As analysts the world over cite slow high-end smartphone sales as an indication of the over saturation of the market, the mid-range and entry-level sectors continue to show signs of growth.
Affordable devices continue to grab market share both in the West and, in particular, in emerging markets.
And now, fresh reports claim that a new Android smartphone releasing later this year could give new meaning to the term ‘affordable’.
In fact, an upcoming $20 1x Cortex-A5 2.5G Android smartphone is believed to be the cheapest device of its kind ever.
According to new data from AnandTech, the entry-level smartphone sector will continue to grow and by 2018 will witness over a billion entry-level smartphone shipments per year – that’s double the figures that are currently being reported.
Citing a report by ARM, AnandTech adds that the lowest level for a smartphone running Android is $20, and that we’ll see the first devices on sale at that price point in the next few months.
For those of you out there playing “how low can you go?”, it seems that prices won’t dip below the $20 limit – mainly due to manufacturing costs.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise to some onlookers as steep price drops have already begun taking place. A $25 Firefox OS smartphone has already been revealed, Nokia released the entry-level Nokia X a mere moment before its acquisition by Microsoft and – following the success of the Moto G – Motorola plans to show off another affordable phone this month.
Exactly who will be the first to capitalise on the next “cheapest smartphone ever” headline-grabbing tag is yet to be seen. What is certain, however, is that in global terms affordability is the driving force for the industry.