Reliance JioPhone beta-testing commences ahead of release

Reliance has reportedly handed out a limited number of JioPhone test units to select employees at its company headquarters ahead of the official launch next month in India.

Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Jio has reportedly commenced beta-testing of its smart feature-mobile JioPhone. The test devices have been handed to employees at the company's headquarters.

There is no word on what parameters the JioPhone is being tested, but it is most likely to be evaluated on key areas such as network reliability, TV connection and voice command responses, considering the fact that the Reliance mobile will be made widely available across the length and breadth of the country and any negative feedback will dent the brand image.

Also read: Data Tariff War: Airtel takes on Reliance Jio's Dhan Dhana Dhan offer with new Rs. 399 plan

Furthermore, when Reliance Jio network service went live in September 2016, it couldn't take the huge load of subscribers accessing the internet, but since then, it has steadily increased the reliability of the service.

Due its affordable price and features, JioPhone is expected to find more traction in tier 2 & 3 cities and rural areas where Internet connectivity is very inconsistent and Reliance intends to tap this unchartered market to increase its user-base.

As it prepares to release the JioPhone, Reliance now just want to check the improvement done over the months.

Reliance JioPhone pre-order service is scheduled to go officially live on August 24, but reports are coming from several parts of India that some authorised Reliance Jio outlets have commenced taking orders for the JioPhone. Shipments of the phone units are expected to start in September, NDTV claims.

Reliance JioPhone: All you need to know

JioPhone is a unique feature handset. It is powered by Spreadtrum/Qualcomm chipset with 4G-VoLTE (Voice-over-LTE) modem and is capable of taking voice commands from the user. Guess what? It can support 22 regional dialects and comes with a panic button and NFC (Near Field Communication) support for cash-less payment, as well.

[Note: NFC feature for contact-less payment will be activated with software update later in the year]

It also features 2.4-inch QVGA display with physical keypad, torch light, microSD card slot and FM radio receiver.

Reliance JioPhone houses a single-SIM (compatible with Reliance Jio only) and can be purchased off-the-shelf with refundable (after 36 months) payment of Rs. 1,500. The company is offering exclusive tariffs, which include unlimited voice calls, SMS, data and access to MyJio apps.

With the base plan (Rs.153), users get free data with 500MB daily cap and the higher tariff comes with 1GB data per day cap for 28 days. The Rs. 309 plan users can take advantage of JioPhone TV cable to mirror content on any television including CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) models.