Moto G to be followed by even cheaper phone, Motorola boss hints

If you think the Motorola Moto G is cut-price, get a load of Motorola's plan for a phone that's even more bargain-basement -- maybe even as cheap as fifty bucks.

"Why can’t these devices be $50?" asks Motorola CEO Dennis Woodside, speaking to TrustedReviews. "There’s no reason that can’t happen so we’re going to push that."

No other details are forthcoming on this potentially dirt cheap phone as yet.

The hypothetical super-cheap phone would be targeted at emerging markets where even the Moto G's bargainous £130 price tag would be considered a lot of money. With just about everybody and their dog in the western world already packing a smart phone in their pocket, emerging markets are increasingly important to technology companies.

Samsung already has a smorgasbord of low-priced Galaxy phones; Nokia has the budget Asha range; and if Motorola comes up with a price-busting phone it could give Google -- and Android -- a whole new swathe of customers in places like China and India.

Would it run Android? The latest version of Android, 4.4 KitKat, is certainly designed to work on both older and cheaper phones by making more efficient use of hardware, which means even phones with less impressive specs can still pull their weight. And the fact that Motorola is owned by Google should also help to keep the cost down, as it apparently has with the Moto G. 

How cheap can smart phones go? Should phone manufacturers keep budget phones and smart phones separate, as Nokia does with the Asha and Lumia ranges? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook page.

Watch this: Motorola Moto G hands-on

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