Airtel takes on Jio Phone, set to launch 4G smartphone in just Rs 1399, has WhatsApp, YouTube too; all details here
Airtel takes on Jio Phone, set to launch 4G smartphone in just Rs 1399, has WhatsApp, YouTube too; all details here
Airtel announced a partnership with mobile phone maker Karbonn mobiles with an aim to offer a 4G smartphone effectively priced at Rs 1,399.
By: FE Online |
Published: October 11, 2017 2:41 PM
Airtel said that this is the first of many upcoming partnerships that the company plans to have with phone manufacturers to bring affordable bundled 4G smartphone options. (Representative Image: Reuters)
Airtel is all set to take on Reliance Jio Phone with its own Android smartphone. On Wednesday, Bharti Airtel announced a partnership with mobile phone maker Karbonn mobiles with an aim to offer a 4G smartphone effectively priced at Rs 1,399. Airtel, in a release, said that this is the first of many upcoming partnerships that the company plans to have with phone manufacturers to bring affordable bundled 4G smartphone options to the market. Under the partnership, the Karbonn A40 Indian, now comes at an effective price of just Rs 1399. The original price of the device is Rs 3,499. At this price, Airtel will take on the Jio Phone which is offering its 4G feature phone, priced at Rs 1,500 (effective price is Rs 0).
The 4G smartphone ‘at the price of a feature phone’, offers a 4-inch touch screen with dual SIM slots. It offers complete access to all apps on Google Play Store, including YouTube, Facebook and WhatsApp. The 4G smartphone is bundled with a monthly pack of Rs 169 from Airtel, which offers data and calling benefits. Raj Pudipeddi, Director, Consumer Business & CMO, Bharti Airtel said, “We are delighted to partner with Karbonn to remove barriers to smartphone adoption and enable millions of Indians to leapfrog to a full touchscreen smartphone experience. We plan to partner with multiple manufacturers to bring affordable smartphone options to the market and build an ‘open ecosystem’ of low-cost devices.”
Airtel Karbonn 4G smartphone price: You will have to make a down payment of Rs 2899 for the 4G smartphone and make 36 continuous monthly recharges of Rs 169. You will get a cash refund of Rs 500 after 18 months and another Rs 1000 after 36 months, taking the total cash benefit to Rs 1500.
Here are the top features/specs of the 4G smartphone:
(Source: Airtel)
According to Airtel, if you do not wish to opt for the Rs 169 bundled plan, you can get recharges of any value. However, to claim the cash refund benefit, recharges worth Rs 3000 must be done within the first 18 months (to claim the first refund instalment of Rs 500) and another Rs 3000 over the next 18 months (to claim the second refund instalment of Rs 1000), Airtel said.
You just don't get it. Reliance is offering a 4G feature Phone. It's not as much about cheap price mobiles, but a whole lot more about catering to the demands of a very large chunk of semi-literate labour class and the like, who know nothing about using touchscreen mobile phones.
Airtel said that this is the first of many upcoming partnerships that the company plans to have with phone manufacturers to bring affordable bundled 4G smartphone options. (Representative Image: Reuters)
(Source: Airtel)
