Datawind launches three 5-inch PocketSurfer smartphones, starting at Rs. 3,499

Datawind, best known as the maker of the low-cost Akash tablets, has entered the smartphone market in India, with smartphones that it says break the 'affordability barriers.'

All three smartphones have been launched in the Indian market under the PocketSurfer category - the PocketSurfer 5x for Rs. 3,499, PocketSurfer 5C+ for Rs. 4,999, and the PocketSurfer 3G5 for Rs. 6,499 - and are available for online purchase on Datawind's website.

While the PocketSurfer 5x runs on Linux, the other two - PocketSurfer 5C+ and PocketSurfer 3G5 run on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and 4.2 Jelly Bean respectively. All three PocketSurfers feature dual-SIM support, while the PocketSurfer 3G5 also offers 3G connectivity.

PocketSurfer 5x sports a 5-inch TFT WQVGA display, and is powered by a 1GHz Cortex A8 processor, with unspecified amount of memory. PocketSurfer 5x has only one front-facing VGA camera and has a microSD slot, but again there is no details on the storage. Datawind has not provided any details on the specification of the battery, but says that it will deliver up to 3 hours of talktime and 1 day of standby time.

The PocketSurfer 5C+ with a 5-inch WVGA display packs in a 1GHz Cortex A9 processor. There are no specifications available for memory and storage, though it does bear a microSD slot. The PocketSurfer 5C+ has a VGA front-facing camera, and a 2-megapixels rear camera. The battery has been rated to deliver up to 3 hours of talktime and 2 days of standby time.

The PocketSurfer 3G5 with 5-inch WVGA display packs in a better 1.2GHz dual-core Cortex A7 processor, while once again, the memory and storage remains unspecified. It bears the same front-facing VGA camera, and a 5-megapixel rear camera. The battery is rated to deliver up to 4 hours of talktime and 2 days of standby time.

Speaking on the launch, Suneet Singh Tuli, CEO of Datawind said: "We're very excited to introduce these amazing new devices at unbelievably low prices. Currently simple phones in the market cost as much as the smartphone on offer by DataWind."