At the Annual General Meeting (AGM), Reliance Jio announced the launch of the JioPhone as expected.
Well, the JioPhone is a 4G VoLTE feature phone. It comes with a familiar feature phone design. The handset supports 22 Indian regional languages. It also supports voice commands despite the fact that it is a feature phone. We were shown demos of voice commands in which users can call, send SMS, browse the internet, etc. just by using their voice.
Also, the tiny feature phone is claimed to be a powerful handset with hundreds of features and will receive more features in the coming months.
Emergency feature
On long pressing the number 5 button on the keypad, the JioPhone will send a distress message to the preset emergency contacts. The message includes the location along with the latitude and longitude details. Eventually, this is a live-saving and invaluable feature. Soon, this feature will be integrated with the local police station and other valuable services.
NFC feature coming soon
It is claimed that the JioPhone will receive the NFC support later this year to make payments with a simple tap on the device. The handset has a hardware that is ready for secure payments. It will receive the NFC support via a software update in the coming months.
Unlimited voice calls
The users of the JioPhone can enjoy free voice calls for lifetime. Starting from August 15, 2017, the JioPhone will get access to unlimited data. It is possible to achieve this at just Rs. 153 per month under the Dhan Dhana Dhan plan. That is, at Rs. 153, the users of JioPhone can get unlimited voice calls, SMS, data and Jio apps access for a month.
Jio Phone TV-Cable
Jio Phone TV-Cable connects the JioPhone with any TV at just Rs. 309. It can be connected to any TV, be it smart or CRT TVs. With the Rs. 309 Dhan Dhana Dhan plan, users can watch any content on their handset on the big screen.
Two sachets for convenience
The telco also introduced two sachets priced at Rs. 24 and Rs. 54 for two days and a week respectively. These sachets also have similar benefits as the other plans mentioned above.
JioPhone is for free
While the JioPhone has been announced for free, the interested users can get it by paying a security deposit of Rs. 1,500 that will be refunded after three years. Interestingly, the security deposit is 100% refundable.
Availability starts in August
From August 15, the digital freedom will be available to the Indian feature phone users. Well, the beta testing of the phone will be available from August 15 and the pre-booking will be taken on a first-come-first-serve basis from August 24. The physical availability will debut in September 2017.The pre-booking can be done via the My Jio app or the nearest Jio retailer.
