Android Go may come to India around Diwali
Mobile phone users in India may need to wait until Diwali to get their hands on a smartphone based on the just-announced Android Go platform, Google’s latest attempt at tapping the low-cost or entry-level segment.
Industry experts and analysts said unlike the failed Android One system, Android Go doesn’t dictate hardware standards, allowing Google’s partner handset makers to differentiate their devices from products of rivals on price and experience even while using the same OS.
Indian handset vendors Micromax, Lava and Karbonn, which are major players in the mass market segment that Google wants to target and were also its partners for Android One, said Thursday they are looking forward to working with the US company’s new OS.
However, analysts said they may be wary about committing investments for creating another set of Android devices on top of the existing ones, having tasted failure once. “Android Go could come to India around Diwali.
It’s still very early days and conversations are yet to begin,” said a senior industry executive asking not to be identified. Google didn’t comment on the timing of the devices or the partners it may pick.
The search giant will have two versions of its latest operating system — Android O — one of which will be Android Go, meant to work in low-cost phones, on low latency networks and will have Google and apps such as WhatsApp and Facebook that use less memory, storage space and mobile data, key requirements for consumers in smaller towns and cities.
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