Reliance Jio is reportedly working on a new feature phone meant simply for voice calling. Unlike the JioPhone and JioPhone 2, the JioPhone Lite will apparently not have internet access, but will work with 4G networks for voice calls and text messages (SMSes). The report comes from 91Mobiles, which says the company has already started surveying with retailers as to whether there will be enough demand for such a device among target demographics.
If the device does see the light of the day, it will be the first hardware product from Reliance Jio to lack internet connectivity. It will apparently feature a small display and an alphanumeric keypad like standard feature phones. The rest of the tech specs of the rumored device remain under the wraps for now, but we’ll hopefully get more info in the days ahead.
Meanwhile, the report claims that it will be priced between Rs. 400 and Rs. 500, which might also make it a viable second phone for people who are already using full-fledged smartphones with all the bells and whistles. Furthermore, the report also claims that Jio will launch a Rs. 50 prepaid plan with 28-day validity validity exclusively for the Jio Phone Lite with free Jio-to-Jio calls and a token charge for off-net calls to recover IUC charges.
Do note that Reliance Jio is said to be in the very early stages of its market research on the so-called JioPhone Lite, which means there’s no guarantee that the company will even launch such a product going forward. However, if Reliance does eventually launch the device at the Rs. 400 price-point, would it be something that you’d be interested in? Let us know in the comments down below.
