Reliance JioPhone, which could previously be ordered via Jio's official website or MyJio app online, is now listed on Amazon India.
Here's why it is a good idea to buy the device offline.
Reliance JioPhone, which could previously be ordered via Jio’s official website or MyJio app online, is now listed on Amazon India.
The 4G VoLTE-enabled feature phone was launched at an effective price of Rs 0, though people need to pay a refundable security deposit of Rs 1,500 for purchasing the device. On Amazon, the JioPhone is priced at Rs 1,745
plus Rs 49 delivery charges, which is slightly higher than the original price. The official reseller is Gadget Geek Business Solution.
However, for those interested in getting the JioPhone, it is actually better to buy the device from authorised Jio retailers or other leading mobile retail stores across India, given they’ll not be charged extra. Also with regard to details of refunds, activating the SIM, an offline store will likely offer more clarity on these aspects which are crucial in the JioPhone and its overall pricing.
Interestingly, Jio’s official website hasn’t yet resumed pre-bookings for the phone, even though it is available via offline channels. Meanwhile, the company has said that it will announce the next JioPhone booking date soon. The JioPhone reseller on Amazon India is not an authorised seller from Jio, though some of the comments indicate the phone was actually delivered to customers.
For those who still need a feature phone, the JioPhone comes at en effective price of Rs 0. The security deposit of Rs 1,500 will be refunded to users after three years on return of the device in working condition. However, Jio has attached a number of terms and conditions on when this exact deposit will be returned and users should keep those in mind. Also the JioPhone only works with a Jio SIM card and people can’t use SIM cards from other telecom companies like Vodafone, Airtel, Idea, etc.
Reliance Jio has a couple of data plans for JioPhone users, which includes a Rs 153 monthly pack as well as Rs 24 and Rs 54 sachet packs.
With Jio’s Rs 153 plan, users will get 500MB data per day for 28 days along with unlimited voice calls and SMS. The Rs 24 and Rs 54 plans offer the same benefits but with a day’s and a week’s validity respectively.
JioPhone is a low-cost 4G handset, which was unveiled by the company in July. It comes with smart features like 4G VoLTE connectivity, a voice assistant, and support for company’s apps that come pre-loaded on the device. JioPhone gets a 2.4-inch QVGA display and it runs KaiOS.
The single-SIM phone has a SD card slot, a USB port for charging, speaker, FM Radio, torchlight, and SOS option. Reliance JioPhone features a 2MP rear camera and 0.3MP front camera. It is powered by a dual-core SPRD 9820A/QC8905 processor,
coupled with 512MB RAM and 4GB storage, which is expandable up to 128GB via a microSD card.
The JioPhone is backed by a 2000 mAh battery.
