Airtel working on Rs 2,500 4G phone to beat JioPhone, launch likely during Diwali

Airtel and Jio war continues. After Reliance Jio introduced its 4G feature phone aka JioPhone, Airtel is reportedly preparing to bring a low-cost 4G smartphone. The phone that Airtel is planning to bring to counter Jio's JioPhone is expected to be priced between Rs 2,500 and Rs 2,700. JioPhone reportedly garnered over 6 million pre-orders in just 3 days.

Bharti Airtel is said to be in talks with multiple handset makers to bring its 4G smartphone to the market. With this new phone, Airtel seems to be very confident to take on Reliance Jio's Jio Phone, sources familiar with the development revealed to PTI. However, Airtel hasn't revealed any details about the making of the phone. The telecom operator said that it doesn't wish to comment on market speculation.

JioPhone is "effectively free". To get a JioPhone, consumers need to pay a sum of Rs 1,500, which will be refundable if the buyer returns it back to the company within 3 years time from the date of purchase. Apart from paying Rs 1,500 security deposit, consumers will also need to take up a recharge plan of Rs 153.

On the other hand, Airtel's upcoming 4G smartphone comes bundled with 4G connection and several other "attractive" data and voice plan to counter Jio. Airtel's upcoming 4G smartphone is expected to be a little expensive than JioPhone, the telecom operator believes that "people would be ready to shell out a little more to get a loaded handset."

Going by the specifications, Airtel's 4G smartphone is expected to come with a 4-inch display, which seems to be much bigger than JioPhone which comes with 2.4 Inch QVGA display. Airtel's 4G phone is also expected to come with both front and back cameras and also a solid battery life. JioPhone comes with 2-megapixel primary camera on the rear and a 0.3-megapixel front shooter. It is backed by a 2000mAh removable battery. Airtel's 4G smartphone is also tipped to come with VoLTE calling feature and 1GB of RAM. This information is revealed by a source close to development of the phone to PTI.

The source further revealed that Airtel may announce its new 4G smartphone some time around Diwali, which is around the month of October. "The company is talking to various handset manufacturers to bring a Rs. 2,500 to Rs. 2,700 Android-based 4G smartphone to the market around Diwali," the source said.

There's no information on the availability of the device as of now. JioPhone on the other hand - which was up for booking on August 24 is said to be available to the consumers during Navratri - which is by the end of September. JioPhone garnered wide popularity - due to which the telecom operator had to halt the pre-orders. According to reports - Jio is said t start the pre-booking process very soon.