Reasons Not to Buy JioPhone Next
If you are not aware of the pricing and specs of JioPhone Next, let me give you a quick hint. The phone is priced at Rs. 6,499 and there are also EMI options available. For the specs, it has an HD+ display, Snapdragon 215 chip, and a 13MP camera. Now let’s move on to the reasons not to buy JioPhone Next.
High Pricing and Tricky Financing Options
The company is advertising the JioPhone Next as “Get JioPhone Next at only Rs. 1999” and “pay the balance amount in easy EMIs”. So what does it mean for users? As mentioned above, the phone is priced at Rs. 6,499 if you want to purchase it at once without any financing options. This is high pricing for a phone with specs like a 2-year old chipset. However, if you want to purchase it in the EMIs, it will cost you even more.
The cheapest EMI plan starts at Rs. 300 per month and it is for 24 months. So these will sum up to Rs. 7200 and also there will be Rs. 501 processing fees extra. So after paying Rs. 1,999, you will have to pay 7700 rupees in the course of the next two years, and JioPhone will be yours. Although you will get 5GB of data and 100 minutes per month in this plan. Isn’t it too costly for a phone and data plan like this?
Phone Can be Restricted If EMIs Are Not Paid
Users will see a disclaimer in the quick settings panel that their phone can be restricted by the finance or Jio if they fail to pay the EMIs in stipulated time. So, once you choose any EMI plan to purchase the JioPhone Next, you will have to pay all the EMIs till the end, which means a minimum of 300 Rs per month for two years straight.
2-Year-Old Snapdragon 215 Chipset
Qualcomm introduced the Snapdragon 215 chipset for entry-level smartphones back in July 2019. Today’s entry-level phones come with Snapdragon 400 and 600 series chipsets and some with Mediatek’s G and P series chipsets, which are quite good and powerful in terms of multitasking and even gaming.
In such a scenario, JioPhone’s 2-year-old Snapdragon 200 series chipset is not so impressive spec, going by the other phones’ specs in this segment.
Only Jio Mobile Data Can be Used
JioPhone Next comes with dual SIM support which is a good thing, and what is even better that it can support two 4G SIM cards. However, one SIM is locked to Jio only. Also, you can use mobile data in Jio SIM only. Other SIM networks can be used for calls only, and you can not use any other network’s data on JioPhone Next.
No Rooting, Unlocking, or Jailbreaking
If you want to use another SIM in your JioPhone Next, so that you can use mobile data of that network, you’ll have to unlock this phone, which is again “not allowed” by the company. Also, you cannot root this phone to use another software in it. The company says that a customer cannot “misuse JioPhone Next, including but not limited to rooting attempts, reverse engineering, unlocking or jail-breaking of JioPhone Next or original firmware(s) or software(s) of JioPhone Next“.
Jio Takes No Responsibility for Other Networks
Jio also says that it doesn’t take any responsibility for the other networks you will use on the JioPhone Next. In its terms and conditions for JioPhone Next, the company clearly states that “the Company has no responsibility for the actual provision of telecommunication services“. So only the JioPhone user is responsible for availing these services from the network operators.
You Cannot Sell JioPhone Next
Last but not least reason for not buying the JioPhone Next is that you cannot sell this phone. You cannot even transfer the connection of this phone to anyone else. The company’s terms say that the “Recipient has no right to sell, lease, assign, and transfer or otherwise dispose of JioPhone Next in any manner whatsoever.” Also, any user can only use the JioPhone Next if he/she complies with the terms and conditions of the JioPhone Next. Also, as per the company, the JioPhone Next is only for the personal use of the customer and he/she cannot use it for any commercial or any other purposes.
Alternatives to JioPhone Next
So this was all about JioPhone Next and its hidden term and conditions. These can be some of the reasons why you should not buy JioPhone Next. Also, there are plenty of other smartphone options available in this price range including Lava Z66, Micromax IN 1B, and Realme C11.
