Jio Phone Next is slated to hit the markets ahead of Diwali on November 4. Developed as a collaboration between Reliance Industries and Google Inc., the phone is being launched in the Indian market to specifically cater to the demands of Indian consumers.
Jio Phone Next was initially revealed during an Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Reliance Industries on June 24, 2021. Revealed by RIL Chairman Mukesh Ambani and Google’s CEO Sunder Pichai, the phone has been dubbed as the “most affordable smartphone” in the world and will support a 4G network.
The phone was scheduled to be launched in India on September 10 but its production was delayed due to a worldwide shortage of semiconductors.
Jio Phone Next is a made-in-India smartphone and also “made for India.” The device is aimed at assisting an estimated 300 million 2G users in India to transition to 4G at an affordable price. The phone will also run on Pragati OS, an operating system that is developed by Google specifically for India in collaboration with Jio.
With the highly optimised operating system, Google is seeking to provide a world-class and seamless Android experience to the users at an inexpensive cost while bringing progress to the country’s digital infrastructure.
The Jio Phone Next will also be equipped with features such as read-aloud, language translation, easy and smart camera and pre-loaded Google and Jio applications. Google has also teamed up with Jio to develop a voice-first feature that will allow users to handle and interact with the device using their regional languages.
The phone is rumoured to offer a Snapdragon 215 SoC paired with 2GB RAM, although the 3GB RAM variant may also be in the works. Moreover, packed with a battery power of 2,500 mAh, the phone will also offer the users two storage capacities — 16GB and 32 GB — which are expandable with the use of a microSD card. Jio Phone Next will sport a 5.5-inch HD+ display with a 720×1440 pixel resolution, a front camera of 8MP and a single rear camera of 13MP.
The starting price for Jio Phone Next is likely to be set at Rs. 3,499.