Panasonic has officially launched its new P81 smartphone at a press event in Gurgaon today. Priced at INR 18,990, the phone will go on sale in the third week of May.

“With the launch of the Panasonic P81, we have reached yet another milestone as this is the first model of the “P” series featured with octa-core processor. The introduction of this model reiterates our commitment to keep innovating as we believe that it is a direct result of the consumers’ needs, and customer centricity has to be at the core of developing products for the Indian consumer,” said Manish Sharma, Managing Director, Panasonic India.

Featuring a 5.5-inch 720p HD display, Panasonic P81 comes with dual-SIM support, 1.7GHz octa-core MediaTek processor, 1GB of RAM and Android 4.2.2. The phone also packs 2500 mAh battery, 8GB of on-board storage, microSD card slot and the usual connectivity options.

On the imaging front, the smartphone includes a 13MP rear camera with auto-focus and LED flash as well as a 2MP front shooter. The company has also included a bunch of software tweaks on the phone like device cleaner, dual window support, Pop-i Player and gesture support.

Bundunled freebies: Panasonic is offering host of freebies worth INR 11,900 with the smartphone like six-month subscription to Evernote premium, free downloads from Hungama for a month as well as accessories such as flip cover and screen protector.