Intex on Monday has launched the first Firefox OS smartphone in India, the Cloud FX, priced at Rs. 1,999. The company had in June announced it would launch the smartphone in August under Rs. 2,000. The smartphone is now available via exclusive retail partner Snapdeal.The cheapest Android smartphone available right on Flipkart, Snapdeal and Amazon India is a little over Rs. 2,000, so the company’s claims that the Intex Cloud FX is India’s cheapest smartphone has some merit.
Notably, Spice had also announced a Firefox OS smartphone in June, and earlier this week said it will be launching the Spice Fire One Mi-FX 1 at Rs. 2,299 on August 29. The dual-SIM (GSM+GSM) Intex Cloud FX features a 3.5-inch HVGA (320×480 pixel) display, and runs on a 1GHz processor (unspecified chipset) coupled with 128MB of RAM. It features a 2-megapixel rear camera, and according to the Snapdeal listing, no front-facing camera.
Other specifications of the Intex Cloud FX include 46MB of built-in storage, with support for microSD cards (up to 4GB). Connectivity options include GPRS/ EDGE, Wi-Fi, Micro-USB, Bluetooth, FM radio, and a 3.5mm audio jack.
The Intex Cloud FX weighs in at 104 grams, and has dimensions of 115.9×62.11.8mm. It sports a 1250mAh battery, rated to deliver up to 4 hours of talk time and a standby time of 200 hours.
Spice ahead of the Fire One Mi-FX 1’s launch has also detailed its specifications, saying it comes with a 3.5-inch HVGA (320×480 pixel) display; is powered by a 1GHz processor; sports a 1.3-megapixel rear camera, and there is a 0.3-megapixel front-facing camera also onboard. The smartphone supports dual-SIM (GSM+GSM); however, only 2G connectivity is available.
Speaking on the launch of Cloud FX, Keshav Bansal, Director, Marketing, Intex Technologies, said, “The launch of Intex Cloud FX marks the beginning of a new era of the Indian smartphone market and Intex is proud to be the first Indian company to understand and deliver on market needs. With the launch of Intex Cloud FX, we aim to enable the masses to get smartphone experience at the cost of a feature phone. We are delighted to partner with Snapdeal.com, the partnership allows us to offer the smartphone pan-India at a revolutionary cost.”
Dr. Li Gong, President of Mozilla, added, “We are excited that Intex Cloud FX is now selling in the market, being the first Firefox OS device available in India and Asia. The positive consumer feedback from other markets tells that people like the unique user experience and openness we’re building with Firefox OS. With the support from Intex, Firefox OS smartphones in ultra-low-cost category will redefine the entry-level smartphones segment, which attract people to transfer from featured phones to smartphones. Having a stronghold as Intex, we believe Firefox OS devices are going to create another momentum in Asia.
