When Noida-based Ringing Bells announced that it is launching a smartphone priced at Rs 251, little did it know the news would quite literally disrupt the mobile market and bring with it some serious doubts. Freedom 251 - an Android-based smartphone- was announced earlier this week at an event the scale of an Indian wedding. However, as soon as the so-called review units were handed to the media persons, a Pandora's box was unleashed.
From shoddily re-labeling Adcom Ikon 4 units as Freedom 251 with a whitener to bluntly denying having borrowed elements from the premium Apple iOS; here are some of the controversies surrounding the world's cheapest smartphone:
1. Price
Touted as the world's cheapest smartphone at Rs 251, Ringing Bells is offering the Freedom 251 with specs that include a 4-inch WVGA IPS display, 3.2 megapixel auto-focus rear camera, 0.3 megapixel front camera, 1.3 GHz quad-core processor, 1GB RAM, 8GB of internal storage with SD card support, 1450 mAh battery, and Android 5.1 Lollipop OS. Given the specs, the phone is not at all a bad choice. However, it is the very price of the phone that has stirred doubts across the mobile industry.
