The JioPhone 2 will be available for buying from August 15
The JioPhone, launched by Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) last year, was an instant headline grabber. It’s not every day you see a company launching a smart feature phone at an effective price of Rs 0, after all. The JioPhone remains to be effectively free to this day. Terms and conditions, of course, apply. On Thursday, RIL took the wraps off the second-generation JioPhone, aka the JioPhone 2. The JioPhone 2 is being touted as a high-end version of the JioPhone. It is apparently smarter than the JioPhone, which is probably why it isn’t being marketed as an effectively free smart feature phone. The JioPhone 2 will be available for buying in India from August 15 for Rs 2,999.
So then the next question is, how different is the new JioPhone 2? But before I answer that question, let me tell you one thing clearly, the original JioPhone from last year isn’t going anywhere. The original JioPhone and the JioPhone 2 will be available side by side in the market so potential buyers can choose whichever model suits their needs best, the company has confirmed. Moreover, the original JioPhone will receive a FOTA August 15 onwards, that will enable the smart feature phone to support popular applications like YouTube, WhatsApp and Facebook. The JioPhone 2, which will be available for buying from August 15, should support these applications out-of-the-box.
Now, coming to the new JioPhone 2, and everything new that it brings to the table. RIL says that the need for a second-generation JioPhone stemmed from customer feedback. Customers had been asking for a JioPhone with a horizontal viewing display and a QWERTY keyboard, it said. The JioPhone 2 serves both the purposes. And that’s all that there is to it really. The JioPhone 2 has a refreshing new design. Although, those familiar with a BlackBerry in its glory days, will find many similarities here, chances are people who would be investing in the JioPhone 2 would be first-time users. In short, it wouldn’t really matter. The original JioPhone was rock-solid in build, and the JioPhone 2 should be more or less on similar lines.
Of the two reasons cited, a horizontal viewing display makes more sense for buyers. This is because a JioPhone, although it is a feature phone with a 2.4-inch QVGA display, is being marketed as nothing short of a multimedia hub for first-time users. It ships with a dedicated app store called JioStore. It comes pre-bundled with Jio’s own apps: JioCinema, JioMessaging, JioTV, JioMusic, JioMoney, JioExpress and JioVideocall. There’s also an app called JioGames that lets you play a couple of odd games or two on the go. The vertically squarish screen of the original JioPhone was simply outlandish for content consumption and what made matters worse was the lack of an auto-rotate option. In short, it was a pain to watch a video, or for that matter, do anything on the JioPhone’s tiny screen.
The JioPhone 2 comes with a wider aspect ratio and even though it uses the same size and resolution, its horizontal screen would be better suited for content consumption. For those looking to consume content on a feature phone form factor, that is.
The QWERTY keyboard is another aspect of the JioPhone 2 that should make sense for first-time users. Quite possibly, such users would also be new to instant messaging applications like WhatsApp, and WhatsApp being WhatsApp would be hard to resist even for such users. A QWERTY keyboard would offer a better all-round typing experience, in such cases, as opposed to the original JioPhone’s cramped T9 keyboard. The same would be true about interacting with other application as well.
While a refreshed design and added functionality like a QWERTY keyboard and a wider aspect ratio are welcome changes, question is, is it all worth the upgrade? Well, not really, considering that the JioPhone 2 doesn’t bring anything ground-breaking to warrant its higher price tag. Unless you consider dual-SIM support as ground-breaking, the JioPhone 2 isn’t very different from the original JioPhone. Even in that case, it’s quite possible that the primary SIM card, will be locked to Jio.
The JioPhone 2 has:
— the same 2.4-inch QVGA colour screen
— the same Kai OS software
— the same 2,000mAh battery
It supports all the same connectivity options as the original JioPhone, including NFC. The hardware inside is still unknown but chances are that RIL may be using the same hardware — Snapdragon 205/ unspecified Spreadtrum SoC — as the original JioPhone.
The original JioPhone was revolutionary at launch. The JioPhone 2, although it’s a good upgrade to the JioPhone, isn’t even close. That RIL will continue investing in the JioPhone, for some more time at least, is also highlighted by the company’s new JioPhone Monsoon Hungama offer that will allow potential buyers to get a JioPhone in exchange for their existing feature phone, for 501. Note that the JioPhone will still be effectively available for free, but the Rs 1,500 security deposit that it was charging previously will be dropped down to Rs 501 should potential buyers be looking to make use of the exchange offer. Regular buyers will be able to get the JioPhone by paying the usual Rs 1,500 security deposit, as usual, which will be refundable subject to prior terms and conditions. The JioPhone 2 is not part of that offer. At least, not yet. Also, RIL, a company known for its crazy 4G data plans, hasn’t announced even one data plan for the JioPhone 2 and unless it does anything like that, a JioPhone for Rs 2,999 makes little sense for India’s unconnected. They might as well buy a JioPhone, since the JioPhone 2, at least for now, seems more like a luxurious version of the JioPhone. No more, no less. The kind of audience that Jio is looking to get on-board may not be able to afford this luxury. Especially from a company that has become synonymous for giving away freebies with almost every new announcement.
