Micromax is all geared up for the launch of Bharat Go, which will be the first smartphone from the company to be based on Android Oreo Go. Micromax is also claiming its Bharat Go to be India’s first smartphone to run Android Oreo Go, Gadget360 reported.
For the uninitiated, Android Oreo Go happens to be sort of a stripped down version of Android Oreo and is designed to offer the best of Android experience on even less capable handsets. First announced during the Google I/O conference last year, Android Go can be seen as a fresh attempt on part of Google to tap emerging or developing markets where buyers may not have the means to afford decently specced phones.
Google is claiming the Android Go is tuned to offer superior Android experience on devices with even 512 MB of RAM. This, it claims, has been achieved by introducing some changes with the apps as well. As such, apps that have been especially tuned to run on the Android Go platform have been postfixed with the ‘Go’ moniker for their easy identification.
So the usual bunch of Android apps that you get with Android Go devices include Google Go, Google Maps Go, Gmail Go, YouTube Go, Google Assistant Go, and Files Go. While the apps are designed to offer the basic functions similar to their standard counterparts, Google said the apps would still consume less memory and storage while being frugal on mobile data as well.
In all, Android Go is aimed at creating a new class of less capable smartphones that will also cost a lot less. Micromax however isn’t revealing what its Bharat Go phone will cost or what its specifications will be like.
Micromax, meanwhile isn’t having a nice run in the market at the moment at it will be interesting to see if the Bharat Go can reverse its fortunes. It hasn’t particularly been fortunate with its most recent releases, namely the Canvas Infinity Pro mainly because it came with a less capable battery while being priced a bit hefty at around Rs. 14k.
Also, while Google has said the Android Go initiative is aimed at introducing the weaker sections of the society to Android smartphones, that sure applies to developing markets like India. However, the same runs the chances of backfiring in India at least given how even mid-range phone sporting decent specs sell for around say the 7K mark. For that amount you get phones like the Moto C that comes with 2 gigs of RAM, 64 gigs of storage along with 4000mAh battery. Easy financing options make owning these handset all the more easy on the pockets.
For the Android Go program, and hence phones like Bharat Go to really succeed, the phones will have to undercut the likes of Moto C significantly. Let’s not forget, the Indians have had their Nano moment earlier where an ultra-low cost car simply bombed in the markets. Micromax sure will have to be wary of that as it launches the Bharat Go by the end of this month.
