Micromax has expanded its Bharat series to launch the Bharat Go smartphone in India. The Micromax Bharat Go is the company's first Android Go-based smartphone, and it was first demoed at MWC 2018 (read our first impressions). The Android Go-based Bharat Go comes with a price tag of Rs. 4,399. Micromax has partnered with Airtel to offer Rs. 2000 cashback as part of Airtel's 'Mera Pehla Smartphone' initiative, bringing the effective price down to Rs. 2,399.
For all those unaware, Android Go is Google's attempt to build an OS for low-end devices. It is essentially a stripped down version of Android designed from the ground-up for low-cost smartphones with underpowered processors, meagre amount of storage, and less than a gigabyte of RAM. It has also been designed with data saving in mind, and comes pre-loaded with apps like Gmail Go, Maps Go, Files Go, Chrome, YouTube Go, Assistant Go, Play Store and GBoard.
The VoLTE-based dual-SIM (Micro+Micro) Bharat Go runs on Android Oreo (Go edition), and the smartphone comes with a 4.5-inch (480x854 pixel) TFT display. It is powered by a 1.1GHz MediaTek MT6737quad-core processor, 1GB RAM, Mali-T720 MP1 GPU, and 8GB of internal storage. The smartphone is expandable via a microSD card slot (up to 32GB).
Optics include a 5-megapixel rear and front camera, with flash support at both ends. The Micromax Bharat Go packs a 2000mAh battery, and it claims to offer 6 to 7 hours of talktime, 170 to 180 hours of standby time. Connectivity options include 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, GPS, Bluetooth, Micro USB, OTG support, and 3.5mm audio jack. The smartphone weighs 130 grams, and the dimensions are at 136.5x67x9.6mm.
Shubhodip Pal, Chief Marketing and Commercial Officer, Micromax said in a statement, "Android Oreo (Go edition) is a compelling proposition for the mobile first economy like India. We are proud to announce the launch of Bharat GO, a smartphone powered by the Android Oreo (Go edition) today. Micromax Started the journey of empowering users a year ago with the launch of Bharat series. If we look at the statistics, there is still a huge gap when it comes to smartphone adoption all over the country owing to the lack of affordable smartphones in the sub 5k category. Micromax has always believed in massifying and democratising technology, be it through launching the first phone with qwerty keyboard or the first phone with dual SIM. And today we are extremely proud to partner with Airtel and Google for the launch of Bharat Go, which will further bridge the need gap of the consumers."
Micromax Bharat Go looks to compete with other Android Go-based smartphones like Asus ZenFone Live L1, and Nokia 1.
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