BSNL has always been on the forefront when it came to matching its tariff plans to that of Jio. Now that Reliance-owned telecom giant has launched its own 4G capable feature phone, BSNL has also announced one in partnership with Micromax. Airtel also launched a, but the smartphone there was a touchscreen Android smartphone from Karbonn.
Micromax Bharat 1 is the first 4G VoLTE-enabled feature from the Indian smartphone maker. The state-owned telecom operator has partnered with Micromax to come with a special plan for the users of this phone. BSNL is offering unlimited calls and unlimited data with the Micromax Bharat 1 for a monthly charge of just Rs. 97. All the calls, including roaming, will be completely free, the high-speed data will be capped at 5GB, after which the speed will be reduced to 80 kbps.
While the device has been launched in partnership with BSNL, it can be used with any other network too. So, you aren’t locked to a single network, unlike JioPhone that only works with the preinstalled Jio SIM card. Moreover, the Micromax Bharat 1 supports dual SIM cards and one of them can be a 4G enabled SIM. You will also get Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.1 on this phone, in case you’re wondering.
4G VoLTE on this phone has been made possible using the Snapdragon 205 processor, that will also be used in some of the JioPhone devices. There is a RAM of 512MB, 4GB of internal storage which is further expandable. There is a 2MP camera on the back while a VGA one on the front. And as you’d expect, they’re nothing to boast about. The battery capacity of the phone is 2000mAh.
The Bharat 1 supports 22 Indian languages and the company has partnered with a number of providers for services like live TV, videos, and songs. The phone will come pre-loaded with BHIM UPI app and BSNL wallet. WhatsApp cannot be downloaded on this phone, at least for now, but other websites can be accessed via the included Opera Mini browser.
These companies understand that the next wave of smartphone users will be the first ones to come aboard and they need a device that seems similar to what they are accustomed to. Candy-bar phones with smart features packed into them along with the latest connectivity options act as a bridge for such users to make switchover less challenging.
Micromax will make the Bharat 1 available on October 20, a day after Diwali, for a price of Rs. 2,200. It is totally an inexpensive phone especially considering the set of features it offers. The monthly tariff plan the phone will come bundled with isn’t expensive either and should suffice the needs of the target customers. Unavailability of BSNL 4G can be a hindrance at some point in the future, but things should be fine for now.
