Aircel partners with Magicon to launch three budget smartphones

Aircel has launched three new budget smartphones with dual SIM capacity in India. The network provider has joined hands with handset manufacturer Magicon Impex to offer the smartphones m1 and m2 as well as the 5-inch phablet mNote.

Magicon has forayed into the Indian market very recently and is already eyeing the lucrative budget smartphone section in the country. Tying up with Aircel to provide affordable data plans and added benefits is only going to help the manufacturer secure a wider base.

All the three handsets are in the sub Rs 10,000 segment, which pits them directly against budget smartphone heavyweights like Micromax and Karbonn who have a following in that budget. The m1 and m2 are priced at Rs 4,499 and Rs 4,999 respectively.

The handsets are all priced below Rs 10,000

Both the handsets come with a 1GHz processor, 5 megapixel camera and a 3.5 inch WGA capacitive touchscreen display. The major difference between the m1 and the m2 is that the latter is a 3G handset. The handsets also have secondary front facing cameras. These handsets run the Gingerbread version of Android and are ideal for first time Android users who do not wish to splurge on a phone, yet want basic smartphone functions.

The mNote phablet, which looks (and sounds) suspiciously like Samsung Galaxy Note, is also put under the below Rs 10,000 pocket; this could be its biggest USP. The phablet comes with a price tag of Rs 9,999 and features a 5-inch screen. The mNote runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and has a dual core 1GHz processor along with a 2000 mAh battery. It comes with an 8 megapixel camera with LED flash.

All of the three handsets are going to be loaded with games and social functions like Angry Birds, Fruit Ninja, Facebook and Skype to appeal to the youth segment. Talking about Magicon’s tie up with Aircel, Jitendra Rahi, National Distribution Head, Aircel, said, “We are at the cusp of a data tsunami in our country and it’s important for us to take a lead in data products. With Aircel’s endeavor of ‘Internet for all’, the association with Magicon is a perfect fit as it will help drive the smart device penetration and increase data usage.”

The phones are being bundled with offers from Aircel like 250 minutes of talk time, 250 SMS and 1GB data for 3 months. Aircel had recently launched a new retail recharge card titled ‘Aircel Pocket Internet Games’. The card is a retail initiative that allows Aircel subscribers to download and play unlimited games along with unlimited Internet access at affordable prices.

For the Pocket Internet Games card, Aircel has forged an association with Disney UTV and Electronic Arts (EA) to provide gaming content. Pocket Internet Games offers more than 1500 titles from EA and Disney’s gaming library for the gaming enthusiasts. These would include some of the most popular and sought after games like Need for Speed, EA Cricket, FIFA, Medal of Honor and Pirates of Caribbean, among others.