The War Of Affordable 4G Phones: JioPhone Vs Karbonn A40 Indian Vs Micromax Bharat 1
After Jio’s entry in the affordable 4G feature phone market, existing players like Karbonn and Micromax also launched their affordable 4G phones. Karbonn, partnering with Airtel launched its 4G smartphone A40 Indian at Rs 1,399 and Micromax launched its 4G feature phone Bharat 1 partnering with BSNL at Rs 2,200.
Let’s see how these affordable 4G phones- JioPhone, Karbonn A40 Indian, and Micromax Bharat 1 stand against each other.
JioPhone
The JioPhone is announced at a price of Rs. 0; to prevent misuse of the device, users have to pay a security fee of Rs. 1500 which is refundable after 3 years.
JioPhone is a 4G VoLTE enabled phone and comes with internet browsing; it also has pre-loaded Jio apps like JioTV, JioCinema, JioChat, JioMusic, and JioXpressNews. The device has headphone jack, torchlight, and FM radio.
JioPhone can be connected to any TV with JioMediaCable. The device also has voice support which enables users to make calls, send texts or watch movies by voice command.
On the JioPhone, voice calls will be always free and users have to pay Rs. 153 per month for unlimited 4G data. JioPhone also has 2 sachet plans where users can recharge data for 2 days and a week for Rs. 24 and Rs. 54 respectively.
Available at- Retail stores, Jio website, and MyJio app
Software and Processor- KAI OS, 1.2GHz Dual core Spreadtrum 9820A/QC8905 processor
RAM and Storage- 512MB RAM, 4GB internal storage- expandable up to 128GB
Display- 2.4-inch QVGA (320x240)
Camera- 2-MP (rear) and 0.3-MP (front)
Battery- 2000mAh (12 hours talktime)
Connectivity- Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, NFC, USB 2.0, 4G VoLTE, and GPS.
Karbonn A40 Indian
Airtel tied up with Karbonn mobiles to introduce affordable 4G smartphone Karbonn A40 Indian. The 4G smartphone is bundled with a monthly pack of Rs 169 from Airtel, which offers data and calling benefits.
The customer needs to make a down payment of Rs 2,899 for the 4G smartphone and make 36 continuous monthly recharges of Rs 169. The customer will get a cash refund of Rs 500 after 18 months and other Rs 1000 after 36 months, taking the total cash benefit to Rs 1500.
Colours- blue, coffee brown, black, and champagne.
Available at- Retail stores
Software and Processor- Android 7.0 Nougat, 1.3GHz quad-core processor
RAM and Storage- 1GB RAM, 4GB internal storage- expandable up to 32GB
Display- 4-inch WVGA (800x480)
Camera- 2-MP (rear) and 0.3-MP (front)
Battery- 1400mAh (4 hours talktime)
Connectivity- Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth, Micro USB, 3.5mm audio-jack, and 4G LTE
Micromax Bharat-1
Users can experience enjoy ‘unlimited calling’ and ‘internet services’ at Rs 97 every month. With this partnership, BSNL and Micromax are aiming to target more than 500 million population that is still internet unconnected.
Bharat 1 comes with Micromax Entertainment app with which users can access live TV, music, movies, and videos. The phone comes with a BSNL SIM card but the device supports dual-SIMs which means the phone is not only restricted to BSNL’s network.
Available at- Retail stores at Rs 2,200
Processor- Qualcomm Snapdragon 205
RAM and Storage- 512MB RAM, 4GB storage
Display- 2.4-inch QVGA (320x240)
Camera- 2-MP (rear) and VGA camera(front)
Battery- 2000mAh
