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ZTE’s Tempo Go is one of the first Android Go phones for the US

ZTE’s Tempo Go is one of the first Android Go phones for the US

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The first Android Go phones are coming to market, and today, ZTE announced its first device for the project. The Tempo Go runs Google’s new Android Go OS and has 1GB of RAM coupled with 8GB of storage. The company hasn’t said how much the new phone will cost, but the idea behind the program is affordability along with a reliable Android experience.

Other specs include:

  • Qualcomm MSM8909 processor
  • 2,200mAh battery
  • 5-megapixel rear-facing camera and 2-megapixel front-facing camera
  • Charges over Micro USB and includes a headphone jack

ZTE tells me it stopped producing 512MB phones because the OS essentially required the device’s entire memory, but with Android Go, the company now feels more comfortable keeping its 1GB phones around. The company might even revisit those 512MB devices.

As a reminder, Google announced Android Go last year at Google I/O with the intention of giving budget phone users a better Android experience. Developers and manufacturers then received the OS in December. These new devices run optimized “Go” apps, like YouTubeGmail, and Maps, which take up less space on phones and are built to use less data.

Google has committed to releasing a Android Go variant for all future Android versions going forward, so presumably, these new Go phones will stick around for awhile. But with that said, my colleagues Jake Kastrenakes and Vlad Savov played with Alcatel’s first Android Go phone and found the experience to be frustrating. The device sputtered along and completely froze at one point. They should hopefully have a chance to try out ZTE’s new device later this weekend when it comes to the MWC show floor, at which point we’ll have a better idea of how bright a future Android Go has.