Smartphones are getting more powerful (and some, even cheaper) with each passing day. While Apple and company are locked in a vicious technological scrap, cramming more features into even smaller frames, other manufacturers are slimming down excessively on their hardware. And the latest contender for cheapest smartphone in the world comes courtesy of Chinese manufacturer AMGOO, with a handset costing just US$30.
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Dubbed the “AM505 Spark”, AMGOO’s device is a “you get what you pay for” type of deal, but it aims to bridge the gap between smartphone and feature phones. High-end specifications you’d usually expect from an Android device fall by the wayside. There’s no 4K screens, 40MP cameras or thousand-cored CPUs powered by car batteries on this handset. The AMGOO skimps on most features, for good reason.
Targeting developing countries with low domestic income, the Spark features a 2MP primary camera with a 0.3MP unit at the front. Connectivity options include 3G, WiFi and Bluetooth 2.0, while 256MB RAM keeps all the systems going, and support for up to 32GB permanent storage is available too (but a 32GB microSD card may just cost more than the phone itself). Touchscreens are a mainstay in smartphones nowadays, and AMGOO employs a 3.5″ 320×480 unit, while dual SIM support are also becoming increasingly popular with budget phones.
AMGOO will launch the device in the third week of August. While the low-end smartphone space is still relatively unclouded, these devices will undoubtedly kill off the feature phone for good in the coming years.
