During the Annual General Meeting including shareholders and other famous dignitaries and executives, Reliance Jio unveiled a host of new products which it is going to launch this year. Apart from the Jio GigaFiber and Jio GigaTV, the telco also showcased the new JioPhone second generation at the event. However, with this new introduction, JioPhone first gen users are in a dilemma whether or not to upgrade their phones. While the JioPhone 2 might look like a decent buy from its newly provided design, is it worth the money? Read further to know more.
Unreasonable Pricing
The JioPhone 2 debuts with a tag of Rs 2,999, a price bar which is just the double of what the good old JioPhone can be availed for. Up from the price of Rs 1,500 now, Reliance Jio will be offering the new JioPhone 2 at Rs 2,999 which seems like an exorbitant rise in the price given that the phone doesn’t even come with any substantial updates.
It is worth noting that the JioPhone 2 differs from its predecessor only in terms of design. The new QWERTY keypad and the larger form factor are the only things separating the second generation JioPhone from the first one. As for the internal specifications of the phone, Reliance Jio has decided to keep the processor, RAM, camera and even the battery unchanged in JioPhone 2. Given this fact, the actual specifications of the new device are the same as JioPhone 1.
Exchange Plan Not Applicable
There was also the news floating that users of JioPhone 1 will be able to return their old phone in exchange for the new JioPhone 2. All they will have to do is to pay the difference amount of Rs 501. However, one shocking news is that this exchange plan will only be applicable for JioPhone 1, meaning that users will just be able to get a new JioPhone 1 (not JioPhone 2) when they make an exchange of a feature phone and pay the difference of Rs 501.
The telco has also announced a new offer for JioPhone 1 holders. Interestingly, this new offer by Reliance Jio will be unveiled on July 21 only. It is noteworthy that Reliance Jio’s JioPhone 2 very closely resembles its predecessor and it even packs the same specifications except for the new BlackBerry-style QWERTY keypad and an enhanced form factor. Given this fact we recommend that serious buyers might instead choose to stick with the good old JioPhone 1, instead of switching to the JioPhone 2 by paying double the price.
It remains to be seen how Reliance Jio differentiates the JioPhone 2 in comparison to JioPhone 1 regarding data benefits and tariffs since this is the only area where the telco can actually make the phone considerable to buy, however, will the benefits be worth the extra Rs 1,500? Now that is something we will get to know in the coming months.
