Jio’s 4G VoLTE feature phone with smartphone-like features is expected to make an appearance at Reliance Industries’ AGM next week, and a new leaked video reveals what might well be the mobile many have been waiting for. The leaked video shows a Reliance Retail’s Lyf-branded feature phone – which may or may not be the long-rumoured Rs. 500 Jio 4G feature phone that has been spotted before – but could well be the phone that the telco that’s shaken up the industry reveals next week. The video and an accompanying report reveal specifications, features, and software details of the upcoming Lyf/ Jio 4G VoLTE feature phone. Among the notable features of the mobile seem to be custom OS, and support for Internet tethering.
Jio 4G VoLTE feature phone specifications
According to a report by TechPP, the Reliance Jio 4G feature phone will be sold under the Lyf brand, the sister-brand of Jio, owned by Reliance Retail. As rumoured previously, the feature phone is said to have 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. The leak also suggests the presence of 2000mAh battery, FM radio, Bluetooth 4.1 + LE, and video calling on the Jio 4G VoLTE feature phone.
On the software side, the mobile is said to come with ‘KAI OS’, a customised version of the HTML5-based Firefox OS. It will reportedly have an app store named ‘KaiOS Plus’. It will also have an integrated voice assistant with support for Indian languages. In addition, a report by Telecom Talk claims the Lyf/ Jio 4G VoLTE feature phone will be provision for Wi-Fi tethering too, meaning a user will be able to connect multiple devices using the handset’s Internet connection. TechPP, on the other hand, says the handset will have app-specific USB tethering.
The leaked images only show the phone will have a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, without specifying the make. Previously, Qualcomm and Spreadtrum have been said to be supplying the chipset for the device. The Jio 4G feature phone is also said to come with access to Jio apps such as Jio TV, MyJio, JioCinema, and JioMusic.
Jio 4G VoLTE feature phone price
According to an earlier HSBC research note, the Jio feature phone price in India will be Rs. 500, after subsidising the manufacturing cost. Like we mentioned earlier, it’s not clear if the leaked mobile is actually the Rs. 500 Jio phone.
Reliance is said to have placed an order of 18-20 million units for the handsets with Chinese vendors such as Zhejiang Techain Electronics Technology Co., Shenzhen CHINO-E Communication Co, Crave and Megaphone. The Lyf/ Jio 4G VoLTE feature phone is expected to be unveiled on July 21 at parent company Reliance’s AGM, but hit the market in August.
The upcoming Jio feature phone will be targeting the feature phone market, which has remained out of the company’s reach due to the prohibitory costs of smartphones. It will help the Mukesh Ambani-backed company increase its user base, whose growth was the slowest in April since it launched operation. This happened as the services went paid, even though the services remain extremely affordable due to the Jio Summer Surprise and Jio Dhan Dhana Dhan offers. More recently, the company revised its plans to provide more data and more validity at the same price, and launched a new plan that provides the Jio Dhan Dhana Dhan Offer benefits for another 84 days at Rs. 399.
[“Source-gadgets”]
