Airtel, Intex offer affordable 4G smartphones bundled with free calls, data

The Intex 4G smartphones carry an effective price price tag of Rs 1,649

Telecom service provider Bharti Airtel has partnered with home-grown handset maker Intex to launch a range of affordable 4G smartphones with an effective starting effective price of Rs 1,649. The phones come bundled with Airtel Rs 169 plan, which includes data and calling benefits.

The telecom provider offers the Intex Aqua Lions N1 4G smartphone at an effective price of Rs 1,649. To avail of the offer, you ' need to make a down payment of Rs 3,149 and get a Rs 1,500 cashback from Airtel, subject to terms and conditions. That brings the effective cost of the smartphone down to Rs 1,649. For getting the cashback, you have to make 36 continuous monthly recharges of Rs 169 from Airtel. After 18 months, you get a cash refund of Rs 500 and another Rs 1,000 after the completion of 36 months, taking the total cash benefit to Rs 1,500.

Talking about the smartphone's specifications, the dual-SIM Aqua Lions N1 is powered by MTK chipset and sports a 4-inch screen. There are 2-megapixel cameras on the back and front. The phone features 1GB RAM and 8GB internal storage, expandable to up to 128GB.

 “We are really pleased to see the continued positive response to our ‘Mera Pehla Smartphone’ initiative from customers as well as smartphone manufacturers. We are delighted to have Intex on board as a partner and their brand familiarity plus distribution reach will add to our affordable smartphone proposition and offer more choice to our customers. We look forward to working with them towards empowering every Indian with a 4G smartphone.”

In addition to the Intex Aqua LIONS N1, two more affordable 4G smartphones have been introduced  -- Intex Aqua A4 and Aqua A3.

The Intex Aqua A4 comes at an effective price of Rs 1,999, compared to market price of Rs 4,999. The phone is powered by 1.3 GHz quad-core processor, 1GB RAM and an 8GB of internal storage that can be expanded up to 64GB. It has a 5MP primary camera on the rear and a 2MP front shooter.

The Intex Aqua S3 is available an effective price of Rs 4,379, compared to market price of Rs 6,649. It comes with a 5-inch HD IPS display and is powered by 1.3GHz quad- processor. It has 2GB RAM and an internal storage of 16GB, which can be expanded up to 64GB. It has a 2,450 mAh battery plus and sports an 8MP primary camera and a 5MP front shooter with flash.

All devices are Android powered and offer full access to all apps on Google Play Store, including YouTube, Facebook and WhatsApp. The smartphones come preloaded with MyAirtel App, Airtel TV and Wynk Music to offer a great self-serve and content experience to customers.

In case the customer does not wish to opt for the Rs 169 bundled plan, Airtel offers the flexibility of making recharges of any denomination and validity as per individual requirements. However, to claim the cash refund benefit, recharges worth Rs 3,000 must be done within the first 18 months to claim the first refund instalment of Rs 500 and another Rs 3,000 over the next 18 months to claim the second refund instalment of Rs 1,000.     

The ownership of the 4G smartphones is fully with the customer and there is no need to return the device to Airtel/Intex at any point to claim the cash benefit.

Price, features, specifications of the Airtel-Intex 4G smartphones:

Model	Intex Aqua LIONS N1	Intex Aqua A4	Intex Aqua S3
Down Payment	Rs 3,149	Rs 3,499	Rs 5,879
Cash Back	Rs 1,500	Rs 1,500	Rs 1,500
Effective Price	Rs 1,649	Rs 1,999	Rs 4,379
Screen	4-inch WVGA screen	4-inch WVGA screen	5-inch fullHD IPS Display
Operating System	Android 7.0 Nougat	Android 7.0 Nougat	Android 7.0 Nougat
Preloaded Airtel Apps	MyAirtel, Airtel TV, Wynk Music	MyAirtel, Airtel TV, Wynk Music	MyAirtel, Airtel TV, Wynk Music
Processor, Battery	1.1 GHz MTK Processor, 1400 mAh battery	1.3 GHz Quad-core processor, 1750 mAh battery	1.3 GHz quadcore Processor, 2450 mAh battery
RAM	1GB	1GB	2GB
ROM	8GB (expandable up to 128 GB)	8GB (expandable up to 64 GB)	16GB (expandable up to 64 GB)
SIM	Dual SIM	Dual SIM	Dual SIM
Camera	Rear – 2MP and Front – 0.3MP	Rear – 5MP and Front – 2MP	Rear – 8MP and Front – 5MP with Flash
Network support	4G/3G/2G with support for Airtel VoLTE	4G/3G/2G with support for Airtel VoLTE	4G/3G/2G with support for Airtel VoLTE
Connectivity	Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS	Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS	Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS