JioPhone vs Bharat-1: Micromax challenges RJio's 4G feature phone monopoly

Targeting the 500 million feature phone users of India, Micromax on October 17 launched the Bharat-1, a 4G LTE-enabled feature phone with true smartphone like capabilities, in partnership with BSNL.

Priced at Rs 2,200, the Bharat-1 feature phone costs a tad higher than Reliance JioPhone, but the effective ownership cost of the phone after 3 years of use is lower than that of JioPhone.

Bundled with a BSNL connection, the Bharat-1 offers unlimited internet access, calling and SMS, along with free roaming, for a monthly recharge of Rs 97. According to Micromax, the effective cost of ownership will be Rs 3,364 after a year, against Rs 3,336 for Reliance Jio's 4G feature phone. After two years, the cost of ownership for BSNL will be Rs 4,528, compared with Rs 5,172 for JioPhone. And after three years, as the claim goes, BSNL's ownership cost will be Rs 5,692 if kept by the user, against JioPhone's Rs 6,008r.

Also, unlike JioPhone, the Bharat-1 does not come with a long list of terms and conditions of use or return clauses. The phone supports most network bands for 2G, 3G or 4G LTE connectivity, so it can be used with any network. Whereas, the Reliance JioPhone has in-build Jio connection and cannot be used with any other telecom operator.