Jio feature phone price and launch date
The Jio feature phone price is among the biggest bones of contention as reports have pegged the price anywhere between Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,500. When the report of the Jio feature phone first trickled out, the price was said to be between Rs. 1,000 and Rs. 1,500 between two variants, though this later changed to Rs. 500 by a separate report. The latest report on the matter of the Jio feature phone price once again suggests a price tag between Rs. 1,000 and Rs. 1,500, noting that the final price is yet to be decided. The handset’s manufacturing cost is said to be $27-28 (roughly Rs. 1,800), and the consensus is that it will likely be subsidised by Jio in order to keep it within the reach of feature phone users, the company's target segment.
As for the specifications, Jio feature phone reportedly comes with is a 2.4-inch colour display, 512MB RAM, 4GB of internal storage, up to 128GB microSD card support, dual SIM functionality (Nano SIM + Standard SIM), 2-megapixel rear camera, and VGA front camera. Reports also say users will get 2000mAh battery, FM radio, and Bluetooth 4.1 + LE with the handset. Jio plans, priced around Rs. 80-90, are also expected to be announced for the feature phone buyers.
Alongside the feature phone, the Mukesh Ambani-backed company will reportedly launch a new low-cost plan for Jio users, priced around Rs. 80-90. This rumoured Jio plan will likely come with bundled data, SMSs, access to Jio apps etc.; all calls are free on the network. It is not yet clear whether the plan will be available only for buyers of the feature phone, or will also be extended to existing users accessing the network on a smartphone.
The Jio feature phone is as big as, or maybe even bigger than, the telecom network that was launched a year ago. The 4G VoLTE network put a phone with Jio SIM in the hands of over 110 million people, and is claimed to have boosted India to the top of globally charts in terms of data consumption, with the bulk of it on the company’s network. But growth has been slowing down, and the Jio network had its slowest growth in user base since launch in April. With a low-cost Jio feature phone in the market, the company would be able to tap the millions of consumers who are yet to move to its mobile network because of the high costs associated with a smartphone.