Freedom 251 Phones All Set For Delivery From Today | TechTree.com

Freedom 251 Phones All Set For Delivery From Today

Ringing Bells to deliver the first lot to 5,000 customers through its expansive distributor network

 

Good news finally arrives for the customers who had booked the 'world's cheapest smartphone', the Freedom 251, which shall begin deliveries from today. The handset, launched in February this year, had received much publicity and media attention for its price, i.e. INR 251 dubbing it to be cheapest smartphone in the world. The deliveries had been planned earlier but could not be carried out. Finally, 5,000 customers from the first lot of millions who registered for it, will be getting their handsets, beginning today.

Mohit Goel, Director, Ringing Bells, makers of the Freedom 251 handset, unveiled his company's ambition to get the handset delivered to every state in the country and mentioned that 2 lakh units of the Freedom 251 handset will be delivered in Phase-I. Though there have been questions with regards to the handset's origins, Goel insisted it is largely a 'Made in India' product. He said, “We have more than 200 distributors in the country. The assembling is in India, the packaging is in India, and the logistics are in India. Our ultimate vision is to set up a manufacturing plant in India,” when probed about the creation of the product.

The other aspect of the company's business model has been raising questions. While the media and audience have been asking questions about how the company intends to cover its costs considering the selling price of Freedom 251, considering the per unit importing and production cost is in the range of INR 1,200 - INR 1,400, the company has argued that it is something viable due to the value they provide. President Ashok Chadha answered, “Our bill of material cost remains between INR 1,250 – 1,400 for Freedom 251, and our selling price is INR 251. Obviously there’s a gap. We are trying to do our innovative e-commerce, through pre-loaded apps and through advertising to fill that gap. And all the subventions from that, we give back to the community.”

On the sidelines of these development, the company launched a 31.5-inch LED TV, priced at INR 9,990 alongside 6 other handsets. Ever since the Freedom 251 handset has come within public scrutiny, it has managed to grab more attention than even the launch of the latest products, as the handset continued to get more attention than the new product range.

 

Image credits: www.androidauthority.com 


TAGS: Smartphone Made In India, Budget Smartphones

 
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