Last year there was a report that said that Reliance Jio will launch feature phones with VoLTE support soon. We even saw an image of a Rs. 1299 feature phone earlier this year with shortcut keys for MyJio, Jio Live TV, Jio video and Jio Music. Even though we did not see the phone, there were reports that said that we might see an affordable VoLTE feature phone for under Rs. 1000. Now a new ET report says that Reliance Jio will disrupt the market with VoLTE feature phones for under Rs. 500.
Lava launched the 4G Connect M1 as India’s first 4G VoLTE feature phone earlier this year at a price of around Rs. 3000. Even though there is still a huge demand for the phone, price of smartphones have come down so most people are not ready to spend more on feature phones.
According to the report Jio will unveil the budget VoLTE feature phone at Reliance Industries’ annual general meeting on July 21, where Jio is expected to announce new plans, as the 84-day Dhan Dhana Dhan offer comes to an end.
The report adds that Jio has placed orders for 18-20 million of the 4G VoLTE feature phones with Chinese ODMs and the phones are expected to ship July-end or early-August so it could be available in the market by August 15.