Several smartphone-manufacturing companies have at the Mobile World Congress 2018 (MWC 2018) unveiled over half a dozen cheap smartphones, including Nokia 1, Lava Z50, ZTE Tempo Go, Alcatel 1X and Micromax BHARAT GO, which run Google's Android Oreo Go software version — developed specially for low-end mobile phones with an aim to cater to the needs of the people in developing countries like India.
The announcement of the entry-level Android Oreo (Go edition) phones came a few days after Google revealed in a blog post that its partners would unveil such handsets at the MWC 2018 in Barcelona, Spain.
Android Oreo (Go edition) aka Android Go is an optimized lightweight version of the Android Oreo OS developed specially for cheap and low-end smartphones that have only 512MB or 1GB of RAM and low storage.
Here is the complete list of Android Oreo (Go edition) smartphones that have been announced at MWC 2018 so far:
Lava Z50
It could be the first Android Go smartphone to be released in India. It is expected to hit the stores sometime in mid-March.
Lava Z50 sports a 4.5-inch FWVGA screen with 480x854 pixels protected by Corning Gorilla Glass. Under the hood, it has a quad-core MediaTek MT6737M chipset, an Adreno 304 GPU, Android 8.1 Oreo (Go edition) OS, 1GB RAM, 8GB storage expandable up to 128GB via microSD, a 5MP rear camera with LED flash, and a 5MP front-snapper.
However, there is no mention of Lava Z50's battery details and pricing, except that it will come with a Rs 2,000 cashback offer from Airtel.
Nokia 1
HMD Global's Nokia 1 sports a 4.5-inch FWVGA IPS display, is powered by an MT6737 quad-core processor that is clocked at 1.1GHz, runs Android 8.1 Oreo (Go edition) OS, and comes packed with 1GB RAM and 8GB storage expandable up to 128 GB via microSD card.
It also features a 5MP rear camera with LED flash, a 2MP front-snapper, and a 2,150mAh battery.
Nokia 1 will be available in select markets from April at $85 (around Rs 5,500).
Alcatel 1X
The device features a 5.3-inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen with 480 x 960 pixels, is powered by a MediaTek 6739 processor, runs Android 8.1 Oreo (Go edition) OS and comes packed with 1GB/2GB RAM and 16GB storage expandable up to 32GB via microSD card.
Alcatel 1X comes with 13MP main camera or 8MP rear camera options. It also houses a 2,460mAh battery and is available at €100 (around Rs 8,000) for the lower variant and €110 (around Rs 8,800) for the top-end model.
Micromax BHARAT GO
The device sports a 4.5-inch FWVGA screen with 854x480 pixel, powered by a quad-core processor and runs Android 8.1 Oreo (Go edition) operating system as its name suggests. The Micromax Bharat Go also features 1 GB RAM, 8GB storage expandable up to 32GB via microSD card, 5MP main camera, and 3.2MP front-snapper.
ZTE Tempo Go
The device features a 5-inch screen with 480 x 854 pixels, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 processor, Android 8.1 Oreo (Go edition) OS, 1GB RAM and 8GB storage expandable up to 32GB via microSD card.
Priced at $80 (around Rs 5,100), the ZTE Tempo Go also has a 5MP main camera, a 2MP front-snapper, and a 2,200mAh battery.
Google has said in a blog post that General Mobile has announced its GM 8 Go with Android Oreo (Go edition), and TRANSSION is ready to release "Android Oreo (Go edition) phones across its brands, TECNO, itel and Spice."
It went on to say that Huawei is planning to bring similar low-end smartphones in the near future.
