Jio phone cannot be placed in a particular category. It is like a feature phone in appearance but it has many smart features, due to which the phone gets a different identity. All the apps of Jio work in this feature phone. You will be able to watch cinema and also stream the songs. Along with this, free data is also being given in the tariff plan, so that you can use these services. These claims look good to hear, but how is the experience of using a live phone? Let us tell you …
Reliance Jio phone design and texture
Jio phone is similar to a common feature phone according to texture and feeling. It comes with small screens and numeric keypads. Everything is made of plastic and we will say that its quality is good. Weight is not very high and it fits easily in hands. The phone’s grip is good in the hands due to curved edges. It does not feel thick or weighty.
The screen is 2.4 inches and its resolution is 240x 320 pixels. The viewing angles are quite bad, but according to the price it will be considered fine. The display has two function buttons, D papd, call and disconnect buttons and number pads. There is a VGA camera next to the earpiece above the screen. There is enough distance between each button and it is easy to reach them. They feel strong when pressed button.
There is nothing but a 2 -megapixel primary camera and loudspeaker on the back of the phone. The back cover can be removed. And the 2000 mAh battery also comes out. Jio is a single sim device and has a nano sim slot. You will get a separate slot for microSD card. The lower back has a headphone socket with microUSB port. There is an LED flashlight on the top. It can be activated by pressing the up button on D pad for a long time.
In the retail box, you will find a charger and micro-USB cable in addition to the Jio phone. The phone will already have live sim. It has to be activated before using it. We used an old Jio SIM with the phone. And it went on without any trouble. As expected, Airtel’s SIM did not run in it.
Reliance Jio Phone Specification and Software
Jio phone is a feature phone but specifications are worth noting. There is a dual core processor and is accompanied by 512 MB RAM. Inbuilt storage is 4 GB. Out of this, 1 GB is available for the user. 1 GB is reserved for apps and the rest of the storage software updates and apps will be useful. Storage is not a matter of concern, as you will be able to use microSD cards up to 128 GB. You will be able to transfer the file through USB cable to personal computer from your phone, just inbell the USB mode.
Jio phones have Bluetooth and WiFi for connectivity. With the help of Bluetooth, you will be able to transfer the file to another phone. We were able to access internet through Wi-Fi router without any hassle. You do not find these connectivity features in the feature phone. Because of this, the Jio phone overtakes the rest in the race. 4G is VoLTE support. The phone rapidly connects to the Jio Network. There is no hotspot feature, that is, those who want to consume free data received every day with other devices will be disappointed.
We have received many questions about the operating system of JioPhone. For your information, let us know that Jio phone runs on KaiOS. This is a customized version of Firefox OS. It seems that Reliance has worked on improving the software. Because the Firefox OS given in Intex Cloud FX had a lot of shortcomings. The user interface is simple and is easily understood. The grid style is menu. The names and icons of the app are easily identified. You cannot decorate these icons according to your own. But you can definitely keep the favorite on the top. Jio phone has an app store named Geostor, but will not find anything other than Jio’s apps.
Shortcuts also work to launch the four button apps of the depad on the home screen. You will be able to access the Settings app, camera, messages and inbuilt museum players from these buttons. We could not use these buttons for our desire’s app. Alerts are in one place. These can be reached through the function button on the left side. The Settings menu is well lead out and it is easy to find options. Software update is facilitated and OTA updates will be available which is not common for feature phones. We hope that Reliance Jio will continue to add new features to live phones through this.
The feature phone has geolocation which shows the location through GPS and Wi-Fi data. It is used for SOS emergency function. If the users keep the 5 number button pressed for a long time, the phone will send SOS messages with the location coordinate. NFC has also been given for payments in Jio phone, but it is not available yet. It is possible that it will be enabled through OTA updates.
Some work features are provided in the software. Whenever you type to dial a number, the names of the contact will be found in your own suggestion. If you want, you will be able to make a video call by pressing the call button for a long time. However, navigation is a bit slow. Do not expect smartphone level function from this. While typing a number or typing a number, the beep sound came from the keypad after a while. This spoiled the experience, while in reality there is no lag in the keypad. After muteing the phone, we could type more quickly.
Many Jio apps are already installed. You will get Jio apps like Jio Cinema, Geochat, Geomusic. Basic calculator, unit conversion, notes, FM radio, video player and gallery app are also given. We were able to stream songs on Jio Music. Watching the television serial on JioTV and enjoyed cinema on Geomuvies, that too without any trouble. For the buyers of Jio phone, this subscription is currently free, which is a good thing.
Streaming video Jio apps play in landscape mode. But in the microSD card, only played in portrait mode. The experience of watching the video was very bad in both the situation. In such a situation, the TV cable accessory will prove to be a thing of the work. It is not easy to control the level of voice, as no physical buttons were given. This deficiency will put you to play media or knock the phone during common use.
The phone also has a voice assistant who has been named Helozio. It can be activated by pressing the depad button for a long time. It understands the basic command. Such as calling on calling the name, or opening the app. But it is slow. This is for those who are unaware of this technology.
Popular social media apps like Facebook and WhatsApp are not available in Jio phones yet. It is reported that the company is working on it. You will get a web browser through which you will be able to take advantage of Facebook and other services. During the review, we were able to use the Telegram messaging app on the web browser of Jio phone. We also used YouTube the same experience that was fine. However, Hotstar and Amazon Prime Video Jio Phone were not usable on the browser.
Reliance Jio Phone Performance, Camera and Battery Life
Even after the partnership of ordinary hardware and KaiOS, you cannot expect speed with cheap smartphones from it. It will take time to load the app, but you will not be disappointed because of this. Hardware but so powerful is to play full-HD video. You will be able to run the same app at one time. We also played some games on Geogames. Even though these games are very basic, but not bad. The performance of Jio apps depends on internet connectivity. During the review, our phone got good 4G coverage. Therefore, a few seconds had to wait for songs or streaming of cinema. But in the coming time, the situation may change after millions of live phone users arrive.
The back of the phone has a 2 megapixel camera without flash. The VGA camera is on the front panel. Two cameras are welcome steps at this price. We do not have much expectations from these cameras. The camera app is very basic. You just get photos, videos and self -timer mode.
The resolution of the picture taken from a 2 -megapixel rear camera is 1600×1200 pixels. Landscape shots lack details. It has a lot of noise. Close shp shots came better in comparison. Pictures become blurred every time due to motion. The performance of the camera is very simple at night. You will need a stagnant hand for a good shot. The subjects are seen only when enough light remains. Hardly seen in low light. Photo handsets seem much better than the computer screen on the screen. You can choose the resolution of your video. The resolution of good quality videos will be 720×480 pixels. Quality is not very bad. It can be used. But do not expect more details.
The resolution of the selfie is 640×480 pixels. In this too, you will get noise with rear camera. It would be wrong to compare Jio phone with today’s smartphone. Pictures are blurred due to not having enough lights or moving hands. The highest video resolution of the selfie camera is 352×288 pixels. It is of no use to you.
We were desperate to know how much the battery of Jio phone would run in common use? According to the feature phone, it comes with a large 2000 mAh battery. But it has features like Bluetooth, 4G, Wi-Fi and GPS which are known for battery consumption. After common use, we found that even after 24 hours, 80 percent of the battery remains. The phone goes on without charging for about 4 days.
After talking continuously for 15 minutes, we found that the battery was reduced by 2 percent and 5 percent on talking for 30 minutes. This is a good performance according to 4G data connection. We also streamed the TV serial on the phone. It was found that the battery was reduced by 7 percent after watching the 30 -minute episode. The same type of test on Wi-Fi connections saw a decline of 6 percent. The battery was reduced by just 3 percent for not touching the phone even once for about 12 hours. You will also get a power saving mode that switch off everything to reduce power consumption.
Our decision
Jio phone is not made for smartphone users. This is for a user who wants to upgrade from the feature phone, but without more money expenses. Apart from this, it is made to connect people from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities to the Internet. Will live phone achieve the company’s target? We will say that it has capacity. Hardware is capable. The experience of using software is also good.
The free subscription of Jio apps makes this deal more luxurious. The ability of OTA updates indicates that more features can be found in future. However, you should read the ‘conditions’ section carefully on Jio’s website. Here, the conditions required to get the specifics related to the tariff plan and the refund are mentioned by returning the phone. Apart from this, it is not easy to buy the phone. At the same time, what will be its performance after a long time? And how reliable it is? All these questions cannot be answered yet.
To upgrade the phone, let us tell the user who wants to spend less than that Jio phone is much better than its rivals. Looking at the feature, it can be called a smart feature phone. If you have been successful in booking it then you will not be disappointed.