Although Reliance Jio was ahead in the race to roll out first 4G-enabled feature, but it seems Lava has won it by launching India’s first ever 4G-enabled feature phone. Dubbed as Lava 4G Connect M1, the device Lava’s answer to Reliance Jio affordable 4G feature phones. The feature phone comes with a price tag of Rs 3,333 and will be available across retail stores and multi-brand outlets across India in a few weeks’ time.
To start with, the device comes with 2.4-inch display and is powered by 1.2GHz quad-core processor. The phone is backed by a 512MB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage which can be further expanded up to 32GB via microSD card slot. The device is juiced by a 1750mAh battery ad offers VGA camera. On the connectivity front, the device support 4G with VoLTE connectivity, a feature which was restricted to smartphone only. Apart from 4G, Lava 4G Connect M1 supports 2G voice calling and EDGE connectivity. Other connectivity options include Wireless FM and Bluetooth.
Commenting on the launch, Gaurav Nigam, Head – Product, Lava International said, “At Lava, we strive to think ahead of the curve w.r.t product innovation and the launch of Lava 4G Connect M1 is a step forward in this direction. 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. Furthermore, a sizeable segment of feature phone users in India who use their phone to only make calls will now be able to access the internet; to their advantage; and that too at affordable price.”
Lava 4G Connect M1 also comes pre-loaded with apps like Facebook Lite and Messaging applications, however, it is still unknown whether it will be able other host of apps including WhatsApp, YouTube etc. or not. But one thing is for sure, that the launch of this feature phone will motivate other manufacturers to come up with a 4G-enabled feature phone, which in turn will help consumers to use the services without spending too much.