Amazon launches entry-level ‘10.or D’ as e-commerce giant eyes India’s smartphone market

Launched under ‘Crafted for Amazon’ initiative, 10.or D will go on sale in India on January 5.

Here’s everything you need to know about Amazon’s 10.or D . (Amazon)

Amazon is trying its luck in the smartphone segment once again. The e-commerce company is looking at India, one of the biggest mobile phone markets in the world, for its new foray. But unlike its unsuccessful Fire-series of phones, Amazon isn't launching self-branded phones, rather licensing out '10.Or' brand to third-party OEMs.

The e-commerce giant on Wednesday launched 10.or D, third phone under this portfolio this year. Amazon is running a new initiative 'Crafted for Amazon' platform, where it works with a manufacturer to develop a phone based on insights collected from the shopping portal.

These insights basically revolve around the consumer requirement at a certain price points. For instance, a larger battery is a key requirement for entry-level customers.

Amazon said that it has been sharing these insights with OEMs for a long time, but this is the first time it is converting the process into a platform.

Its latest smartphone 10.or D is aggressively priced at ₹4,999 (for the base model) and competes with a number of Android smartphones with top-of-the-line specifications and features.

Amazon-backed phone comes shortly after Flipkart has been following a similar suit with Capture-series. Amazon, however, is looking at a wider range within the budget category.

10.or D comes with a 5.2-inch HD display. It runs on Android 7.1.2 Nougat and is Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 processor coupled with 2GB/3GB of RAM and 16GB/32GB built-in storage. The smartphone supports expandable storage up to 128GB via a microSD card.

It has a 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. It is powered by a 3,500mAh battery. It also comes with a fingerprint scanner on the back. Connectivity options include dual-SIM (nano+nano), Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi and GPS.

While the base variant of the smartphone is priced at ₹4,999, the top-end model with 3GB of RAM and 32GB storage is priced at ₹5,999.