Earlier this week, Reliance Jio revealed more details about its upcoming JioPhone Next smartphone. The company has not announced an exact launch date, but has said that a budget 4G smartphone in India will hit store shelves by Diwali. It also runs a custom designed Pragati OS based on Android. The software has been customized for Indian customers with features like Translation, Read Aloud, etc. Ahead of its official availability next week, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said that Jio Phone Next will help many feature phone users move to smartphones in the coming years..
Pichai believes Jio’s budget 4G smartphone will lay the foundation for digital transformation. With localized features and aggressive pricing, the JioPhone Next could make a big impact on budget smartphones.
“We see a demand for people who want to switch from conventional phones to smartphones. We create a phone that is not limited to English, and introduce languages, take into account the local needs of people and do it in a way that many other people can enjoy the benefits of a smartphone. In general, the Asia-Pacific region continues to be an interesting market for us. We see strengths in all categories in which we participate. And so you will continue to see how focused we are on this,” Pichai said.
The Google CEO did not provide any pricing details at the earnings conference. There is information on the Internet that the price of Reliance JioPhone Next in India will be around $34.
Specifications and features of JioPhone Next
The upcoming budget smartphone from Jio has a Snapdragon 215 SoC under the hood. It has up to 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. The Jio smartphone also has a single 13MP rear camera on the back and an 8MP front camera sensor.
At the front is a 5.5-inch HD+ display. Under the hood of the phone is a 2500 mAh battery. It runs Android based Pragati OS and comes preloaded with Jio and Google apps.