Android One Finally Launched in PH; Cherry Mobile One and MyPhone Uno will be priced at less than 5k
Last September, we reported that Google has announced the Android One which aims to provide a powerful designed smartphone at very affordable prices. This became exciting news, but also made us wonder how it’s going to work out here in the Philippines.
Finally, we have some good news about it – Android One is finally here in the Philippines! Google thinks it still makes sense to bring it here in the PH even with lots of cheap Android-powered smartphones available in our market. They’ve identified 3 big reasons why it’s hard for Filipinos to get a high-quality smartphone: hardware, software and data. While we are able to see Php 1,699 smartphones from Cherry Mobile and MyPhone, the software is not up to date and 3G data is not available. Android One aims to tackle these issues, and by partnering with Philippine brands like Cherry Mobile and MyPhone, phones like the Cherry Mobile One and MyPhone Uno will let Filipino smartphone users taste what a real Android smartphone should be.
According to Ceasar Sengupta, Google Vice President of Product Management, they’ve partnered with manufacturers to produce the Android One phones according to their standards. This includes a reference board that Google placed together for chipsets like MTK and Qualcomm and selected partners for providing components. The hardware is tailored according to the usual requirements by the market:
- expandable microSD
- Dual SIM Card
- Replaceable battery
- Built-in FM Radio
- 4-8GB of internal storage
Android One phones are ensured that the software is tested and fine tuned with every release of a software update. All the Android One phones from Cherry Mobile and MyPhone will come with Android Lollipop 5.1.
CHERRY MOBILE ONE AND MY PHONE UNO
We were very fortunate to receive the first Android One phones in the Philippines! I was able to get a MyPhone Uno and upon checking with fellow tech bloggers, we found out that the specs are different with the Cherry Mobile One. I’ll post about it later. Meanwhile here are some more pictures:
UPDATE: The Cherry Mobile One is now available at Cherry Mobile Stores and Kiosks in Metro Manila while stores in the provinces will have their taste of it on March. The SRP is Php 3,999.00. We’re still waiting word from My|Phone for details about the Uno.
