First 4G LTE feature phone offering VoLTE compatibility now official; affordably priced

Now, after much fanfare, the first feature phone offering 4G LTE functionality and possibly the Reliance Jio compatibility is now official. This means that you can insert a SIM card and make voice calls via the operator's 4G LTE network across India.

Interestingly, the above feature phone has been developed by local brand Lava; this phone is called the Lava 4G Connect M1 and is priced at Rs 3,400. The handset is also expected to be made live, for purchase from retail stores, shortly.

At this point in time, it is worth noting that the Lava 4G Connect M1 is now the most affordable feature phone to offer VoLTE capabilities (for free calls over the LTE network). It was also highly rumoured that Reliance Jio would come up with an exclusive 4G feature phone that is reportedly priced at an ultra-affordable Rs 999. However, there have been no official updates from Jio's end with respect to such a device.

Now, this predicament makes the Lava 4G Connect M1 the most affordable 4G LTE feature phone in the market. Apart from its 4G LTE calls, Lava's 4G Connect M1 also lets users access the Internet. At this juncture, it is unknown if Reliance Jio's suite of Jio Apps would be supported within the device.

As far as technical specifications of the Lava 4G Connect M1 are concerned, these aspects lie on the average side (similar to conventional feature phones). The handset sports a 2.4-inch display, and is driven by a 1.2GHz quad-core processor.

Under-the-hood, the phone also comes with a 512MB RAM. For internal storage, users get 4GB of space that is further expandable up to 32GB with the help of an external microSD card.

The 4G Connect M1 also sports a VGA camera at the back and there is no front snapper. A 1750mAh battery powers the handset. This phone, on paper, looks good to boost the feature phone usage especially in the tier-2 and rural areas where people use phones to make and receive voice calls more than accessing the Internet.