JioPhone vs competition: Is this the only feature phone you should buy?

The pre-bookings for the JioPhone start from today from 5:30PM on the company’s website. Users will be paying Rs 1500 upfront for the phone and the device will come with a rental plan of Rs 153. In this plan one will get free voice calls, 300 SMS free, Jio apps and unlimited data, which is restricted to 500MB of 4G data per day. On top of this, Jio will provide a Rs 24 sachet pack with which one will get unlimited 4G data for two days. Alternately, users can opt for a Rs 56 sachet for unlimited 4G data use with week’s validity.

Going by the company’s popularity, it is safe to assume that Reliance Jio will have a hard time coping with demand for the JioPhone. However, if you do get one, you need to know how it compares to other feature phones in the market and some budget smartphones. So, we are pitting the phone against the ultra popular Nokia 3310 feature phone and the affordable Micromax Bharat 2 Android based smartphone.

JioPhone Price: Effectively zero
We should start with the price as the phone essentially costs nothing. The Rs 1500 you pay upfront will be returned to you after three years in full when you return the device. In the meantime you will have to pay Rs 153 per month for the rental plan which comes with the phone. As stated above, the rental plan gives you access to 500MB 4G data per day (after which speeds are throttled), unlimited calls and 300 SMS. 

As for the Nokia 3310 and the Micromax Bharat 2, you will pay Rs 3,310 and Rs 3,499 respectively for the handset only. Cost of calls, data and SMS is subject to the service provider and plan you choose. 

4G VoLTE support and other connectivity
Jio Phone supports 4G VoLTE and so do most budget Android phones including the Micromax’s Bharat 2. The Nokia 3310 on the other hand does not support 4G or Wi-fi. It supports 2G only. 

Moreover, besides the Jio phone, there is only one feature phone from Lava, the Lava Connect M1 4G, which supports 4G VoLTE, but does not support Wi-Fi. However, in a recent interview Spreadtrum India head told us that we will see more 4G feature phone in the market in coming days.

Voice commands
Voice commands are nothing new to the Android ecosystem or smartphones in general, but this is the first time we are seeing this technology on a feature phone. Going by Reliance’s launch demos, the phone is quite slick in recognising voice and can even type messages if required.

Regional language support
Offering a budget phone in India and not including regional language support these days is not an option. Almost all budget smartphones and feature phones that we have come across come with at least 18 regional language support. Thus, Jio is basically at par with the competition, as far as language support goes.

Apps
One of the main reasons why the world is moving to smartphones is apps and how these apps make our connected life simpler and fun. A feature phone does not have this luxury, and thus the Nokia 3310 only has a few toned down versions of apps such as Facebook and Twitter, but no WhatsApp. The JioPhone faces a similar dilemma and Jio has tried to fill that void with its own home-brewed applications.

You have the standard Jio app suite including JioMusic, JioCinema, JioTV and JioXpressNews. Apart from that you will get a lighter version of Facebook, Youtube, Google Maps, Firefox, Chrome and some more. The thing is, the phone is running on KaiOS, which is a lightweight linux distro to start with. It is optimised to be used on non-touch phones and much like Samsung’s Tizen, we may see more apps on the platform in times to come.

As for our third contender, the Micromax Bharat 2, it runs on Android and has the entire Google Play Store at its disposal. 

And, you can project content to a TV
One big USP of the JioPhone is the ability to watch content from the phone on your CRT or flat screen TV. You can do this with the JioMediaCable, which is a one time purchase. Using this cable, you can enjoy movies from the JioPhone on your TV. 

Compared to this, most feature phones can’t even play video properly. While you can connect an Android phone with a TV with the built in cast-in service, the direct cable to the TV is a much simpler, easier and cheaper solution here.

Wait, you can even make payments in the future
Yes, you can make payments via the phone as well. So, there is an NFC chip embedded inside the phone, which is not yet enabled. However, Jio says that the functionality will be made available later this year with a software update. While this is all well and good, what you need to keep in mind is that to make this possible, Jio would have to partner with a currently available tap-and-pay solutions or come up with one of their own. If the company sets up its own payment solution than, it would have to partner with stores and service providers to make this possible. That being said, the consumer will get the easier service at hand.

With all the features at its disposal, the JioPhone is undoubtedly one of the most awaited phones in India. It even transcends the rave and hype of the Nokia 3310, which was a big deal in itself across the globe. The reason for this is obvious – the costing of the device and the features at its disposal. With the JioPhone, Mukesh Ambani is eyeing the biggest untapped mobile customer base comprising of more than 50 crore users. According to Jio’s own numbers the company has retained more than 100 million (10 crores) subscribers, which are now part of Jio’s Prime subscriber base paying Rs 309 or higher. The JioPhone is going to add millions more to that subscriber base.

With its 4G feature phone, Reliance wants to capture 99% percent of the Indian population with 4G coverage and the company aims to do that in just 12 months. This is a big task and much easier said than done, but here is where the Jio Phone comes in. It has the specifications to compete with entry level Android phones, supports 4G, has voice command control, regional language support, and Jio services. It can be connected to your TV with an addition accessory. 

We do sniff monopolization and cannibalization in the market later down the line and we will talk about it, but that is something which is still a possibility and not a reality, yet.

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Hardik Singh

Light at the top, this odd looking creature lives under the heavy medication of video games. View Full Profile