The Freedom 251 smartphone has become a hot topic for a couple of days as it is offering the handset at an affordable price range of Rs. 251. The smartphone has created buzz among the netizens and the entire nation with its most affordable price tag. Touting as the world’s cheapest smartphone, the Freedom 251 smartphone was launched in New Delhi, India on February 17 by a Noida-based company, Ringing Bells. It made an announcement that the smartphone will be available for booking from February 18 morning 6 AM and will be closed on February 21. The official website freedom251.com got crashed and went down right in the morning which led to massive controversies among the people.
Well, the price of the smartphone is truly hard to believe, but as far as we people are led to consider it is a greenlit since company even conducted a launch event. But it didn’t go as declared, as the Guest of Honor, the Defence Minister, Shri Manohar Parrikar and some other state officials didn’t show up for the event. However, it is a newbie company as this is its second handset which is raising too many unanswered questions. Ultimately, the smartphone, however, has landed in several controversies ahead of the official launch.
Many of them are stating that the Freedom 251 smartphone from the Ringing Bells is just another scam. The initial pictures of the smartphone reveal it is a clear exemplar of the iPhone. From the hardware design to the software interface, it almost seems like the Freedom 251 is a rip off of the Apple iPhone. Apart from the exaggerated case of a staggering Rs 251 price tag for a 3G smartphone, there are a plethora of distinct concerns about the company and smartphone that make the deal seem extremely dubious.
>> Also Read: Freedom 251 Guarantees to Deliver 50 Lakh Smartphones in June <<
If you are thinking to purchase the Freedom 251 smartphone, here are some reasons why you should just hold on your plans. Just take a look at the reason why you shouldn’t buy the cheapest 3G smartphone in the world. You can then decide yourself whether to purchase it or not. Take a look!
Reasons Not to Buy Freedom 251 Smartphone
Here are the reasons that everyone need to have a glance and just consider them before heading to the official website of the Freedom 251 smartphone to book a unit for yourself. Here are some incentives that hold you back without hanging you for the Freedom 251 phenomenon.
1. iPhone – Copyright Violation
As mentioned earlier, the Freedom 251 is a glaring copycat of the Apple iPhone. It is just a copyright violation that Ringing Bells is totally infringing by using the software pictures elevated from the iOS. Indeed, the Freedom 251 smartphone has the same circular Touch ID at the bottom of the smartphone like the iPhone 6 or the 6s. Some other features that are simply copied from the Apple iPhone are listed below:
- Dialer app
- Camera
- Calculator & Clock
- Messages application
- Browser
The smartphone doesn’t look like something the image which was posted on the Freedom251.com official website. In fact, the Freedom 251 smartphone is an Adcom branded smartphone. Adcom is a New Delhi-based merchant of IT products.
2. Freedom 251 is a Rip-Off
Freedom 251 is a rip-off of the already existing Adcom Ikon 4 smartphone that’s selling on a different e-commerce website in India. A variant of this handset is already listed on various e-commerce websites including Amazon, Snapdeal and Shopclues for Rs. 4,000 nearly.
It is really ridiculous that the company even went forward with the launch event without actually manufacturing the handsets. The one’s who appeared at the event were only with their executives and were very unwillingly shown to the media. People who got their palm on the device contemplate how it was just a rebranded Adcom smartphone that sells at Rs 4,081.
3. Adcom has No Evidence
>>Check Out: Funny Memes & Twitter Trolls on Freedom 251<<
According to a report, Adcom has no evidence regarding its branding which is being used by Ringing Bells. Ringing Bells just stroked down the controversy by stating the handsets given to journalists were merely for the preview. Actually, the model devices given to the executives at the launch event had whitener applied to sneak the Adcom logo on the device.
3. ‘Make in India’ Smartphone from China
Ringing Bells claimed on its website that the Freedom 251 smartphone is a part of Make in India campaign. As mentioned before, the Freedom 251 smartphone is a Rebranded Adcom Ikon 4 smartphone. In fact, Adcom is an Indian Smartphone merchant, who imports devices from China and market it in India, as many firms like Micromax and Karbonn does. Since we have confirmed that Freedom 251 smartphone is indeed a rebranded version of the Adcom Ikon 4 smartphone.
If that is the case then, how can this handset be a “Make in India” product, if it’s imported from a Chinese manufacturing plant. One most astonishing thing is that the company has not yet manufactured the smartphones yet claims to deliver the units by the month of June. Moreover, the Noida-based Ringing Bells haven’t asserted any plans regarding the set up of a manufacturing unit in the country. Under the signature of Make in India, the company is simply targeting the virtuous citizens who assume that it’s a genuine product.
4. Device Isn’t a Govt Sponsored Product
The report that was able to collect from the company officials during the launch states that it isn’t a government subsidized product. The President of Ringing Bells, Ashok Chadha has clarified that there is no subsidy provided by the government for the Freedom 251 smartphone. When asked how you are going to accomplish this act of launching a product at Rs 251, he responded as that the company has split down expenses, most of which bears moving on the 13.8% tax protection for marketing a Make in India product to a customer.
After doing some calculations, we reach to a price at Rs 2500-2700, which would be minimum cost bearings for a manufacturing a smartphone with specifications like Freedom 251. Now the company is accepting that there is no support provided by the government, but they’re fairly receiving a Make in India discount of a couple percent, which in theory would not reach the costs of the production. There is merely a notable gap between the Rs. 251 price tag and the expenses to build a smartphone with such specifications.
5. Website Isn’t Secure
The freedom251.com is not a HTTPs website, which can set users information on peril. The company had to pause bookings after its servers were overloaded due to massive traffic. But, the company touted that it booked just 30,000 units before the website crashed.
We decline to affirm that the company had not expected such overwhelming consideration to the cheapest device which is priced at Rs 251 smartphone. It did not disclose how many units of the Freedom 251 it will ship in the first phase of booking.
6. Is it a scam?
We all have been stung by the experience of the ultra low-cost Aakash tablet. DataWind had failed to timely deliver the Aakash Tablet, and couldn’t cope up with the bulky demand nationwide. It anyhow cautions us of the same experience, and possibly the pricing has been kept low to just promote branding of the company and the following delay of the shipments for months indicating massive orders or demands.
Obviously, there will be a cumbersome demand for a smartphone below Rs 300 in India, where usual smartphones start at an approximate range of Rs 4,000. In fact, the Indian Cellular Association has said the minimum price for 3G phone is Rs 2,700 and that it is the improbable to offer the phone at Rs 251. The industry organization says the company claims are not supportable.
7. Logistics?
Popular e-commerce firms like Flipkart and Amazon are yet to trace out a powerful means of getting their logistics in a position to deliver goods in an effective manner. Ringing Bell has just one sub-website which has crashed many times after proposals to ship 5 lakh units a month with an extra Rs. 40 in the name of delivery charges. Currently, you can only book the smartphone online and the date of delivery is 4 months away, i.e., probably by the month of June. That’s a lot of time for the company to keep your money and move it around in the market and make profits or just run out.
Usually, people assume that it’s just a matter of Rs. 251 and not many people will persevere the company if they do not deliver. The amount might be nothing for most of the people but, after summing up the price advanced by the people of the entire nation, it would be a massive value which seems to be the ultimate goal of the company.
8. No BIS Certifications
As of last year, firms launching products in the India need to register for BIS certification ahead of launching any product in the country. But, what actually is BIS Certification and why is that significant? Well, as of last year, the Bureau of Indian Standards has made obligatory for smartphone manufacturing companies in India or external to launch a product must go through BIS certification procedure if it needs to be sold in the country.
The Department of Electronics and Information Technology introduced a compulsory certification requirement that going applies to various electronics equipment since then including tablets and as of last year, the smartphones as well. Yet, the Ringing Bells claims that their product would be shipped sometime in June (by then they can get certification as it’s a lengthy procedure), it doesn’t accept to begin selling Freedom 251 right now in India.
These are the top 8 reasons for not purchasing the Freedom 251 smartphone launched the Noida-based company, Ringing Bells. So, consider the above-mentioned reasons before heading to hit the pay now button on the Freedom 251 website. Be Cautious!
