While Google Inc. (GOOG, Financial), has partnered with mobile companies in India to launch its Android operating system and reasonably priced mobiles with updated features, Lenovo (LNVGY, Financial) is also not far behind in the smartphone market. As the competition in the mid and low-range smartphone market has intensified, it has compelled companies to rethink their strategies to beat continuous competition in this sector. Maybe that’s the main reason behind Lenovo’s A328 release, as the company is gearing up to launch this new budget A-series smartphone. As Google’s Android phones have just entered the market in India, the immediate Lenovo model launch might set off a battle between the two if the prices remain reasonable. Let’s find out the features of the Lenovo A328, which looks to compete with Google’s Android phones.
The news on the launch
Though news sources are expecting the launch to happen in India very soon, mobile retailer Mahesh Telecom claims that the Lenovo A328 is now available for sale in India. However, the company is still to make a final announcement about the phone’s public launch.
To give some credence to the retailer claims, Lenovo has now listed the A328 on the company’s India website. The support webpage also lists the complete specifications of this new model, which is assumed to have a reasonable sticker price that could attract customers and could create a competitive ground with Google in the long run, if the model has a high success rate in India.
The technical details
According to the company specifications, the yet-to-be announced model runs the Android 4.4 KitKat. It would feature a 4.5-inch FWVGA display, and is to be powered by a quad-core MediaTek processor clocked at 1.3 GHz, clubbed with 1GB of RAM. It would also have 4GB of built-in storage, which can be further expanded via microSD card up to 32GB.
The phone comes with a dual SIM and sports a 5-megapixel fixed focus rear camera with flash, while also housing a 2-megapixel front camera. It has a powerful 2000mAh battery that is rated to deliver up to 240 hours of standby time and up to 21 hours of talk time on 2G network.
The model measures 132x68.5x11 mm and weighs about 140 grams. It would come with 3G, GPRS, GPS, Micro-USB, Bluetooth, 3.5 mm audio port and Wi-fi connectivity options.
Recently, Lenovo has launched the Vibe Z2 Pro in India – the phablet which is premium-priced for the high-range smartphone market. Soon after, this phone targeting the low to mid-range market is being launched and will remain an attraction to several eyes, as the upgraded features would be available at a price tag of only about $118.
Last word
With Google launching its first smartphone under the Android One project at $105 to capture the low-cost segment, and Lenovo following suit trying to match the former’s success track, it can be concluded that a storm is yet to surface in the smartphone segment. So, let’s keep watching how the Lenovo A328 upcoming sales create a whirlwind in the sector.
