Google and Indian telecom company Jio Platforms unveiled the JioPhoneNext, a budget smartphone for India, on Friday. According to Ram Papatla, Android India's engineering lead, the phone is affordable and will meet the needs of Indian consumers.
India will not be receiving Google's new Pixel 6 or 6 Pro smartphones, and their premium prices make them unaffordable for many Indian smartphone users. This new 4G device was created by Google and Jio. The device is priced at 1,999 Indian Rupees (or $87) and can be purchased at Jio Mart stores in India or on Jios' website.
Google claims that the JioPhone runs Pragati OS. It can access apps from the Play Store and is optimized for Android. It supports 10 Indian languages and has language translation and read-aloud features.
JioPhone Next has many great features, but the one that impressed me most is the contribution to India's linguistic integration. Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani said that India's greatest strength is its linguistic diversity. Indians may not be able read English content or their native language. They can translate it and have it read out in their own language using this smart device.
It has a 5.45 inch HD plus Corning Gorilla Glass 3 screen, a 60Hz refresh speed, a 13MP rear camera with HDR support, an 8MP autofocus front camera, a 3,500mAh lithium battery, and a Qualcomm quad core QM-215 chipset with 2GB RAM and 32GB expandable storage. Its dual-SIM capable.
The JioPhone Next will become available on November 4, which is the first day Diwali, the Hindu festival-of-lights holiday.
Google and Jio have announced their partnership on a budget smartphone, with Google making a $4.5 million investment in the telecom company. Sundar Pichai, Google CEO, stated Friday that JioPhone Next was inspired from the belief that every Indian should be able to benefit from the internet's opportunities.
India was the second largest smartphone market worldwide in 2020 after the United States, with over 400 million smartphone owners.
