Google and its
hardware partners - Micromax, Spice and Karbonn -- on Monday launched three
Android One phones. For Google, Android One is a big deal. In fact it is so
important that Sundar Pichai, arguably the most powerful man in the phone
industry and one of the most influential Google executives, flew down from his
Mountain View office to New Delhi for the event.
Why is it so? What is
so important about Android One? And more importantly, what is there in it for
you, the consumer? Read on, we have the answers.
What is Android One?
Android One is a
Google programme where it is partnering with phone companies to create
"high-quality" but low-cost Android smartphone. The programme was
announced in June by Pichai and India is the first country where the company is
launching Android One phones.
According to Google,
Android One programme is its attempt to create affordable smartphones so that
billions of people who still use a feature phone can buy a smartphone. Of
course, this is the stated aim. We suspect that Google has one more motive.
With Android One it also wants to wrest back the control of the Android
ecosystem from companies like Samsung, Sony and LG.
I get that. But how
are Android One phones different from other Android phones? After all, other
Android phones also use Google's Android.
True, other Android
phones also use Google's Android. But barring the Nexus phones, most of these
devices use AOSP version of Android, which is the barebones version of the OS.
Different phone companies take AOSP and then put their own user interface and apps
in it. They also remove and add features. The end result is not exactly the
Android that Google wants you to have. It is the Android that Samsung, LG or
HTC want you to get.
For high-end phones,
these customisations work decently well. But in the low-end phones, which don't
have powerful hardware, the performance suffers.
Android One is
different. First of all, it has- despite its similarities with the regular
version of Android - some extra customisation that makes it more suitable to
low-end hardware. At least that is what Google says. Second, it doesn't have
any third-party user interface or unnecessary features. It is the version of
Android created by Google. This means when you buy an Android One phone, you
get the Android experience that Google has designed for you and not Micromax or
Spice.
With normal Android
phones, the company selling the phone is responsible for choosing right
hardware and software for the devices. For Android One phone, Google is in the
driver's seat. It finalises the hardware and software.
More importantly,
Google is also responsible for delivering software updates to Android One
phones. This means you can expect Android One phones to get latest version of
Android - next is Android L -- without much delay unlike normal low-end Android
phones, which are rarely updated. Google is promising that every Android One
phone will get updates for at least two years.
I don't care about
modified or unmodified versions of Android. Is there any other reason why I
should buy an Android One phone?
While the unmodified
version of Android and the smooth performance it promises is the main appeal of
an Android One phone, there are some other perks as well. If you are an Airtel
customer, on your Android One phone you will get 100MB every month free to
download OS updates and 200MB free every month to download app updates for six
months.
Android One looks
quite good. What kind of Android One phones I can buy and at what price?
Only three Android One
phones are available as of now. And currently, you can get them only in India
and at specific e-commerce sites. The Spice Dream UNO is available at Flipkart
at a price of Rs.6,299. The Karbonn Sparkle V is available at Snapdeal at a
price of Rs.6,399. And Micromax Canvas A1 is available at Amazon India at a
price of Rs.6,499.All three are entry-level Android phones and hence pack in
rather modest hardware. In terms of hardware, all three use same hardware. Each
one has a 4.5-inch screen with 854 X 480 pixels resolution, MediaTek quad-core
processor running at 1.3GHz, 1GB RAM, 4GB internal storage, support for microSD
card, 5MP rear camera and 2MP front camera. The only major difference is the
brand name and design.
I can't buy phone
online. Will I be able to buy Android One phones in local market?
According to Google,
you will. But it will take at least a few weeks before you can get an Android
phone in brick and mortar shops.
I am outside India,
will I be able to buy an Android One phone?
While there is no
specific date so far, Google plans to launch Android One phones across the
world, especially in developing markets. In fact, on Monday Pichai said that
Indonesia, Philippines, Nepal, Pakistan and other South Asian countries are
next in line to get Android One phones.
I don't like Indian
brands. Can't we buy Android One phones made by multinational companies like
HTC or Samsung?
We are not sure about
Samsung but Google on Monday revealed that HTC will be among nine other
hardware partners -- HTC, Lava, Xolo, Intex, Asus, Alcatel Onetouch, Lenovo, and
Panasonic - who will start making Android One phones.
Does the presence of
HTC mean we will get a high-end phone running Android One?
We doubt that Google
will come out with a high-end Android One phone but Pichai hinted that more
powerful and fancy phones will be created as part of the programme. The first
three phones are just the beginning, he said. May be the next wave of Android One
phones will pack in more powerful hardware and cost somewhere over Rs.10,000.
Ok, final question. I
am looking to buy a good smartphone with a budget of around Rs.5,000 to
Rs.6,000. Should I buy an Android One phone?
We suggest that before
you pull the trigger and order the Android One phone from an online site, wait
for our review. It will be out soon. But if you can't wait, based on our
preliminary observation we feel confident in recommending an Android One phone.
The performance is decent and for their price, these phones look good. All
three offer similar kind of hardware so you can buy any of them.
Read more at:
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/technology/story/what-is-android-one-and-should-you-buy-a-phone-powered-by-it/1/383070.html
