Sony Launches Budget Phones Xperia R1 & R1 Plus for Indian Market

[Mario D'souza]

Sony changed its strategy once again by launching mid-range budget phones Sony Xperia and Sony Xperia R1 Plus exclusively for the Indian market.

Supporting the Make-in-India initiative, both the smartphones will be locally manufactured at Sri City facility in Andhra Pradesh. Starting November 10, these latest handsets will be available for sale both online and offline stores at a price tag of ₹13990 and ₹15990 respectively.

Realizing the importance of mid-range smartphone segment, the Japanese technology giant has launched Sony Xperia R1 and Xperia R1 Plus claiming it as “Designed for Indian lifestyle”. Both the handsets look similar in design except in RAM and storage capacity.

Sony Xperia R1 and R1 Plus Specifications:

Regarding the specifications, both handsets feature a 5.2-inch HD IPS display with 720p resolution. Powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 chipset, they are packed with different memory configurations. The Sony Xperia R1 offers 2GB RAM and 16GB storage space whereas the Xperia R1 Plus gets 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage. Both the handsets support expandable microSD card slot up to 128GB.

Known for its imaging properties, Sony has loaded the 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and an 8-megapixel selfie camera. Backed by a modest 2620mAh battery, the handsets run Android 7.1 Nougat. Interestingly, Sony has promised Android 8.0 Oreo update for both the handsets.

Connectivity wise, these dual-SIM handsets support VoLTE, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, USB-C connectivity, FM Radio and GPS. Both the handsets will be available in Black and Silver colour variants.

What’s Your Opinion?

By incorporating an entry-level Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 chipset, the Sony has finally made its mind to grab the market from Chinese tech giants Xiaomi and Lenovo.

Also Read: Sony Xperia XZ1 with Inbuilt 3D Creator and Best LCD Display Unveiled