Last week, Celkon Win 400, an affordable Windows Phone handset, was launched on the market as the cheapest smartphone powered by Microsoft’s mobile platform.

Today, another Indian OEM, Lava Mobiles announced the upcoming availability of yet another budget-friendly Windows Phone handset that’s only slightly more expensive than the Celkon Win 400, which is selling now for $75 (€60) outright.

Well, Lava Iris Win1 will be available for purchase beginning December 4 for just $80 (€65) off contract, which makes it a great deal for those looking for their first smartphone.

We’re not sure whether Lava Iris Win1 would be a good alternative for those who want to switch from another mobile platform such as Android or iOS, but it’s worth mentioning that the smartphone will only be available for purchase in India.

Lava Mobiles is one of Microsoft’s recent partners that confirmed the release of at least one Windows Phone handset this year. The Redmond-based company waived any licensing fees for those companies that are willing to launch Windows Phone handsets, but there aren’t too many smartphone makers with the desire to support this platform.

The Iris Win1 is a budget-friendly smartphone, as the price suggests. You can also tell that this is a cheap device just by looking at the phone’s specs, confirmed by Lava Mobiles.

While cheap, Lava Iris Win1 has lots of Android competitors in this price range

For example, the smartphone is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor, which is one of the lowest supported by Windows Phone 8.1.

The good news is the Iris Win1 packs 1GB of RAM instead of 512MB, the amount included in the Celkon Win 400 smartphone announced last week.

Even though the Iris Win1 comes with only 8GB of internal memory inside, the smartphone features microSD card slot for memory expansion (up to 32GB).

On the back, Lava’s budget-friendly smartphone packs a 5-megapixel photo snapper with autofocus, LED flash and BSI sensor, while in the front there’s a secondary VGA camera for video calls.

Connectivity-wise, the Iris Win1 features dual-SIM capability, 3G and Wi-Fi support, as well as Bluetooth, microUSB 2.0 and GPS with A-GPS.

Last but not least, the Windows Phone handset comes with a rather small 4-inch capacitive touchscreen display that supports 480 x 800 pixels resolution and is powered by a 1950 mAh battery that has yet to be rated by the manufacturer.

While the Lava Iris Win1 does seem like a very cheap handset, competition on the Indian smartphone market is fierce and people are looking for more than specs when choosing their phones.

Hide Press ReleaseLAVA International today announced the exclusive launch of its first Windows powered smartphone, Iris Win1.

Iris Win 1 will be available starting 4th December 04 on Flipkart for Rs 4,999. With the launch of Iris Win1, LAVA aims to cater to the requirement of consumers looking for a windows phone for long hour usage.

The LAVA Iris Win1 is a 4-inch device with a sharp WVGA TN display that shows 16 million colors for a rich viewing experience. The screen features G+F, 2-Point Touch panel and sensors like accelerometer, proximity sensor and ambient light sensor.

The Iris Win1 runs on 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon Quad Core Processor and is powered by 1 GB RAM. It comes with 8 GB of internal storage that is expandable to 32 GB providing ample space for installing heavy games, applications and multimedia content.

The smartphone comes with 5 MP Auto Focus BSI + sensor back camera with LED flash and 0.3 MP front Camera. Iris Win1 runs on Windows 8.1, the latest offering from Microsoft. On the connectivity front, it supports Dual Sim (3G+2G), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and USB Connectivity.

It is powered by a 1950 mAh Li-Ion battery which delivers longer working hours than most of its competing smartphones that run on Windows platform. This device comes with a Flip Cover and screen guard inside the box along with other standard accessories like charger, earphone, USB cable and user manual.

Commenting on the launch of Iris Win1, Navin Chawla, vice president and head, Product, LAVA International said, “At LAVA we always endeavor to provide our consumers with best possible choices in terms of design, features, apps, services and now platforms as well. We are pleased to add Iris Win1 – Windows powered device in our smartphone portfolio for consumers who are looking for Windows platform.”

Speaking on the launch, Michael Adnani, VP – Retail & Head of Brand Alliances, Flipkart said, “We are excited to introduce the first LAVA smartphone powered by Windows on our platform. We are confident that this exclusive partnership will help us expand our offering of products and technology which is in tune with our customer requirements.”

Commenting on the smartphone launch, Rajiv Ahlawat, director – Mobility, Microsoft India said, “Our deep engagement with local OEMs is one of the engines of growth for Windows Phone and we are proud of our partnership with LAVA. With the Iris Win1, Windows Phone is now available to a whole new group of consumers in India, who are looking for innovation and value.”