Google's Android One initiative reaches Turkey with upgraded specs and $260 price tag

Android One Programme from Google was announced in June as a way for Google to provide a high-quality Android experience on entry level handsets. So far most of the Android One smartphones come with a price tag of $100 and feature entry-level specs like 4.5-inch screen, a quad-core Mediatek SoC, a micro SD slot, and dual-SIM functionality.

Now Google is bringing the Android One initiative to Turkey with a twist. The twist here is that the Turkish Android One phone will come with better specs and higher price tag as compared to the other markets. With the launch, Turkey becomes the seventh country after India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and the Philippines where Google rolls out Android One phones.

Google is partnering with General Mobile to build the first Turkish Android One Phone. The phone will be called General Mobile 4G and its specs include 5-inch HD display with Corning Gorilla Glass 4 protection, 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor, 2GB RAM, 13-megapixel rear camera and 5-megapixel front facing camera. The device runs Android 5.1.1 Lollipop and is guaranteed to receive updates for two years. It supports 4G LTE connectivity.

General Mobile 4G specifications

5-inch (1280x720 pixels) HD display
64-bit 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 410 processor
2GB RAM
16GB internal storage, microSD card slot
Android 5.1.1 Lollipop
13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash
5-megapixel front facing camera
4G LTE
2500mAh battery
Dimensions: 140.5 x 69.75 x 9.3mm

The General Mobile 4G phone is priced at 699 Turkish lira ($260) and will be available in Black or White colors via retailer Telpa starting May 15.

According to Re/Code the reason for the price being high is "Turkey’s high electronics pricing foiled Google’s plans to keep the smartphones close to $100. The nation is a big market, but a risky one"

“Our goal with Android One is to empower more people to do great things with the Internet by putting a high-quality, up-to-date smartphone into their hands. Turkish creativity and innovation are already exciting, so we can’t wait to see what people do with Android One,” said Caesar Sengupta, VP, Product Management, Android One.

Source : Re/Code | Via : Liliputing

Kaiser Bey

Kaiser is a tech enthusiast who likes to write, read and talk about tech. He dreams of going to Mars and never come back. We hope that you find his posts on AndroGuider helpful and informative