Published in Mobiles

Google plans to get a $30 smartphone out

by on09 January 2017


Wants to get Android One price down


Google CEO Sundar Pichai wants to get the price of its Android One down from a good $100 to a better $30.

Google started the Android One program to get affordable smartphones into all corners of the globe and Pichai thinks that the right price point for smartphones in India is $30. But that means slashing the costs of the phone significantly.

India currently has the largest base of Android users, and most of those users have phones that cost less than $150.

The fact that Google is aiming to get its costs down will force others to follow suit.

"Hopefully, we can all push and make $30 smartphones happen," Pichai said in a separate interview. India has over 260 million smartphone users.

Pichai said that cheaper devices were only part of the solution. They also need services that can run reliably on “flaky” networks. So, the project should make more services adapt to slow internet.

India-born Pichai is visiting the country currently. He announced a Digital Unlocked initiative through which the company aims to bring all small and medium businesses to the internet. About 68 percent of such businesses don't have any online presence currently.

Last modified on 09 January 2017
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