Indian device maker Karbonn is offering the first Android One smartphone in the UK, launching its Sparkle V handset through Amazon.

Karbonn started out five years ago and significantly expanded its horizons ever since, currently catering to over 40 countries. As part of the company's current expansion into Europe, Karbonn has now hit the UK and launched several new devices, including the first Android One handset in the country.

Android One is a Google Project aiming to deliver a set of hardware standards for low-cost smartphones and raise the stakes in terms of what low-end handsets can bring to the table. Google sets the requirements and manufacturers such as Karbonn and other partners build the devices.

One of the highlights of Android One is that it guarantees support for any upcoming Android version over the next two years, which means that Android One handsets will be among the first in line to receive new Android updates.

The Karbonn Sparkle V comes with modest specifications on board, but should provide a decent performance for its price point. The handset features a 4.5-inch display with a resolution of 854 x 480 pixels, a quad-core Mediatek processor clocked at 1.3GHz, 1GB of RAM, and a 5-megapixel rear camera, among the highlights. The smartphone doesn't have anything flashy or high-end, but it arrives as the very first Android One device in the UK and being part of this project will likely be its main selling point.

Other specs include 1GB of RAM, a modest 4GB of internal storage capacity, a microSD card slot for additional memory, and the guarantee that it will get the latest Android 5.0 Lollipop soon. For now, the handset runs Android 4.4 KitKat.

Such handsets mainly target developing markets, but budget shoppers in the UK may find the Sparkle V to be an alternative worth considering, if only for the purpose of testing Android One. The Karbonn Sparkle V comes with a £129.99 price tag and is available SIM-free from Amazon UK. On Black Friday, however, Karbonn will be offering the smartphone for £99.

For more details or to purchase the Android One-powered Karbonn Sparkle V smartphone, head over to the product page on Amazon at this link.