Google will reportedly launch the Android One program in the United States in the coming months. Android One is a program for budget smartphones powered by the Google Android OS. The first Android One phone for the U.S. might arrive by mid-2017.
Android One was created to bring budget phones to developing markets without the typical disadvantages that come with budget Android devices, such as competing services, bloatware, lack of software updates, and security. The Android One program was released in 2014 to equip billions of people with powerful and affordable smartphones. The program was first launched in India and eventually expanded to other countries including the Philippines, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.
Smartphones under the Android One program are mostly produced by companies which are not popular in the U.S. Google used to have direct influence over the smartphones' components, but it became more flexible as it expanded to Spain, Portugal, and Africa.
Regular security and software updates are guaranteed for Android One devices which will be launched in the U.S. The manufacturer has not been announced yet, but LG could be a partner. The phone's price range will reportedly be between $200 and $300.
Launching Android One in the U.S. makes sense because it will address the fragmentation problem of Android smartphones which receive updates after several months of waiting, unlike Apple devices. There is already an established market for unlocked phones in the U.S. as well.