Ringing Bells suspends Freedom 251 sales; users can’t buy the phone anymore

Ringing Bells, the company behind Freedom 251 has stopped taking bookings for India’s cheapest smartphone

Freedom 251, India’s cheapest smartphone from little-known Ringing Bells has raised eyebrows across the world with its unbelievable Rs 251 price tag. Now the company has announced that the response has exceeded its expectations and is closing the booking for now.

The company launched Freedom 251 on February 17, and announced that bookings will be held for February 18 to 22 on its website, Freedom251.com. The website got 6 lakh hits per second and crashed. It left many wondering if the website would ever be restored.

Reports have also indicated that Freedom 251 is a mere re-branded version of ‘Made in China’ Adcom Ikon 4 smartphone. The tech community raised flags against the pricing and many tech CEOs thought the device with Indian Flag imprint undermines the whole ‘Make In India’ initiative.

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The telecom body DoT has found that the phone with such specs can’t be manufactured for less than Rs 2,300, and thus it is unclear how a company established just five months back is able to sell its smartphone for such a dirt cheap price.

Watch: Everything you need to know About World’s Cheapest Smartphone