Noida, Uttar Pradesh, based Ringing Bells, launched in 2015, is a new brand with only one smartphone and three feature phones in its portfolio. The first smartphone, based on the listing on the company’s official website, is called Smart 101—a 4G smartphone priced at ₹ 2,999. At that price, it is the most affordable 4G smartphone available in India right now. The second most affordable smartphone is the Lenovo A2010, priced at ₹ 4,999.

The Smart 101, which runs on the Android 5.1, has a 5-inch display with a screen resolution of 960x480p. It is powered by a 1.3 GHz quad-core processor with 1 GB RAM and offers 8 GB of internal storage (expandable up to 32 GB). The other highlight includes an 8-megapixel camera and a 2,800 mAh battery.

The Freedom 251 will be launched at a press conference in New Delhi on Wednesday. Union defence minister Manohar Parrikar and Bharatiya Janata Party member Murli Manohar Joshi are expected to attend the event.