Friends+Design
- Basic, clean feature phone design
- Sturdy build
- The T9 keyboard has spacious placement of buttons, which is comfortable to use even if you have broad fingers
- One edge the Bharat 1 phone has over JioPhone is that it is a network-unlocked device, so you can use it with any network (although the very attractive INR 97/month unlimited data/calling plan is only available with BSNL - and that really is the trump card for this phone)
- It's use case can be both as a competent primary device for say rural audiences, that have previously used less capable feature phones, or even as a secondary back-up phone for smartphone users, especially given the long lasting battery
- If you are coming from a smartphone experience, and are used to a QWERTY keyboard, using the T9 keyboard can be a struggle
Display
- The 2.4-inch screen is basic and certainly feels small while watching content on YouTube and scrolling through Facebook - the viewing angles are pretty limited too
Software
- Built-in apps like Facebook, WhatsApp and YouTube are game-changers - very few other feature phones have them
- Opera Mini for web browsing works fine too
- There's a cursor for navigating inside multimedia apps, which can feel tiring at times
- Also lacks the in-built content network of Jio via MyJio apps
Performance
- Overall performance is pretty limited too (again as you would expect from a feature phone)
Camera
- The two cameras are pretty basic as well (as you would expect) and their use is limited to well-lit areas
Battery
- Very good battery life - should comfortably last about 2-3 days with moderate use
More
- Useful torch
- The overall 3 year ownership cost of the phone (including the mobile plans) is pretty similar to JioPhone
- Other connectivity options are solid too - there's Bluetooth for easy sharing, Wi-Fi, tethering and portable hotspot and GPS built inside
- On the whole, as far as feature phones go, the Bharat 1 is a solid device, and the BSNL plan makes it even more attractive - and a straight competition to the other big feature phone name - JioPhone
- Lacks voice commands that are present on JioPhone
