In India, there are still almost 300 Million users that are using the 2G network, and one of the reasons for not upgrading to a 4G phone is the pricing of 4G devices. Also, there are millions of users that still use feature phones in India, and spending a lot on a smartphone is something that’s not easy for them. Well, Jio has planned something big for such users. Today, Jio, in partnership with Google, announced the JioPhone Next. It is an upcoming 4G phone by the company and will launch as one of the most affordable 4G devices in the world!
Along with the announcement, Jio also gave us our first look at the phone. Since it is going to be a super affordable 4G phone, there isn’t anything fancy in terms of the design. It has a single camera on the back, a camera for selfies, and a display with the old 16:9 aspect ratio. It most likely runs on Android Go, and some pre-installed Google services include Google Camera Go, Google Assistant, Maps, YouTube, Gmail, Google Translate, Google Lens, etc.
It comes with a “Listen” feature so the users can listen to the content on the screen, for example, while reading news online. Just with a tap of the “Translate” button, the content will be translated to their preferred language, and they can even choose to listen to it in that language. The “Translate” and “Listen” features are integrated so well in the OS that users will be able to translate and listen to content even in the images.
With Google Assistant, users can do things such as asking for the latest match scores, knowing their Jio balance, listening to some song on JioSaavn, getting the weather update, etc. The Google Camera Go app in the phone also comes with Night Mode to take better low-light images. Google has also partnered with Snapchat to add Snapchat Lenses directly in the camera app. Android and Security updates will be provided to this phone as well.
So, when will the JioPhone Next be available to buy in India? Mukesh Ambani announced that the phone would be available from the 10th of September in India, the same day when the country celebrates Ganesh Chaturthi. There is no information regarding the specifications or the pricing, so we have to wait. There are still more than two months left for the launch, so we will surely get to know more about the phone during this time.