A few months ago, Jio Phone with smartphone-like features at the price of a feature phone attracted everyone’s attention. This phone also forced rivals to introduce low-cost VoLTE phones.

Micromax Bharat 1 is one such device, launched by domestic smartphone maker Micromax in partnership with BSNL. Will India 1 be able to challenge Jio Phone? Does Bharat 1 justify its price? Let us know the answers to all these questions in the review.

micromax bharat 1 design
Micromax Bharat 1 has a 2.4 inch display and it has a numeric keypad on the front. The resolution of the display is 240×320 pixels. Viewing angles are not good and colors also appear washed out. The phone has two buttons, a D-pad with a center bun, call and disconnect buttons, and a number pad. The buttons are made of plastic and come with blue backlight. The buttons are difficult to use. The loudspeaker also works with the earpiece in the phone. The handset has a VGA selfie camera on the front and a 2-megapixel primary camera on the rear.

The rear panel of the phone can be removed. It has a 2000 mAh battery. Removing the battery will reveal two micro SIM slots and a microSD card slot. The Bharat 1 has a micro-USB port and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Like other budget phones, the Bharat 1 also has a torch at the top. The torch can be turned on by long-pressing the navigation button.

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Micromax has bundled a headset and charger in the box with the Bharat 1 which comes with a micro-USB cable. The charger is of 3.5 watts and it is claimed to charge the phone’s battery in three hours. However, if the company had provided a separate micro-USB cable, it could have helped in transferring files between the phone and the computer.

micromax bharat 1 specifications and software
For Rs 2,200, the specifications of the Bharat 1 seem quite good. Micromax Bharat 1 is powered by a dual-core Snapdragon 205 processor and 512 MB of RAM. The phone has 4 GB inbuilt storage of which 2.13 GB is for user use. It is possible to expand the storage via microSD card up to 128 GB. When connected to a computer, the phone automatically goes into storage mode by default and this helps in easy file transfer.

The Jio Phone (Review) has only one SIM slot, unlike the Bharat 1 which is a dual SIM device. It is a dual SIM device but only one SIM supports 4G and VoLTE. The second SIM will be limited to 2G or 3G networks and there’s no way to know what speed you’re getting. We observed that the phone works fine on SIM cards of all networks i.e. it is not locked to any one network.

The handset has Wi-Fi support which can be used to access the internet in case mobile data is off. You can setup a Wi-Fi hotspot through the USB port. You can share files with other devices through Bluetooth connectivity. The phone does not have NFC. The surprising thing is that you get GPS but there is no app to use it.

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Micromax told Gadgets 360 that the Bharat 1 runs a customized version of Android. But the company did not provide any clear information about this, but from using some apps and services and using the UI, we got indications that these were designed for Android 4.4 KitKat which is several years old now. There is no app drawer in the phone and there is a tiled menu. And everything can be accessed through menus using the Dpad. The menus are easy to navigate through. But there is no shortcut among the four buttons on the DPad to launch apps quickly.

WhatsApp and Facebook Lite icons are already provided in Bharat 1 but they will need to be downloaded first to use them. By default, T9 suggestions are already enabled on the keyboard, but you can switch between different input methods. The D-pad can be used as a cursor for many apps but it is inconvenient. For example, WhatsApp doesn’t seem to be fully optimized for these types of phones. We tried making video calls on WhatsApp and we were able to communicate without any issues. Apart from this, there is also a link to the YouTube website, a web browser, music and video player. The phone also has a file manager and FM radio. Apart from this, there is a fun app which gives access to live TV, videos and movies but this content is very less as compared to Jio Phone.

WhatsApp and Facebook Lite icons are already provided in Bharat 1 but they will need to be downloaded first to use them. Micromax has also provided links to the YouTube website, a web browser, and music and video players. The phone also has a file manager and FM radio. Apart from this, Zenda TV has a fun app which gives access to live TV, videos and movies but this content is very less as compared to Jio Phone. Apart from this, the screen is not good for viewing content due to the screen size and poor viewing angle.

Given that the phone runs on Android, we tried downloading some APKs. But it seems that Micromax has disabled it. There’s no way to enable it, which means you won’t get the full enjoyment of the Android operating system. Additionally, unlike the Jio Phone, there is no voice assistant and you also don’t have the option to connect the phone to a TV to watch content. There’s no way to download or sideload other Android apps onto the phone.

Micromax Bharat 1 performance, cameras and battery life
The Bharat 1’s hardware is very basic and the software doesn’t work like Android on a smartphone, so we didn’t have too many expectations. The performance of the phone is average. We faced problems while dialing and typing numbers. Even while typing any number, the dialer does not register some numbers. The pre-installed video player doesn’t support all formats but we tested an HD video file which played smoothly.

If you’ve used an Android phone with a touchscreen, you may find it difficult to use a phone with a keypad. However, first time smart feature phone users should get used to it easily.

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The battery life of Micromax Bharat 1 is decent. Even after making a few calls and using WhatsApp, the phone’s battery lasted for more than 2 days. There is no way to install other apps on the phone so we expect similar battery life. But, if you use hotspot then the battery consumption will be faster. The device can also be charged using USB tethering while sharing data.

The rear camera of Bharat 1 does not have autofocus which is also reasonable considering its price. We found that the viewfinder is problematic even in daylight and works poorly in low light. The app is simple and can be switched between modes and zoom via the D-pad. White balance can be changed from the app and exposure level and timer can be set as per need.

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There is an option in the settings list to switch between the rear and selfie cameras but a toggle would have been better. Both the cameras are decent and the photos look good only on the small screen of the phone. Photos lack detail and if you are not steady most photos will come out blurry. The selfie camera also has the same problem and we noticed chroma noise in most of the indoor photos. The front and rear cameras can record VGA (640×480) resolution video but the results are below average.

our decision
If you want a feature phone that apart from calling, you also get Facebook and WhatsApp, then Micromax Bharat 1 is a good option. You have to spend Rs 2,200 and Bharat 1 will be yours. You can use it with any service provider of your choice. If you use Bharat1 with BSNL, you will get unlimited calls and data in recharge of Rs 97.

Bharat 1 is better than Jio Phone due to Wi-Fi hotspot, USB tethering capability and not being locked to a single network. But, in this phone you do not get entertainment content like Jio phone. However, Micromax has limited the Android features. There is no Play Store on the phone and no way to install apps. That means you will have to make do with the apps available on your phone.

If you are looking for your first smart feature phone or a second backup device then the Bharat 1 will not disappoint you.

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