Everything We Know About JioPhone

The recently launched “JioPhone” has taken the internet by storm. The handset was introduced as “India Ka Smartphone” with 4G-enabled features and was launched at an “effective price” of Rs. 0. Available for pre-booking from JioPhone will be available from August 24 and here is everything we know about JioPhone.

Launch And Availability

The phone was announced at Reliance Industries 40th annual general meet in Mumbai yesterday. The handset will be available on August 15 – for limited testing and will be up for pre-booking from August 24 onwards via the MyJio app or at Jio offline stores. Those who pre-book the JioPhone will be available to get their hands on the device September onwards. The company targets to make 5 million phones available every week at a first come first serve basis.

Price

Price is one of the major attractions of JioPhone. Mukesh Ambani announced that the phone will be effectively for free with one time deposit of Rs 1500 which is refundable after 3 years on return of the handset. The release of the  JioPhone will also be a step forward for the company in tapping the estimated 50 crore feature phone users who have not been able to join the Jio 4G bandwagon due to high-priced smartphones.

Plans

JioPhone users will have different plans on a monthly, weekly or daily basis to suit their needs.

• For the price of Rs 153 per month, users will get free voice and SMS, and unlimited data (high-speed data FUP is 500MB per day)
• Rs. 309 per month for free voice, SMS, unlimited data and the support for mirroring your screen on a TV.
• Rs. 24 for two days users will get free voice and SMS, and unlimited data (high-speed data FUP is 500MB per day)
• Rs. 54 per week users get free voice and SMS, and unlimited data (high-speed data FUP is 500MB per day)

Features and Specifications

The JioPhone was introduced by siblings Akash and Isha Ambani, revealing standard feature phone functionality along with phone’s support voice commands. The design looks familiar and is easy to use, unlike the complex smartphones available in market. The handset also comes preinstalled with a browser and Jio apps like Jio Cinema, Jio Music etc.

Despite the price, the feature smartphone is loaded with specs.

Here’s a list of these features –

• 2.4-inch QVGA display.
• 2MP Rear Camera and a VGA front camera.
• Multilingual Alphanumeric Keypad.
• 512 MB RAM.
• Runs on KAI OS (OS version of the Firefox OS).
• Dual Sim Feature.
• 4-Way Navigation.
• Supports digital payment via NFC (to be enabled with software update)
• Voice Commands to call, message, open apps and more.
• JioPhone will support 24 Indian languages including English and Hindi.
• 2000mAh battery (Upto 10 Hours).
• 4GB Internal Storage along with SD card slot for upto 128GB expandable memory.
• Supports 4G VoLTE for calls and data.
• Offers SOS support button which can be accessed by long-pressing the ‘5’ button on the keypad to send a distress message. The message includes the location details of the user.
• Torch light, Headphone Jack, Video playback and pre-installed Jio Apps.
• Wireless networks – Bluetooth v4.1 +, Wi-Fi and FM Radio.
• Phones shipped November Onwards will be fully Made in India.

The “India ka smartphone” with 4G VoLTE support, unlimited voice calls, dual sim feature and the unbelievable price makes up for the few misses. With the launch of JioPhone, Mukesh Ambani has made it possible for every Indian to purchase a smartphone and access the 4G VoLTE support.