Reliance Jio launched its first JioPhone back in 2017 at Rs. 1,499 and eventually slashed the price to Rs.699. If a new report on 91Mobiles citing retail sources is anything to go by, the company will soon hike the price of the phone to Rs.999, an effective price increase of Rs.300.
According to the report, Reliance Jio is currently in the process of meeting supply demands for JioPhone in the country. The report further states that the company may make an official announcement about the increased stock of JioPhone over the coming days.
Jio seems to be relying on Qualcomm to meet its chipset needs during this upcoming wave of JioPhone. In case you’re unaware, the company has been selling some JioPhone units with Spreadtrum chipset as well. The report also shows the new retail box of the JioPhone, as you can see below.
Alongside the price hike, Jio is expected to introduce a new Rs.125 recharge plan. If customers opt for this plan, the total cost increases to Rs.1,124. The exact benefits of this plan remain unknown for now. The telecom giant already offers a monthly all-in-one Rs.125 plan with 14 GB of data (0.5GB per day), unlimited on-net calls & 500 minutes FUP for off-net calls, and 300 SMS along with complimentary access to Jio apps.
Reliance Jio’s plans to increase the price of JioPhone doesn’t come as a surprise, considering the fact that the device is still in demand in spite of being launched back in 2017. However, the alleged price hike slightly bridges the gap between JioPhone and JioPhone 2 that costs Rs.2,999.
