Cyanogen made its name as an Android fork. That is to mean that in its early days, it started out as an outlet that provided its own builds of Android, the software running on 8 of every 10 smartphones in the world at the moment. It has since grown to become a fully fledged company that is taking on Google. It has in the recent past entered into partnerships with hardware vendors like Oppo, OnePlus and Micromax. At the moment, new devices from Yu, Andromax, ZUK, Wileyfox, BQ and Smartfren are running on its software, Cyanogen OS.
Cyanogen is planning on not just releasing build after build of its popular software, it is interested in a slice of the smartphone market and to that end, it will be releasing a couple of smartphones with specific emphasis on the low-end segment of the market where it will battle it out with Google’s Android One smartphones and devices from the likes of Samsung, Xiaomi and many no-name brands from Asia that have so far dominated the budget smartphone segment in emerging markets.
Cyanogen’s entry-level smartphones will start at just $75 and it promises an unadulterated experience complemented by timely updates. Isn’t that the mission statement of Android One as well?
For the high-end segment of the market, Cyanogen plans to introduce a flagship smartphone that will no doubt be its premium offering.
It is not clear at this point who Cyanogen plans on partnering with in its endeavour to have its software running on as many smartphones as possible even though partnerships with carriers, as exhibited by the company’s recent partnership with Spain’s Telefonica in unveiling the BQ Aquaris X5, are expected to play a big role in the plans it has.
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