Ever since the first camera phone was brought out in the market, the demands of photography enthusiasts (mainly comprising amateurs) have gone up with a desire to get higher resolution and better image capturing capabilities on their smartphones. In keeping with these demands, iBall has come out with an exclusive camera driven smartphone which has not one, but four detachable lenses.

The Indian smartphone maker has designed this smartphone especially for photography enthusiasts who just don’t seem to get enough from the camera that is already present in their smartphones. Image quality and versatility of the camera are two of the most sought out features in smartphones today. Sadly, not many are able to justify these requirements despite having more than 5MP resolution on their primary camera. Due to the rise in the selfie loving user population, smartphone manufacturers have come out with several “selfie” oriented features and a higher resolution secondary camera.

The iBall Cobalt mSLR4 comes with 4 detachable lenses (zoom lens with 8x zoom, a fisheye lens with 175-180 viewing angle, a macro lens with 10x magnification on objects at distance of 10-15 mm, and a wide-range lens with 130 degree viewing angle). There are third parties which offer detachable lenses that are compatible with most smartphones and can be mounted on the smartphone’s camera lens. The third party lenses are currently made available through popular online sellers like Flipkart, Amazon, eBay and Snapdeal. However, the reason behind the hype for the iBall Cobalt mSLR4 is that the lenses come bundled along with the smartphone and at an amazingly affordable price of Rs. 8,499.

Sandeep Parasrampuria, director, iBall said, “We are very excited with our newest launch which revolutionises and redefines smartphones. With mSLR Cobalt4 the users shall be mesmerised on the Smartphone’s Camera with detachable lenses. The multiple options of the lens shall snap great pictures and change the way photographs are captured on the smartphones. It’s again heartening that we are the first in India to launch a product with this technology.”

The smartphone has been launched already and will make its presence felt across the country in a matter of weeks. I am sure that the bundled package will appeal to smartphone users in the budget segment, camera smartphone segment, and those who have recently started experimenting with smartphones made by Indian manufacturers. Although it won’t be able to give much competition to popular phones like the Xiaomi Mi 4i, OnePlus One, and the likes, but it can surely match up to budget phones that have 1GB RAM and moderate camera configuration.

Check out the key specifications of the iBall Cobalt mSLR4 below:

Processor: 1.4GHz octa-core

Display: 5-inch IPS QHD display (540×960)

Memory: 1 GB RAM

Storage: 8 GB (Internal), expandable via microSD card up to 32 GB

Camera: 8 MP (primary), and 3.2 MP (secondary), flash enabled

Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/ g/ n, Bluetooth v4.0, 3G, USB (micro)

OS: Android 4.4 KitKat

Battery: 2000mAh

SIM: Dual SIM (SIM 1 – 3G, GSM, Regular), (SIM 2 – GSM, Regular)

Accessories: 4 detachable camera lenses

Sensors: Accelerometer, Proximity Sensor, Ambient Light Sensor

Price: INR 8,499

Are you going to buy this smartphone? Why or why not? Share your views and opinions in the comments section below.