Intex Technologies today set a record in India by launching the country’s cheapest virtual reality phone with a VR headset.
The Aqua 5.5 VR+, which comes with a 5.5-inch HD display and 2 GB of RAM, has been priced at just Rs 5,799. The box contains lenses and adaptors that can be used to convert the package into a VR headset.
Low-end virtual reality headsets are available from a price of around Rs 700 in India. However, they cannot be used with all handsets as the device must have software that splits the display into two halves when it is placed inside the headset. Some VR headsets like Google cardboard, however, come with free apps that do exactly that.
The Intex phone will be available only on Flipkart, which will also be holding a sale starting from Sep 20.
The phone will also support 4G Volte and is powered by a quad-core Mediatek chip, most likely the 6737.
It runs the latest Android Nougat 7.0 OS and has a battery of 2800 mAh, which should give it a screen-on time of about 5 hours or so.
The launch indicates yet another move by an Indian brand to give more competition to Chinese brands such as Oppo and Vivo, which have taken most of the market away from the Indian players in the last 18 months.
“The product promises to deliver high quality experience and satisfy all users.
We are also excited about our partnership with Flipkart for this product and are confident about expanding our online reach with the association,” said Ishita Bansal, Product Head (Mobiles), Intex Technologies.
Apart from powerful specifications, Aqua 5.5 VR+ includes Intex software, such as the QR Code scanner which decodes the QR code automatically and shows the relevant information with buttons for the next steps to be taken.
The phone also comes with front LED flash, and has a 5MP camera on the front side and an 8 MP camera on the rear. Storage is 16GB, and can be expanded up to 64GB.