At its Annual General Meeting (AGM) earlier this year, Reliance Jio announced its partnership with Google to develop JioPhone Next, an affordable 4G smartphone for India. While Jio initially planned to start selling the phone on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi, which falls on September 10 (today), the company has now announced that the JioPhone Next’s launch is expected right in time for Diwali festive season (November 4).
JioPhone Next Launch Date – Diwali
According to Reliance Jio’s press release, both Google and Reliance have started testing the device with a limited set of users for refining the experience. Moreover, the company mentions how the global chip shortage has affected its ambitious plans to launch the affordable JioPhone Next smartphone in India.
“Both companies have begun testing JioPhone Next with a limited set of users for further refinement and are actively working to make it available more widely in time for the Diwali festive season. This additional time will also help mitigate the current industry-wide, global semiconductor shortages,” said Jio in its press release.
JioPhone Next: Specifications (Expected)
Reliance Jio has officially confirmed some key aspects of the upcoming phone, including voice assistant, automatic read-aloud, language translation, smart camera with AR filters. However, a recent leak gave us some specifics. This includes a 5.5-inch HD display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 215 chip, 2/3GB RAM, 16/32GB storage, 13MP rear camera & 8MP front camera, and 2,500mAh battery. For software, you could expect JioPhone Next to run Android 11 Go Edition.
Coming to the pricing, JioPhone Next might go on sale at Rs. 3,499 for the base variant. There’s another rumor that claims JioPhone Next could start at Rs. 5,000, and you will be able to get it only for Rs. 500. We will be updating you when Jio officially confirms the pricing and availability, so stay tuned for more information.
