Earlier this year due to the COVID-19 induced nationwide lockdown, the Jio Phone’s production was halted, owing to the obstruction in the manufacturing process. However, based on a recent report, Reliance might be looking to bring back the Jio Phone to markets come early 2021. It may be called the Jio Phone 4G but it will probably have the same features underneath. Moreover, Jio might increase the price of the Jio Phone as well from the original price of Rs 699.
The information comes courtesy of a report from ET Telecom that claims Jio might release the Jio Phone again in Q1 2021. Jio won’t change any aspect of the device and hence, you might get the exact same phone that the company launched a few years ago. That said, Reliance might increase the price of the device. The report does not mention the new price but it will still stay under Rs 1,000, which could still let it be one of the cheapest 4G phones you can buy in India.
Here are all the latest developments on the Jio Phone.
Jio Phone 4G relaunching in India soon
“The JioPhone was last sold at ₹699, but it will be difficult to match that pricing now due to an increase in component costs post Covid-19 and import duties. However, it will still be below Rs 1,000 since Reliance Jio wants to reach out to consumers who are not connected, in smaller towns and villages where affordability is an issue,” said the industry insiders in the report.
The new Jio Phone will be now made by contract manufacturer Flex, says the report. Moreover, the joint smartphone project with Google is also said to yield an entry-level smartphone sometime later in 2021. Jio earlier announced this year it is partnering with Google to work on new projects. While the details are still unknown, Jio is speculated to use the Android Go platform for its first smartphone may launch it at an extremely low price point.
A previous report says that Jio might sell the new JioPhone at a price of Rs 900, which is almost a bump of Rs 300 compared to the current price. Despite that, it could remain the cheapest 4G phone, given that Nokia’s cheapest 4G phone retails at a price of Rs 2,949. Jio might also come up with a new monthly subscription that could enhance its appeal in the interior parts of India. Additionally, Jio is said to “making it available in more than 800,000 retail stores – the largest retail presence for any mobile phone in the country, they said.
