Reliance JioPhone 2 vs JioPhone: what’s new

“The Reliance JioPhone 2 is a substantial upgrade over its predecessor”

Reliance Industries, with an aim of boosting its 4G market among the demographics who can’t afford smartphones, had launched the revolutionary JioPhone (first impressions) last year. This little device effectively cost Rs 0 to those who procured it, as its deposit of Rs 1500 is refundable after 3 years. And now, the company has gone ahead and launched an extension of this vision in the form of the JioPhone 2 which will be made available at Rs 2,999. Although the aim of this handset remains the same, its features are pretty different from the original. Let us take you through the major differentiating factors between the two devices.

Reliance JioPhone 2 vs JioPhone: what’s different

The most striking difference between the two is in the overall design. While the original JioPhone assumed a traditional feature phone form factor, the new one has gone for a body reminiscent of old BlackBerry devices. This means there’s a horizontal screen and a QWERTY keyboard on the front. As opposed to that, the earlier JioPhone adopted a vertical screen and a T9-style keypad.

The JioPhone 2 will only be offered in the form of a dual SIM variant, whereas its predecessor can be purchased as a single as well as a dual SIM model. VoWi-Fi will be a big advantage for buyers of the new handset, as it’s not available on the earlier device. Facebook, YouTube and WhatsApp will be supported by the JioPhone 2 right out of the box. For now, the original JioPhone can only open Facebook, but apps like WhatsApp and YouTube will indeed be provided for it in the coming weeks.

Reliance JioPhone 2 vs JioPhone: what’s the same

Both the phones run KaiOS, and feature a dedicated button to launch the voice assistant. This allows users to open apps by just using their voice. This software also supports 24 Indian languages moreover. It’s quite strange to know that both the handsets sport the same 2.4-inch QVGA display, but of course, their alignment is vertical on one and horizontal on another. 2,000mAh batteries can be found inside the JioPhone as well as the JioPhone 2, providing ample power for them to last more than a few days on a single charge.

The camera department doesn’t see any upgrade either. Basic 2MP cameras can be seen sitting on their rear, while VGA snappers occupy space on their fronts. Storage is tied at 4GB for both the phones, while the RAM is still 512MB. A microSD card slot has of course been retained by the new device, allowing further expansions of up to 128GB. Both the JioPhones pack mono speakers, apart from support for FM radio, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS and NFC. Do note that there’s no Wi-Fi hotspot facility on offer.

Price and availability

For someone looking for a device of this kind, the original JioPhone still looks like a good prospect now that it will be getting apps like YouTube and WhatsApp. It can be purchased at Rs 1500, an amount that will be refunded after three years. Reliance has also announced a special Monsoon Hungama offer under which buyers can exchange their old feature phone and get a new JioPhone for just Rs 501. This offer will go live on July 21st. The JioPhone 2 will start being sold in India from August 15th at a price of Rs 2,999. No exchange scheme has been announced for it yet.

Closing thoughts

For a smartphone user, a device like the JioPhone or its successor is of absolutely no appeal. But they can buy it as a secondary device to fit their second SIM if their main handset has a single SIM slot. However, it’s meant mostly for people from rural areas who can’t afford a decent 4G smartphone. And now that both the phones will be supporting WhatsApp, YouTube and Facebook, the JioPhones become a huge value for money propositions to their prospective buyers.

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