Second-gen Android One hitting Turkey with souped-up specs and a significant price hike

Android One devices are coming to Turkey, with a twist. While Google and its local partners offer Android One phones in India and other Asian countries for around $110, the first Turkish model features better specs and a $260 price tag.

The first Turkish Android One phone is made by General Mobile and its specs include a 5-inch HD display with Gorilla Glass 4, a Snapdragon 410 64-bit processor, 2GB of RAM, a 13MP rear camera, a 5MP front camera and LTE. The device is running Android 5.1.1 and is guaranteed to receive Android updates for two years.

The General Mobile Android One phone is a marked improvement over the first-gen Android Ones released late last year in India. Those came with a 480 x 854 4.5-inch display, MediaTek processor, 1GB of RAM, and a 5MP main camera.

The General Mobile Android One will be available from May 15 for 699 Turkish lira, which is about $260, through retailer Telpa.

Turkey is more affluent than the markets in Southeast Asia where Google has introduced Android One so far, and the superior specs of the General Mobile Android One are probably an adaptation to the higher standards of local phone buyers. That reflects in the price tag, though higher tariffs on electronics could also play a role. A Galaxy S6, for instance, starts from around $1000 unlocked at Turkish retailers.

Turkey is the seventh country where Google rolls out Android One, after India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

How do you feel about these specs and price for an Android One device?