Reliance Jio, earlier this week, unveiled more details of its upcoming smartphone, the JioPhone Next. The company did not announce the exact launch date but stated that the budget 4G smartphone in India will hit the store shelves by Diwali. It also runs a custom-developed Pragati OS, which is based on Android. The software has been tuned for the Indian customer with features like Translate, Read Aloud, etc. Ahead of its official availability next week, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said that the Jio Phone Next will help many feature phone users shift to smartphones in the coming years.
Pichai believes that the Jio budget 4G smartphone will lay down a foundation for digital transformation in India. With localised features and an aggressive pricing, the JioPhone Next could have a significant impact in the budget smartphone space.
“We see a demand for people looking to shift from feature phones to smartphones. We are building a phone that is beyond just English, and getting languages, and getting the local needs right for people and doing it in a way that many more people can take advantages of a smartphone. Overall, India, just like Asia Pacific, continues to be an exciting market for us. We see strength across categories we are involved in. And so, you’ll continue to see us stay focussed there,” Pichai said.
The Google CEO did not share any details about the pricing at the earnings call. Word on the web is that Reliance JioPhone Next price in India will be around Rs 2,499.
JioPhone Next specs and features
The upcoming budget smartphone from Jio has a Snapdragon 215 SoC under the hood. It comes with up to 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. The Jio smartphone also has a 13MP single rear camera on the back and an 8MP front camera sensor.
At the front is a 5.5-inch HD+ display. The phone packs a 2500 mAh battery under the hood. It runs Pragati OS based on Android and comes pre-loaded with Jio and Google apps.
