'2G mukt India': Ambani's Jio announces "most affordable" 4G smartphone
At its 44th Annual General Meeting, Reliance has announced a new "most affordable" smartphone, called the JioPhone Next. It has been developed in association with Google and will be up for grabs in India from September 10 onwards. It pairs entry-level hardware with an optimized Android experience, and is meant for those planning to upgrade from 2G to 4G connectivity at an affordable price.
The JioPhone Next has a conventional design with prominent bezels and a rectangular full-touch display. The power and volume buttons are placed on the right side. The handset offers features such as language translation, a camera with augmented reality filters, and automatic read-aloud of text on the screen. It also comes pre-loaded with a voice assistant and offers support for regular Android updates.
"JioPhone Next is powered by an extremely optimized version of the Android operating system that has been jointly developed by Jio and Google, especially for the Indian market," said Mukesh Ambani, Chairperson of Reliance Industries. The phone is "truly a breakthrough product that can be first introduced in India, and then taken to the rest of the world."
The pricing and availability details of the JioPhone Next will be revealed on September 10. It is touted to arrive as "the most affordable smartphone not just in India, but globally." It will take on affordable handsets from companies like Xiaomi, Realme, Nokia, and Samsung.
Meanwhile, Google CEO, Sundar Pichai said, "Our teams have optimized a version of our Android OS, especially for this device. It will offer language and translation features, a great camera, and support for the latest Android updates." "It is built for India. And it will open up new possibilities for millions of new users who will experience the internet for the very first time."
During the Annual General Meeting, they announced that over 37.9 million new consumers were added to Jio, taking its subscriber tally to over 425 million in India. The brand is expected to add another 200 million customers in the time to come. For the unversed, in 2020, Google had invested Rs. 33,737 crore in Reliance Industries for a stake of 7.7%.
