Bharti Airtel follows a distinctive approach that is organic to the growth of the telecom industry while benefiting the consumer. Airtel, on multiple occasions, reiterated that the company is more inclined towards partnering with handset manufacturers and use the established ecosystem to deliver a great network experience to its users. Now, if you are a regular reader of TelecomTalk, you must already be aware that the Airtel Exclusive Poco C51 is available at a price of Rs 5,999.
Device partnerships and bundling are nothing new to Airtel. However, in 2023, in the era of 4G/5G and smartphones, we at TelecomTalk have decided to have hands-on experience with the Rs 6,000 price range smartphone and understand what made Airtel offer it to customers for delivering an affordable 4G smartphone experience.
The usage of the internet has taken significant traction, unlike earlier times. For some, its purpose is for everything and anything, while for others, it’s just work, essentials, staying connected, and limiting screen presence. Nowadays, no one buying phones is even considering opting for a phone without a touch or smaller screen. During a normal stroll on the road, you will notice almost everyone has a decent touchscreen phone. The high-speed networks, internet experience, and availability of a range of services have made people switch to a smartphone experience, but they also look for affordable options.
Although we have discussed the specifications of the smartphone in our earlier story, we would like to highlight a few specifications of the device relevant to the context.
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The Poco C51 comes with a 6.52-inch scratch-resistant display, MediaTek Helio G36 2.2GHz octa-core processor, 5000mAh battery, 8MP dual rear camera, 5MP front camera, 4GB RAM (up to 7GB RAM), fingerprint sensor, premium leather-like texture, WiFi, Dual VoLTE with VoWiFi, Dedicated MicroSD card (2+1) slot, and USB OTG support.
Suppose we consider a first-time internet user or someone looking for an affordable high-speed internet-enabled (4G) smartphone. In that case, the Poco C51 device exclusively priced by Airtel provides a platform for any customer to experience smartphone ecosystem and get habituated along with the internet experience. As the device comes with VoLTE, VoWiFi, WiFi, Front and Rear Camera, and Multi-tasking, this enables customers to experience all of Airtel’s services that the company is offering.
For instance, Airtel offers VoLTE and VoWiFi, and a customer can experience these services and not be confined to a walled ecosystem using only predefined services or apps. We believe that by offering this kind of experience, Airtel wants its users to experience the real internet and app ecosystem, rather than a limited one. Customers may gradually upgrade to a high-end smartphone for a much better experience.
This approach helps Airtel not just deliver its services but also equally deliver a smartphone ecosystem experience to its customers. As a result, consumers consume more high-speed data, leading to an organic increase in data consumption and ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) increase.
Airtel Recharge Packs
Airtel customers can recharge with any Airtel Truly Unlimited Plan with this device and enjoy the data, voice, and SMS benefits along with any Airtel Thanks benefits bundled with the prepaid recharge packs.
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Extra Data
If we consider the case of a first-time internet user, Airtel, after understanding the initial usage excitement and learning curve, has bundled 50GB Free data in the form of 10GB data coupons for 5 months upon purchasing the device. So, with this offer, when a first-time internet user experiences a smartphone or high-speed internet, they tend to consume more as they experience it for the first time, and this free data will help them cater to the initial excitement levels. If any existing smartphone user specifically picks this phone for affordability purposes, the user will already be aware of the internet ecosystem and smartphone scenario. Airtel didn’t try to limit data usage with any per-day limitations, and customers are free to use data as per their choice.
Android GO
Since Android GO is an Operating System for devices with entry-level hardware specifications, users will still be able to install apps from the Google Play Store and experience the smartphone just like any other high-end device, except the fact that the Operating System is optimized for limited hardware resources. This also helps users get habituated to the smartphone environment, multitasking, and other features.
No, these days users are not looking for any subpar experiences when thinking of buying a phone. They would much prefer a decent and affordable 4G smartphone. As we discussed in our earlier stories, 5G has not many consumer-centric use cases as of now, and 4G caters to almost every use case these days. In such a scenario, the current device bundling of Airtel with Poco C51 makes more sense, benefiting both consumers and the telco to increase its usage metrics and ARPU.
Also Read: Experience: Airtel Home Delivery of SIM and Doorstep KYC
Device Experience in Short
Considering the pricing, the expectations for the device are kept very low. We purchased the device on the very first day of availability, and so far, we can say it offers decent performance for the price range and serves the purpose of an entry-level 4G smartphone well. The battery lasts long, and the device feels premium in hand. There are no heating issues so far, even after playing a full movie continuously, and users can enjoy Airtel services. Although the device is locked with Airtel, it shouldn’t be an issue as it is a choice made by the customer to avail the bundling offer.
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