Reliance Jio's 4G feature phone is now rumoured to arrive in two different variants. According to a report by 91mobiles, Reliance Retail has partnered with chipset manufacturers, Spreadtrum and Qualcomm, for two different versions of its feature phones. The report adds that Jio's 4G-enabled feature phones will sport a 2.4-inch display and will be paired with 512MB RAM. The handsets are said to ship with 4GB internal memory and offer the option to expand storage via a microSD card. These feature phones are also said to offer a 2MP rear camera and a VGA front camera. These feature phones are also expected to come pre-installed with Jio apps.
Interestingly, Jio's feature phones are also said to offer connectivity options like WiFi and NFC apart from 4G connectivity. The manufacturing cost of the Spreadtrum and Qualcomm phones feature phones are said to be around $27 (approximately Rs 1,730) and around $28 (approximately Rs 1,800) respectively. Reliance Jio was initially rumoured to introduce feature phones in the Rs 1,500 price category.
Reliance Retail already sells Jio-compatible Android smartphones under its LYF brand and along with a 4G dongle. Reliance Jio's 4G-only mobile service has already managed to acquire 72 million paid subscribers. With the service being 4G only, it restricts Jio from working on a feature phone and the company is said to launch its own 4G VoLTE enabled feature phones to reach more consumers in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. Lava has already launched a feature phone with 4G support called the Connect M1.