Micromax Bharat 1 and Reliance JioPhone comparison
What's the story
Reliance's VoLTE supported JioPhone is going to face some competition now with Micromax's Bharat 1 in the market. The JioPhone, which is effectively free of cost, along with the Bharat 1 are aimed at capturing rural markets in India. The sole purpose of these phones is to provide internet connectivity to those who cannot afford expensive smartphones. We take a look at these phones.
Pricing
JioPhone beats the Bharat 1 in terms of pricing
The Mircomax Bharat 1 is priced at Rs. 2,200 and comes with bundled plans from BSNL. The JioPhone, on the other hand, is priced at Rs. 1,500. However, this Rs. 1,500 is refundable and can be claimed when a user returns the JioPhone after three years of use. Considering the fact that the Bharat 1 has no refund option, JioPhone takes the lead here.
Hardware
The hardware specifications of the two phones
Both the Bharat 1 and the JioPhone come with a 2.4-inch display, 512MB RAM, 4GB internal storage, a 2MP rear camera, a VGA front camera, and a 2000 mAh battery. The JioPhone is powered by a 1.2 GHz Spreadtrum processor, while the Bharat 1 features a Snapdragon 205 SoC processor. The JioPhone supports 128GB of expandable storage, as opposed to the Bharat 1's 32GB.
Software
Software features of the two phones
While Micromax hasn't specified the OS for the Bharat 1, the JioPhone runs on the custom KAI OS. Both phones have support for 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS, and come with up to 22 regional Indian languages. Furthermore, both the phones have in-built internet browsers which allow users to watch live TV, movies, and videos, and stream music.
Bundled plans
The bundled plans offered by each phone
The JioPhone offers unlimited free calls, and 500MB of 4G data per day with its minimum Rs. 153 recharge plan. If the data usage crosses the daily limit, the internet speed drops to 128kbps. Meanwhile, the Bharat 1 comes with BSNL's Rs. 97 plan that offers unlimited calls, free roaming, and 5GB of 3G/4G data per month. Speed drops to 80kbps beyond data limit.