Google-owned Motorola Mobility has unveiled the Moto G, aimed at consumers looking for a smartphone without a high price tag.
The new handset will sell at less than $US200 ($A220) without a contract in the US market and, around the world, will be around one-third the price of top-line Apple iPhones and Samsung devices.
Unveiling the phone in the Brazilian business hub Sao Paulo, Motorola chief Dennis Woodside said half a billion people would buy a phone for less than $US200.
"Moto G is a smartphone that delivers a premium experience with today's technology at less than one third of the price of today's smartphones like the iPhone 5s," he said.
The new device is a low-cost version of the Moto X released in the US earlier this year.
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It features an 11.5cm display and all-day battery, and will include the latest versions of the Google Android operating system.
Woodside said the phone would be especially attractive in emerging markets where carrier subsidies for phones are rare and consumers are reluctant to pay $US600 or more for a handset.
The handset packs in a 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and 5-megapixel and 1.3-megapixel cameras, front and back.
This will allow the phone to "punch above its weight", said Punit Soni, software product manager for Motorola.
IDC market analyst Ramon Llamas said the device won't work on high-speed LTE networks but that "most of the initial markets don't have LTE networks. 3G will do just fine".
The phone goes on sale immediately in Brazil and some European markets, and will hit the US and a total of 30 countries by early next year.
In the US, the price for an unlocked entry-level Moto G will be $US179.
