Airtel takes on JioPhone with the ultra low-cost Karbonn A40 Indian smartphone

In a bid to compete with Reliance Jio's JioPhone, Airtel has launched a new initiative called "Mera Pehla 4G Smartphone" under which the telecom operator will partner with multiple mobile manufacturer to create an open ecosystem of ultra low-cost 4G smartphones, and bring them to the market at the price of a feature phone, under 2,000.

The first affordable 4G smartphone offering from Airtel comes in partnership with Karbonn and is called A40 Indian. It has an effective price of Rs. 1,399, but there's a catch. Just like JioPhone you will have to make continuous monthly recharges of Rs. 169 for the next three months to get a cash refund of Rs. 1,500. This means you will will have to shell out Rs. 2,899 to buy the Karbonn A40 Indian. The Rs. 169 plans offers unlimited voice calling and 500MB of 4G data per day for 28 days.

The Rs. 1,500 will be refunded in two stages after you make a minimum recharge of Rs. 6,000. You need to recharge the number for a minimum of Rs. 3,000 for the first 18 months to get the first refund of Rs. 500, and to claim the remaining Rs. 1,500, you'll have to make another Rs. 3,000 recharge for the next 18 months. Unlike JioPhone, customers will not have to return the phone to Airtel/Karbonn at any point to claim the refund.

The smartphones under Airtel's "Mera Pehle 4G Smartphone" initiative will be available at all leading mobile stores across the country.

Speaking of Karboon A40 Indian, it is an entry-level smartphone featuring 4-inch WVGA display, 1.3GHz quad-core processor, 1GB RAM, 8GB internal storage 5MP/VGA camera and 1400mAh battery. It runs Android Nougat, supports 22 Indian langauges and comes pre-loaded with Airtel apps like MyAirtel, Airtel TV and Wynk Music. The dual-SIM phone support 4G VoLTE, 3G, WiFi and Bluetooth. A 1400mAh battery will run the show. It comes in Blue, Coffee Brown, Black, Champagne and Red colors.