Microsoft has announced that it will launch cheap Windows Phone devices in India. The company made this announcement after Google launched its first set of “Android One” smartphones — the $100 handsets with partnership with Indian OEMs at an event in New Delhi earlier this morning.
Microsoft says that it is planning to introduce Windows Phone handsets with as low as $40 price tag to increase the reach of its phones to more hands. “We’re just beginning a refresh of the entire portfolio,” Chris Weber, vice president of mobile device sales at Microsoft, told ET. “We aim to push the price point of Windows phones significantly lower – we certainly see that happening on the Android ecosystem – without impacting quality and experience.”
Microsoft has several handsets for the low-price segment, however the offerings are about to slide, as the company has stopped manufacturing phones in Asha and Nokia X lineups.
India is the home for over 1.2 billion people. Out of this humongous crowd, only about 200 million people use smartphones. As you can guess, there are millions of potential customers waiting for these companies to lower the price bar so that they could get a decent handset.
“On the ‘First’ side, we will continue to introduce new devices – First Bing, First Internet devices, First mobile phone devices,” said Jo Harlow, corporate vice president for phones at Microsoft.
Currently, the Lumia 520 is among the cheapest Windows Phone you can buy in India. The phone costs around $115 through e-retailers.
