The “India ka smartphone” AKA the 1500 JioPhone has finally been made available for those, who have pre-ordered in the first phase by paying INR 500 as the booking amount. Once you are eligible, you will receive confirmation SMS and an email with details regarding the delivery.
According to recent information, it looks like, the JioPhone costs INR 2500 for the parts and assembly labour. Presently, the device is assembled in China (Foxconn) and as the demand decreases over the time, the device will be assembled in India itself.
The costliest part of the JioPhone is its processor, JioPhone will feature either Spreadtrum or Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset depending on the series number. The next costliest part is the battery, which costs INR 250 rupees per piece.
Considering the fact that, the Jiophone will be available at 0 rupees (effectively) Jio is taking a huge risk. According to study, an average non-smartphone user in India recharges or spends INR 50 rupees per month, however, if he wants to enjoy the Jio network, then the minimum monthly package starts from INR 150 rupees for 28 days. The one more feature that mesmerises the audience is its capability to mirror content on TV using proprietary cable (to enjoy this feature, one should recharge a data pack of value 309 rupees or higher).
According to Jio’s ambition, the company is planning to add at least 250 million subscribers over the time frame of one year, to make a profit (more than 500 million people use feature phones without internet connectivity).
The major problem with the Jio network is, it is LTE only network with VoLte calling capability, so, the SIM card will not work on normal smartphones without 4G LTE support. Though the device offers best-in-class features, it is not a phone for those who are already using a smartphone.