Google's Cheap Phones Mean More India Trouble for Samsung - Businessweek

Not a great month for Samsung, so far... Also see One sixth of the ENTIRE PLANET will buy a new smartphone this year (The Register)

"Looking just at smartphones, Samsung remains the country’s top brand for now. But that lead is already shrinking, and the new Android phones will make Samsung’s position even shakier. Google, working with Taiwanese chip designer MediaTek and Indian mobile brands Micromax, Karbonn, and Spice, will now be pushing smartphones that cost as little as 6,399 rupees (about $105). Google has already been promoting the Android One’s potential to transform lives worldwide: “One will change the way we think. One will start a movement.“

To make matters worse for Samsung, Google isn’t the only company bringing more competition to India. The Android One phones will be going up against even cheaper new phones from Mozilla, which last month unveiled Firefox smartphones costing as little as 1,999 rupees. “Firefox OS smartphones in the ultra-low-cost category will redefine the entry-level smartphone and create strong momentum in Asia,” Mozilla President Li Gong said in a statement last month."

Google's Cheap Phones Mean More India Trouble for Samsung - Businessweek