How Does India’s $33 Smartphone Stack Up Against the iPhone 6?

[StarCraft_ZT]

As Apple Inc. tries to convince rich consumers to dish out more dollars for the new iPhone 6, Indian tech companies are slashing prices to target hundreds of millions of first-time smartphone buyers.

So far, Indian handset maker Intex Technologies India Ltd. is winning the race to the bottom.

Intex’s Cloud FX smartphone is one of the first to use Mozilla Corp.’s Firefox mobile operating system. With an online price of 1,999 rupees, or about $33, it claims to be the cheapest smartphone in the world.

You could buy more than 20 Cloud FX phones for the more-than-$700 it would cost to buy an iPhone 6 Plus in the U.S. without a phone-service contract.

So what do you get for one-twentieth the price of the latest iPhone? The short answer is more than you’d think, but still not enough.

The Intex phone looks and feels like the standard smartphone. Its 3.5-inch touch screen and rounded corners actually make it look a lot like an older iPhone.

The Mozilla operating system is generally easy to navigate. It’s a bit slow, but it can do most of the basics — calls, text messaging, Facebook FB +2.01%, Twitter TWTR +2.94%, email, WhatsApp—as long as it is connected to a solid cellular or Wi-Fi signal.

YouTube and Bollywood music sites, which are likely to be the favorites of India’s smartphone newbies, also worked surprisingly well.

Go beyond those basics, however, and the phone can get stuck — literally.

My attempts at simple web browsing–looking through a newspaper article or searching for movie times –often ended with a frozen or blank screen. Even some of the Mozilla applications and games available for download often didn’t work.

Meanwhile, one of the most important features for the on-the-go cheap phone consumer in India, battery life, was dismal. The phone rarely lasted a full day on a single charge, even with light usage.

The Intex Cloud FX does, however, have an important feature for times when the sophisticated software doesn’t work: an FM radio.

The bottom line is that the $33 smartphone won’t be taking over the world market any time soon. It may be a good basic smartphone for beginners on a budget, but only if they have regular access to Wi-Fi and power outlets. Anyone else will find the phones frustrating.

The Cloud FX is still a solid start for what is the first of what will certainly be many attempts to create a smartphone for the masses. The hardware and software is bound to get better, just like on the iPhone, and bottom-of-the-pyramid consumers will be able to dish out another $10 or so for a bit more battery life and capacity as their incomes rise.

 

[T90TankGuy]

My MY!!!!! the heights of comparison
one one hand you have the cheapest phone in the world, on the other we have the latest from the IPhone stable.

This is truly an even fight out

 

[Levina]

My MY!!!!! the heights of comparison
one one hand you have the cheapest phone in the world, on the other we have the latest from the IPhone stable.

This is truly an even fight out

Ask a teen and their answer might surprise you.
A fancy and cheap smartphone is always in demand.

 

[IND151]

Good to see that an Indian company has launched such phone.

 

[T90TankGuy]

Ask a teen and their answer might surprise you.
A fancy and cheap smartphone is always in demand.

I meant the comparison of the two phones is ridiculous. obviously the intex ph has been built with a certain demographic in mind.

 

[ExtraOdinary]

Ask a teen and their answer might surprise you.
A fancy and cheap smartphone is always in demand.

I think brand value does carry a lot of weight too. And low cost is not the sole criteria for success, even in India. Otherwise Tata Nano would have ruled Indian roads , why they lost out, because they branded it as a "cheap" car.

 

[Donatello]

A lot of the people buy iphone because of its camera. I don't like Apple, and as such don't buy Apple products, but i have to give in when it comes to the picture quality of iphone and the apps that come with it. This 33$ smartphone has no chance against iphone in that case. And then there are a lot more functions that it cannot satisfy.

This is not a fair comparison. This 33$ smartphone would be good within it's own market, but not above it.
Secondly, phones should be compared on similar specs and functions and not price, since we know that iPhones are woefully overpriced, because isheep will buy them no matter what.

 

[The Unnamed]

actually it is good to see such comparisons.

the new micromaxs are supposed to be good. made in india, designed by micromax.

why the phucg they dont come up one with a qwerty ? whats up with that ?

 

[pursuit of happiness]

I think brand value does carry a lot of weight too. And low cost is not the sole criteria for success, even in India. Otherwise Tata Nano would have ruled Indian roads , why they lost out, because they branded it as a "cheap" car.

--
tata nano .. case study of wrong markrting positioning of product....
instead of cost effective it percived cheap value care which was not the case
as u righly point out
--
ask any normal iphone user outside he is happy that he has iphone..
inside cursing the same

 

[Levina]

I think brand value does carry a lot of weight too. And low cost is not the sole criteria for success, even in India. Otherwise Tata Nano would have ruled Indian roads , why they lost out, because they branded it as a "cheap" car.

One, are you a teenager??
Two, is there an upper limit to your pocket money??
Three, if you were a teenager would you care for a brand???

I am sure this phone was released with low income ppl and teenagers in mind, for whom brand value may not be the first priority.

 

[pursuit of happiness]

One, are you a teenager??
Two, is there an upper limit to your pocket money??
Three, if you were a teenager would you care for a brand???

I am sure this phone was released with low income ppl and teenagers in mind, for whom brand value may not be the first priority.

--
now a days teenager thinkin like adult
and
adult like teenagers
dont underestimate power of teenagers
note - im not teenager

 

[Levina]

--
now a days teenager thinkin like adult
and
adult like teenagers
dont underestimate power of teenagers
note - im not teenager

See such phones were made for the masses and not the classes.
Even if a teenager doesnt buy it then somebody from the lower income strata would.
I am sure the company which launched this mobile must 've done its homework well in advance.

 

[MilSpec]

you get what you pay for.

 

[ExtraOdinary]

See such phones were made for the masses and not the classes.
Even if a teenager doesnt buy it then somebody from the lower income strata would.
I am sure the company which launched this mobile must 've done its homework well in advance.

Im not so sure
"Meanwhile, one of the most important features for the on-the-go cheap phone consumer in India, battery life, was dismal. The phone rarely lasted a full day on a single charge, even with light usage."

 

[forcetrip]

You need to ask a person which phone he can afford and that phone will be considered the winner.