Karbonn confirms Android One smartphone(s) launching in Q1 next year

NEW DELHI: In an interview with TOI Tech, Karbonn Mobiles has confirmed it will be introducing new Android One-based smartphone(s) early next year. Karbonn’s Managing Director Pradeep Jain said the company is in talks with Google for Android One, and we might see some Android One smartphone launch(es) in Q1 of next year.
The company’s executive director Shashin Devsare said that the firm’s partnership with Google is “pretty much intact and in place.”
However, the reason for the delay is that “Google is themselves reconsidering on certain strategic angles and how to look at the next phase of android one.”
Devsare also added that once the search giant is ready to move ahead with the next phase and as a manufacturer wants to partner with Karbonn, they will be ready with some new smartphones.
Launching an Android One smartphone by Karbonn is nothing new, as the handset maker launched its Sparkle V earlier. Based on Google’s mandated set of specifications for Android One, the phone has near-stock Android and is among the few devices to get updated to latest Android version(s). Late last year, Android One handsets started receiving Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS update.

To recall, the Karbonn Sparkle V was launched back in 2014. It sports a 4.5-inch IPS display with 480x854 pixel resolution. It is powered by a quad-core MediaTek processor clubbed with 1GB of RAM. The phone also sports a 5MP rear camera with LED flash, along with a 2MP front-facing camera. Having dual-sim capability, the Sparkle V has 4GB in-built storage which can be expanded via microSD cards of up to 32GB in size. A 1700mAh battery rounds up the spec sheet.
Karbonn has set up a new facility at Bawal, Haryana. This is the company's second facility in India, the other being at Noida, Uttar Pradesh.