Mozilla has teamed up with Chinese manufacturer Spreadtrum to try to create a $25 smartphone that runs Firefox OS. They aim to make a phone that will feature the Cortex A5-based SC6821 chipset, which was developed by Spreadtrum and supports WCDMA and EDGE networks. Noticeably absent is support for 4G LTE and the device’s screen will also be a few generations behind today’s high-end smartphones, with only 3.5-inch HVGA displays. Of course, these compromises are necessary if you’re trying to make a $25 smartphone, and Mozilla isn’t aiming for wealthy customers. Instead, it is hoping a cheap smartphone will sell well in developing countries and help spread access to the Web.
“The combination of Firefox OS with Spreadtrum’s entry-level smartphone platforms has the potential to dramatically extend the reach of smartphones and the Web globally,” said Dr. Li Gong, Mozilla Senior Vice President of Mobile Devices and President of Asia Operations, in a press release.
Firefox OS was announced a year ago at Mobile World Congress and according to Mozillla, “every feature [is] developed as an HTML5 application.” So far, devices running Firefox OS have gone on sale in 15 countries and Mozilla plans to expand this to eight more countries this year.
