Reliance’s LYF Brand to Launch Feature Phones with 4G VoLTE to Support Jio 4G

Reliance has launched the LYF brand to increase the market share of 4G VoLTE enabled smartphones so that there will be more devices to work with Jio 4G SIM. The Jio has only pan-India 4G license and works on devices that support 4G VoLTE. The 4G devices without VoLTE cannot make calls and are only limited to data usage. All the LYF smartphones launched till date came with 4G VoLTE support. The LYF smartphones priced above Rs. 10,000 doesn’t offer good value for money compared to smartphones from Chinese brands like Xiaomi and LeEco.

Initially, the Jio Preview Offer with unlimited voice calls and 4G data is only limited to LYF smartphones. This is the period, where LYF has a seen huge sales. Even the company also launched the most affordable 4G VoLTE smartphones Flame 3, Flame 4, Flame 5, and Flame 6 priced at just Rs. 2,999. Since the Jio Preview Offer which is now called as Jio Welcome Offer is made available to all, the LYF smartphone sales are now declined. We expect the LYF smartphones to come with exclusive offers once the trial period is completed.

Though the Rs. 2,999 priced smartphones are the most affordable devices; there are many Indians who just stick to the feature phones. Now, Reliance is rumored to bring VoLTE supported feature phones that work with Jio 4G SIM. Since these phones will be much more affordable, the company might capture a bit more market share as Jio offers unlimited voice calls with the basic Rs. 150 plan. We might even see a little more affordable plan since not all the users in the rural areas will spend Rs. 15o per month on their current networks.

According to Gizbot, these devices will be available by the end of 2016 or in early 2017. The VoLTE enabled feature phones will be powered by Spreadtrum 9830 processor. The LYF Flame 7 and Flame 7S smartphones are also powered by Spreadtrum processors. As of now, there is no much information regarding this. Even the most affordable Samsung device, Samsung Z2 running on Tizen OS also came with the same Spreadtrum 9830 processor. Take this with a pinch of salt until there is an official confirmation. We aren’t even 100% sure whether the phones will be launched under the LYF brand or not.

Stay tuned for more updates!

This story appeared first on PhoneRadar. Join the PhoneRadar Forums to discuss, meet experts & share your experiences.