RDP ThinBook: The world's cheapest 14-inch laptop was designed in Hyderabad and costs Rs 9,999

Did you know that the world’s cheapest 14-inch laptop was designed in India? RDP’s ThinBook is that device and claims to be just that. At Rs 9,999 for the device, it’s hard to argue with that claim. The RDP ThinBook is a 14.1-inch device with a screen resolution of 1366x768. Onboard is 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage and a 10,000mAh battery. The CPU is an Intel Atom x5-Z8300, which is a 1.8GHz quad core chip. We’ve seen mobile phones with better specifications of course, but none with a 14-inch screen. The device is strikingly similar to the iBall CompBook Excelance , which offers the same specifications, albeit in a smaller form-factor. Offering the same configuration in a device with a 14-inch screen is an achievement in itself. The laptop was announced in June, but it was officially unveiled on 3 August at an event in Telangana. Telangana’s IT minister, K.T. Rama Rao unveiled the device in the presence of Priyadarshi Mohapatra, Country General Manager, Consumer Channel Group, Microsoft India and Anand Ramamoorthy, Director - consumption sales, Intel South Asia and others. The company claims that the device was designed in Hyderabad and built in Taiwan, but they plan to build the device in Telangana itself. In fact, RDP suggested that producing the laptop in India might further bring down costs. The company is also offering a more powerful version of the ThinBook as well as ThinBook 2-in-1 devices, tablets and more. IANS reports that the company has invested $7-8 million so far, but they’ve also earned $4 million in revenues during the last financial year. RDP expects to sell between 30,000 to 40,000 ThinBooks this year. We’d like to point out that the device is listed at Rs 10,999 rather than Rs 9,999 on RDP’s online store. With inputs from IANS