Reliance Jio partnered with tech giant Google to develop its made-for-India ‘JioPhone Next‘ that is slated to be launched on September 10 (Friday). Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani has said JioPhone Next will be the most affordable smartphone not just in India but globally. Speaking at RIL’s 44th annual general meeting in June, Ambani asserted that an ultra-affordable 4G smartphone is essential to make India ‘2G-mukt’ (free of 2G).

Reliance also has previously announced that the company is planning to launch the smartphone on the auspicious occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi. The launch date of the smartphone will be September 10 2021. 

Specs & Features

  • From the pictures shared by Reliance during their AGM, it can be seen that the smartphone will have sizable bezels, both on top and bottom. The smartphone will feature a single-lens 13-megapixel primary rear camera and an 8-megapixel front selfie camera.
  • Various leaks suggest that the device will feature a 5.5-inch HD+ display with a resolution of 720×1,440 pixels. It could be powered by a Snapdragon 215 SoC and paired with up to 3GB of RAM and 32GB of onboard storage. In addition, the JioPhone Next could ship with a 2500mAh battery. It will run on Android 11 Go Edition.
  • JioPhone Next packs a punch with cutting-edge features including voice assistant, language translation, automatic read-aloud of screen text, and smart camera with augmented reality filters, among others. For users who might not be able to read content in their language, the phone will allow users to translate what’s on their screen with a tap of a button, and even have it read back to them in their own language.
  • Camera features on the JioPhone Next include features like HDR mode.

Price & Finance Options

According to various reports, there will be two JioPhone Next models. One will be the basic JioPhone Next, which will cost Rs 5,000 and the other one will be the JioPhone Next Advance, priced at Rs 7,000. The exact price of the JioPhone Next is not clear yet, however, the company has emphasised that the JioPhone Next will be the world’s cheapest Android smartphone.

At the AGM, Reliance Jio had announced the company would use Google Cloud to power Jio 5G solutions and its miscellaneous internal services such as JioSaavn, JioMart, and more. With the latest partnership, Reliance will also hope to accelerate digital services in the health and education industry in the country. Earlier this week, Jio completed its fifth anniversary in India, where several tech giants, like Google, Xiaomi, OnePlus and more poured congratulatory messages for “fueling” India’s internet revolution.