Intel together with Lava Mobiles in India has launched the first ever smartphone which boasts of “Intel Inside”. Named as the Lava XOLO X900 this smartphone marks Intel’s much awaited entry in to the smartphone segment. Lava’s association with Intel and this smartphone was first announced during the MWC in Barcelona earlier this year. Priced at $420 (INR22000), the smartphone runs on Android 2.3 (upgradable to Android 4.0) and is powered by Intel Atom processor Z2460 with a clock speed of 1.6 GHz. Other features include an 8 megapixel rear camera, a front facing camera, HSPA+ support, 4.03” LCD display, HDMI connectivity and NFC.
A partnership with Intel is definitely an achievement for Lava, which so far has been associated mostly with the low cost handset segment. But the question that arises is; will this partnership help Lava command a premium pricing for its latest smartphone. Not so long ago, Micromax tried to achieve a similar feat with its Superfone A85, with gesture control and a 1GHz Tegra 2 processor, priced at $360, but had to bring down the price to $290 within a month of its launch. RIM launched its latest blackberry Curve 9220 in India yesterday at almost half the price ($210). Within the given price band there are plenty of other options for the Indian consumers to choose from, ranging from the iPhone 3GS to a variety of Samsung, Nokia and Blackberry smartphones. It definitely seems to be a difficult uphill journey for Lava.
