World’s Cheapest Smartphone Launched, Costing Just £2.50

Indian startup Ringing Bells looks to make history by offering what could be the most affordable smartphone of all time.

Its flagship device, called the Freedom 251 smartphone, will officially be launched on Thursday in India costing just 251 Indian rupees (£2.56)

Cheap As Chips

The smartphone industry is currently saturated in many markets, but last year analyst firm Strategy Analytics predicted that cost-conscious mobile users in India and China will drive the demand for dual-SIM smartphones.

And there is a wide range of very cheap smartphones on the market, mostly from Chinese makers, offering smartphones from as little as £14.

But the Indian startup believes it can offer a much cheaper alternative with its Freedom 251 smartphone.

A Youtube video of the budget smartphone is available here.

Users should not expect cutting edge tech in this 3G smartphone, especially as it is cheaper than a pint of beer. That said, the Freedom 251 smartphone does come with Android 5.1 (Lollipop).

Other details are a little sketchy at the moment, but the handset boasts a 4 inch 960×540 IPS display, as well as 3.2mp camera (rear), and a 0.3mp camera (front) for selfie lovers.

Under the hood, the Freedom 251 is equipped with a 1.3 GHz quadcore processor, as well as 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal memory. A micro SD card slot is expandable up to 32GB, and the device is powered by a 1450 Mah battery. The smartphone also has 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS.

And Ringing Bells is also offering a one year warranty on every smartphone, although at that price a user might as well just bin a faulty handset and buy a brand new device.

“This is our flagship model and we think it will bring a revolution in the industry,” a Ringing Bells spokeswoman told AFP.

She said that Ringing Bells currently imports parts from overseas and assembles them in India but plans to make its phones domestically within a year.

What do you remember about the smartphones of 2014? Try our quiz!