List of Android Go Phones showcased at MWC 2018 (Hands-on videos)

The Mobile World Congress was held in Barcelona starting 26^th February and it was a busy week for the tech industry with every manufacturer showing the brightest devices in their booths. We saw the latest flagships from the top manufacturers while a few other companies like Vivo decided to show the technological advancements that they had achieved with their concept phone, the Vivo Apex.

Amidst all this was Google trying to showcase the advancements that they’ve made that helped make low power devices more usable, the internet giant had introduced the Android Go operating system that works great on the low power devices that are aimed towards the smaller markets. Android Go is one of the biggest projects of Google in the recent times in which the company optimizes their own suite of apps and brings in the Go series apps that are aimed towards the low power devices

The main aim of Android Go is to make Android more accessible and for users to enjoy the experience without always having to complain about it. A few changes have been made to the entire operating system to change the way it interacts and a few minor features have been skipped to make the device work best on low power hardware. The Play Store on the Android Go devices also emphasizes to show the apps optimized for Android Go devices.

We’ve seen a few devices from different manufacturers at the Google Booth and their respective booths that run Android Go, these devices come with very similar specifications and software with just subtle changes in design and features that set them apart.

Micromax Bharat Go

The Micromax Bharat Go comes with a 4.5-inch FWVGA LCD display and has 1GB of RAM along with 8GB of onboard internal storage. The device is powered by a quad-core processor from MediaTek which is very much capable of running the Android Go software. The device runs on stock Android Go and there aren’t any additional features in the device and it is a perfect exhibit of what the company could offer in the days to come. The rear camera on the device is a 5MP camera and the front camera to is a 5MP sensor for selfies. Both the front as well as the rear cameras come with LED Flash to help with selfies.

Lava Z50

The Lava Z50 comes with specifications very similar to the Micromax Bharat go, the device has a 4.5-inch display having an FWVGA resolution that is protected by the 2.5D Curved Corning Gorilla Glass for a scratch and shatters resisting design. The Lava Z50is powered by a MediaTek MT6737m 1.1GHz quad-core processor. The RAM on the device is 1GB and the device comes with internal storage of 8GB of which 5.5GB is available for the user to use. Most of the software across the Android Go devices are similar, however, Lava has made a few changes to the Camera app that adds functionality and a few features including the bokeh mode and the beauty mode. On the hardware side, even the Lava Z50 comes with a 5MP camera for both the front and the rear, There is also a presence of the LED flash for both the front as well as the rear cameras that helps in low light photography.

ZTE Tempo Go

ZTE has made a few changes to the hardware and comes with a slightly larger 5-inch FWVGA display having a resolution of 480 x 854, the device is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 chipset clocked at 1.1GHz, the RAM on the device is again 1GB. While the rear camera remains the same at 5MP, the front camera has been compromised and is now a 2MP camera. The internal storage of the device is again 8GB which can be expanded via microSD card. Powering the device is a 2200mAh battery which is expected to keep the device active for about a day considering the Android Go optimizations. The device running on Android Go is already available on the US website of ZTE for purchase. There wasn’t anything talked about the specific features on the device that sets it apart from rest of the Android Go devices so we are assuming that the inclusion of Snapdragon processor and a larger display are the only upsides of the device while comparing it to the competition.

Alcatel 1X

Alcatel 1X was again showcased at MWC alongside the more powerful 3 Series and 5 Series devices from the company. This device comes with one of the best specifications in the Android GO device segment. The Alcatel 1X is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6580 processor and has 1GB of RAM. The biggest difference is in the display, the Alcatel 1X comes with a larger and higher resolution display, the screen measures 5.3-inches diagonally and has a resolution of 960 x 480. Even the cameras on the device get a bump up as the rear camera is an 8MP camera and the front camera on the Alcatel 1X is a 5MP camera. The battery that powers the device is also slightly bigger at 2460mAh. Rest of the specifications in terms of connectivity and other options remain constant throughout most of the Android Go devices as they try to offer a unified experience.

Nokia 1

The Nokia 1 is yet another addition to the vast line up of Android devices from the company, the device is powered by the Android Go software. The processor on the Nokia 1 is a quad-core processor and the device has 1GB of RAM similar to most other Android Go Devices. The camera on the rear is a 5MP shooter while the front shooter is just a 2MP sensor. The display on the Nokia 1 is a 4.5-inch IPS panel with an FWVGA resolution similar to the Micromax Bharat Go and Lava Z50. One unique feature on the Nokia 1 comes in terms of design aspect as the company offers the XpressOn sway covers that allow the change of the device color with the change of a snap on cover.

General Mobile 8 Go

This is probably the most powerful of Android GO devices as of date, the device comes with an 18:9 aspect ratio displays that measures 5.5-inches diagonally and is powered by the MediaTek MT6739 64-bit quad-core processor.  The resolution on the display is a sharp HD+ that sets it apart from the competitors. Coming to the optics, the rear camera is a 13MP camera while the front camera is a 5MP camera and while the RAM on the device is still 1GB, the internal storage gets a bump to 16GB. The battery on the device is a massive 3500mAh which along with the Android Go optimizations can offer one of the longest battery lives on devices in this segment.