Not everyone can afford a high-end Android smartphone. Devices costing $400 and more are out of reach for many users in the emerging markets of the world and for them handset makers are launching entry-level devices.
According to In-Stat, Android is set to dominate this low-cost smartphone segment (which BTW is defined by price – under $150), with almost 340 million such Android-based smartphones shipping in 2015.
However, these low-end phones will cause fragmentation in the Android platform. In other words, users shouldn’t expect a $150 phone to run Ice Cream Sandwich — such a device will most likely ship with Froyo or Gingerbread on board, both of which work better on lower-specced hardware.
Some other findings from In-Stat’s report include:
- The low-end low-cost smartphones generally stick with EDGE and processors running at 600MHz speeds or less, and a single-core EDGE chip sells for well under $10.
- Smaller phone manufacturers will sometimes purchase from the “gray market” where component manufacturers typically don’t pay licensee fees, royalties, and taxes for the products they produce.
- Early competitors in the market include Huawei, MicroMax, Motorola, Samsung, Spice, and ZTE.
And you can get all additional information from In-Stat’s website.