Lava Makes India’s First Ever 4G-Enabled Feature Phone at Rs 3,333

Keypads in the time of touchscreens. Can it bring a 4G revolution?

Could this 4G phone lead to an internet boom? (Photo: The Quint)

After hearing rumours about Jio 4G-enabled feature phone, it is Lava Mobile which has stolen Reliance Jio’s thunder by announcing first of its kind device.

The phone, Lava 4G Connect M1, supports 4G, 2G voice calling and EDGE for connectivity. And as the company promises, this feature phone also offers Voice over LTE (VoLTE), that was catapulted by Reliance Jio in India.

Priced at Rs 3,333, the phone will be available across retail stores and multi-brand outlets across India in a few weeks' time, as informed by the brand.

The Connect M1 gets a 2.4-inch display with physical keypad (just like other feature phones), powered by a quad-core processor along with 512 MB RAM. The phone’s even got a VGA camera.

The handset comes pre-loaded with Facebook Lite and messaging applications. It has a poly-carbonate body and 1,750 mAh battery. It features a keypad, instead of a touchscreen display.

Keypads in the time of touchscreen. Nothing special about this phone, except that it supports 4G VoLTE. (Photo Courtesy: Lava Mobile)

Latest research reports have highlighted the continuing strength of feature phones, shipping more than smartphones. Even today, the total mobile phone shipments

Over 262 million units of mobile phones shipped in 2016, out of which smartphones - 113 million and feature phones - 149 million

The launch of this smart feature phone, we believe, will create possibilities for users as they will now be able to consume digital content and even do digital transactions,”

Gaurav Nigam, Head Product, Lava International

This phone, if proves to be of value, could bring about the democratisation of internet that majors like Google and Facebook have been envisioning for India.

(with PTI inputs)