Google aiming to at least halve cost of Android One smartphones, from $100 to $30-50

Google is making a “massive” investment in its Android One program, designed to make pure Android devices available to customers in developing markets at affordable prices, reports the FT. It hopes “over the next few years” to bring down the retail price of Android One handsets in countries like India from the equivalent of $100 to somewhere in the $30-50 range.

Rajan Anandan, managing director in India and Southeast Asia, told the Financial Times that the company [recognized that the] much-hyped mobile standard had “not delivered to expectations” … 

Google is keen to push pure Android devices to ensure that Google apps – which drive advertising revenue – are front and center. Anandan said that Google is taking a long-term view of its investment in Android One.

Don’t get me wrong, the revenue is interesting but […] we’re here really because 10 years from now a billion Indians will be online and when we have a billion Indians online we think that’s going to make a huge difference to the global internet economy.

The company was also making “very large-scale” investments in helping small businesses get online, and in developing content specifically for India.

Google first launched Android One in India almost a year ago, before rolling it out to Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, the Philippines, Turkey, Myanmar and Pakistan.