Micromax's cheapest Bharat 2 smartphones a hit in India? 5 lakh phones sold in 50 days

Micromax is back in the game. Its active presence in the Indian smartphone market with recent releases such as Dual 5, YU Yureka Black and the ultra-affordable Bharat series has revealed the Indian-origin company's game-face. Although it hasn't been that long since it came out of its cocoon, Micromax is already counting rewards.

Micromax's Bharat 2 smartphone, which is the world's first Google-approved Android-powered smartphone in the sub-Rs. 3,500 category, has made quite an achievement in the Indian market. On Friday, the company announced that it has sold more than half a million units of Bharat 2 smartphones in a short span of 50 days.

With this feat, the company claims Bharat 2 is one of the largest selling 4G VoLTE phones in India. Its success is just a sign that the future of the ultra-affordable Bharat series isn't bleak and consumers are responding with positive feedback.

"Bharat gives Micromax opportunity to kick start a digital revolution, helping India progress. The company has further strengthened its distribution network from 34-35,000 to 60,000 outlets as a majority of the users in this category are offline users and are looking for compelling products that connect them digitally. Going ahead we expect the Bharat series to contribute over 40% to the Micromax's portfolio," Shubhodip Pal, chief marketing and commercial officer, said in a statement.

Micromax launched Bharat 2 with 4G VoLTE capabilities in April. Priced at Rs. 3,499, the handset is one of the most competitive budget smartphones out there. It is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core Spreadtrum SC9832 processor, 512MB RAM and 4GB internal storage with microSD card support up to 32GB.

Bharat 2's main highlight is that it runs Android Marshmallow. There's a 4-inch WVGA screen, a 2MP rear and 0.3MP front camera. Powering the basic smartphone is a 1,300mAh battery, and we don't see why it won't last well over a day.

Bharat 2's build quality and specifications are pretty standard. Then again, its focus is first-time smartphone users, who wouldn't want to go for a pricey smartphone before getting used to the functions. The Bharat series taps into an important category, and India is still a market with a massive feature phone user base. There's a lot of potential for Micromax there as there's a significant development in the telecom industry and people will want to switch from feature phones to smartphones eventually.