Micromax In 1b, the new smartphone by the Indian vendor that is yet to be available for purchase in the country, will be based on Google’s Android 10 (Go edition), the company confirmed to Gadgets 360. Android 10 (Go edition) will be limited to the base variant of the Micromax In 1b that has 2GB RAM + 32GB storage, while its higher-end variant with 4GB RAM + 64GB storage model will run on the regular Android 10 operating system.
The listing on Flipkart shows the difference between the two variants of the Micromax In 1b that Micromax has confirmed to Gadgets 360.
Android 10 (Go edition), which is a stripped-down version of regular Android 10, will bring some performance improvements that should help the base variant of the new phone from Micromax keep up with its higher specced sibling. However, most users aren’t likely to notice any changes when comparing the 2GB RAM variant of the In 1b with its 4GB counterpart as both will come with the stock experience.
A report by XDA Developers in July suggested that Google was planning to make Android Go mandatory for all new Android 10 smartphones launching with 2GB RAM or less, beginning from the fourth quarter of this year. That could be the reason why Micromax had to offer two distinct operating system versions on its newly launched entry-level smartphone.
Google announced Android Go as the streamlined version of its Android operating system back in December 2017. First devices based on Android Go were showcased at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in February 2018.
Interestingly, Micromax was amongst the first phone brands to introduce the initial range of Android Go devices and brought the Micromax Bharat Go as its first phone to run on the new platform. The company also expanded its Android Go portfolio by bringing the Micromax Spark Go in October 2018.
Is Android One holding back Nokia smartphones in India? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.