While we were waiting for Nokia to announce the 500 rupee handset , looks like Vodafone jumped ahead in the race by unveiling the Vodafone 150 , it’s cheapest phone till date. The Vodafone 150 and Vodafone 250 are launching in India and Africa in the coming weeks .
The Vodafone 150 and Vodafone 250 offer basic voice and SMS facilities along with support for mobile payment services. The only differences between the 150 and 250 is that the latter has a color display, is slightly bigger and has FM Radio
Vodafone 150 Specs
- Black candy bar device with 5-way navigation key
- 1.0” monochrome graphic display 96×64 pixels
- voice and SMS
- GSM 900/1800
- polyphonic ringtones
- vibration,alarm clock,calculator,currency converter
- 2 embedded games
- memory for up to 100 entries in phonebook plus SMS storage
- torch
- battery: 500mAh (standby up to 400h, talk time up to 5h)
- mini USB connector.
Vodafone 250 Specs
- Black or grey-blue candy bar device with 5-way navigation key
- 1.45” CSTN display, 128×128 pixels
- FM radio and stereo headset support
- wallpapers; voice and SMS
- GSM 900/1800
- polyphonic ringtones; vibration; alarm clock; calculator; currency converter
- 2 embedded games
- memory for up to 100 entries in phonebook and SMS storage
- torch
- battery: 500mAh (standby up to 400h, talk time up to 5h)
- mini USB connector
Patrick Chomet, Vodafone’s Group Director of Terminals, said, “The cost of mobile handsets can be one of the most significant barriers for people in accessing and benefiting from the growing number of socially valuable mobile services. The lives of people who use these phones – the Vodafone 150 and Vodafone 250 – will be changed and improved as they become part of the mobile society. I am proud of the work we have done and will continue to do in this critical area of customer empowerment.”
These low cost phones are launching in India and 6 markets in Africa – The Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Mozambique, Qatar, South Africa and Tanzania. The price of the Vodafone 150 is 15 USD and Vodafone 250 will have a price of 20 USD. The price of these handsets in India is expected to be around Rs.700 to Rs.1000.Vodafone and handset manufacturer TCL have worked together to produce these handsets.