A look at the $25 Firefox OS phone prototype (pictures)
Mozilla is working with Chinese chipmaker Spreadtrum to bring $25 smartphones to countries like Indonesia with a large population of people who can't afford even $50 phones. Here's a look.
Stephen Shankland
Stephen Shankland worked at CNET from 1998 to 2024 and wrote about processors, digital photography, AI, quantum computing, computer science, materials science, supercomputers, drones, browsers, 3D printing, USB, and new computing technology in general. He has a soft spot in his heart for standards groups and I/O interfaces. His first big scoop was about radioactive cat poop.
Mozilla showed a prototype of a Firefox OS phone expected to go on sale later this year for $25 in extremely cost-conscious markets like Indonesia.
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Mozilla's $25 Firefox OS smartphone prototype
The new unlock screen coming in Firefox OS 1.3 lets people swipe right to unlock and swipe left to launch the camera app.
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Mozilla's $25 Firefox OS smartphone prototype
The Mozilla prototype $25 smartphone runs Firefox OS 1.3 on a processor from Chinese chipmaker Spreadtrum. The phone only can handle 2.5G networking, but a higher-end chipset will use the faster WCDMA. This shows the on-screen keyboard.
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Mozilla's $25 Firefox OS smartphone prototype
Here's Firefox OS's music app running on Mozilla's prototype $25 smartphone.
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Mozilla's $25 Firefox OS smartphone prototype
It's not a high-end model, but it's got smartphone features like a touch screen you can use to swipe among photos or pinch to zoom in.
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Mozilla's $25 Firefox OS smartphone prototype
A Mozilla reference phone, built with Spreadtrum's processor, that ultimately will hit the market as a $25 device for customers who don't have the funds for higher-end phones.
