Come September 10, JioPhone Next, the ultra affordable 4G smartphone born from the partnership between Jio and Google, will hit the Indian market on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi. Now, with little more than a week left for the launch, Jio is already in talks with its retail partners to line up the pre-orders. It is being reported that the pre-orders will start as early as next week.
The phone was announced jointly by Reliance Chairman Mukesh Ambani and Google CEO Sundar Pichai at RIL's AGM in June. Ambani had then said JioPhone Next would be a full-featured smartphone, supporting the entire suite of applications from both Google and Jio, as well as the Android PlayStore, through which users will have access to all Android apps.
Google Vice-President (Android and Google Play) Sameer Samat had recently said it was working with Jio to "bring a fully-fledged device (JioPhone Next) built with optimisations, Android operating system and Google Play, aimed at serving the needs of many who have never used a smartphone before".
While Jio is yet to reveal the specifications, according to various leaks, the smartphone will be powered by Qualcomm's entry-level Snapdragon 215 quad-core processor with a 1.3GHz clock speed. The JioPhone Next is said to be available in two different variants; the 2 GB and 3 GB RAM paired with 16 GB and 32 GB internal storage. Additionally, the JioPhone Next might sport a 5.5-inch HD display with a resolution of 720x1,440 pixels and a 2500 mAh battery.
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It is expected to have a 13-megapixel rear camera and an 8-megapixel shooter for selfies on the front. The Jiophone Next has a polycarbonate rear panel that houses a pill-shaped camera module and a LED flash.
The smartphone is also likely to feature a 3.5mm audio jack and will run on Android 11 (Go Edition). Further, there is the option to change the language of operation of the phone with just the touch of a button.
According to several rumours and reports, the smartphone—targeting current 2G users—could be priced at Rs 3,499, a competitive pricing considering the lack of good quality phones in that price range.
