Most of the media reports so far have suggested that the Android One smartphones will be arriving around October in the Indian market but a recent report from India Today suggests that could see the release of these phones in September i.e. next month.

According to India Today, three Android One smartphones, most likely built by first Android One partners – Micromax, Spice and Karbonn, will be launched in September. These devices are said to be ready but the companies are making final arrangements including deciding a release date and pricing.

If India Today is to be believed, pricing is the main contention between Google and Android One partners right now. Google’s Sunder Pichai had stated at Google I/O 2014 that Android One smartphones will retail around $100 but the program partners think that $100 price-tag is not achievable and want to retail the phones at a higher pricing.

“The hardware partners are not sure of meeting this price point (read $100) and want a higher price tag for their phones. Negotiations between Google and its hardware partners are still on and the companies are likely to reach a compromise soon. Sources say that prices for the devices slated to be launched in September are not yet finalised but the phones may cost more than Rs 10,000 (over $150),” wrote India Today.

Given the recently increased competition in budget smartphone segment in India, $100 seems to be the only price-tag at which an entry-level smartphone will best sell, otherwise the consumers already have great options in the form of Moto E, Asus Zenfone 4 and the upcoming Xiaomi Redmi 1S, all of which retail around INR 6-7K.

The detailed specifications of the Android One smartphones are still a mystery but rumours have suggested that the phones will come with qHD display, dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, and the latest version of Android. India Today writes that the Micromax’s Android One smartphone will include Qualcomm-made processor but there is no word on the SoC used in other Android One smartphones.

Source: India Today