Creo, best known for its media-streaming stick Teewe, has launched its Mark 1 smartphone in India, priced at Rs. 19,999. The highlight of the smartphone is its proprietary Fuel OS that's based on Android 5.1.1 Lollipop, with which Creo seeks to deliver new features to users every month in the form of over-the-air updates. The Mark 1 will be exclusively available via online marketplace Flipkart from the end of the week, as well as via the company site.
The other highlight of the smartphone at this price point is its 5.5-Inch Quad HD (1440x2560 pixels) resolution display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on both sides of the device. The Creo Mark 1 is a dual-SIM (Micro-SIM + Nano-SIM) smartphone that's powered by a 1.95GHz octa-core MediaTek Helio X10 SoC, coupled with 3GB of LPDDR3 RAM.
The Creo Mark 1 bears a 21-megapixel rear autofocus camera with LED flash and 4K video recording, apart from an 8-megapixel front-facing camera with full-HD video recording. It comes with 32GB of inbuilt storage that's expandable via microSD card (up to 128GB).
As for connectivity, the Creo Mark 1 offers 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0, and GPS options. The smartphone is powered by a 3100mAh battery.
Users have the option to custom engrave their smartphones, letting consumers choose the text they want displayed on the side of their smartphones. The first 2,000 customers will get the engraving free.
Coming back the custom Fuel OS software, there are several customisations over and above Android 5.1.1 Lollipop. The camera app supports 3D, slow motion, and panorama modes; the phone's capacitive buttons can be customised; security features will tell you if a new SIM card is inserted in your phone, and show you the location or let you wipe the phone remotely even without Internet access; Sense is an assistant that lets you find anything on your phone - buried settings, contacts, or downloaded files; Echo is a built in voicemail feature that is not Internet connected, all happens on your phone so it will work without data and is secure, a smart inbox that separates messages from people and messages from businesses so you don't have a cluttered SMS inbox.
The company has promised its next update for the Creo Mark 1 is scheduled to rollout out a month from now, on May 13, and will bring features like a photo editor, customisable echo messages for different callers, and a selfie screen flash.
Sai Srinivas, CEO & Co-Founder, Creo said, "We've been working long and hard to put out a product that redefines the way we look at hardware. In our fearless endeavour to make a smartphone that is more than just the sum of its great specs, we've built Fuel - an operating system that'll give a new phone experience every month, with features that deliver on both, performance and functionality." He added, "What makes these features better every month, is the first-of-its-kind, community inclusive update system that stems from feedback and suggestions from users. With their invaluable input, we will be able to deliver on our promise of making Android better."