May 12, 2015 11:45 am -- Today Google announced that it has officially expanded Android One to Turkey. The launch represents the program's debut in Europe, and brings the total count (so far) to seven countries. Android One, which Google unveiled last September, aims to spread affordable smartphones throughout the developing world. The devices run a close-to-stock version of Android, though up until now the hardware has been somewhat underwhelming.
But in Turkey, Google is partnering with General Mobile to roll out a phone that, based on technical specs, sounds more than decent. Sure, it's pretty ugly thanks to that faux leather rear case and bad "General Mobile" font, but as a phone this thing should do just fine.
Unlike most other Android One devices that contain Mediatek processors, this one's powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 chip and 2GB of RAM. It's got a 5-inch "HD" (which almost certainly means 720p) IPS screen that's covered by Gorilla Glass 4. For cameras, you've got a 13-megapixel sensor around back and a 5-megapixel selfie cam. And best of all, this smartphone supports LTE; it's the first Android One product to do so.
"Our goal with Android One is to empower more people to do great things with the internet by putting a high-quality, up-to-date smartphone into their hands," Google said in a press release. And perhaps for the first time, this phone leaves little to debate about that "high-quality" part. The jump in quality does demand a slightly higher price, though; the General Mobile 4G retails for around $260.
By Chris Welch / The Verge.com
