Ringing Bells Freedom 251 launches in India for Rs. 251, cheapest smartphone ever

Ringing Bells made history today by announcing the cheapest smartphone in India, the Freedom 251 for just Rs. 251 (or US $3.7).  The company had also launched the cheapest 4G smartphone, Smart 101, in India just a while back for Rs. 2999.

Specifications

Coming to specs, the Freedom 251 has a 4-inch qHD (960x540 Pixels) display running on a 1.3GHz quad-core processor with 1GB RAM, 8GB of expandable storage running Android 5.1 Lollipop. There's a 3.2MP rear and 0.3MP (VGA) front-facing camera here as well.

Connectivity options include 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS along with FM Radio. Ringing Bells has also packed a 1450 mAh battery on the Freedom 251 which should suffice for the smaller display.

The design of the smartphone is still in question as the website and the ad in TOI show a vastly different smartphone. Even the specifications are a bit different, the TOI ad says that the smartphone is supposed to come with a 4-inch WVGA display instead of a 4-inch qHD display. But we will know more at the launch event tonight.

Pricing and Availability

Priced at just Rs. 251, the Freedom 251 will be available in white color only with 1-year warranty which can be available at its over-650 service centers pan-India. It will be available through their online portal freedom251.com starting 6AM on February 18th.

Images

Update: This is the final retail variant of the Freedom 251 from Ringing Bells (India). Only 5000 units will be sent to buyers in the first round, and then the company will wait for feedback and funds. Clearly a marketing strategy with possibly no next batch of phones.

Hands-on final variant of Freedom 251