Mumbai: Jio and Google have announced that the JioPhone Next smartphone will be available in stores from Diwali. The JioPhone Next will be the most affordable smartphone in the world with an entry price of Rs 1,999.
The smartphone will be made available across the country at Reliance Retail’s extensive network of JioMart Digital retail locations. The network of 30,000 retail partners will provide the JioPhone Next with a paperless digital financing option.
“I am delighted that Google and Jio teams have succeeded in bringing this breakthrough device to Indian consumers in time for the festival season, in spite of the current global supply chain challenges caused by the Covid pandemic,” said Reliance Industries chairman and managing director Mukesh D Ambani. “I have always been a firm believer in the power of the digital revolution to enrich, enable and empower the lives of 1.35 billion Indians. We have done it in the past with connectivity. Now we are enabling it again with a smartphone device.”
He added, “I heartily congratulate Sundar Pichai and his team at Google, and everyone in Jio who partnered for offering this wonderful Diwali Gift to our countrymen.”
The JioPhone Next runs on Pragati OS, an optimised version of Android developed by Google and Jio to address the unique needs of millions of smartphone users across the country. It is powered by a Qualcomm processor and has embedded voice-first features that will enable Indians to consume content and navigate the phone in their language of choice. The smartphone will have access to millions of apps via the Google Play Store.
“The JioPhone Next is an affordable smartphone designed for India, inspired by the belief that everyone in India should benefit from the opportunities the internet creates,” said Alphabet Inc and Google chief executive officer Sundar Pichai. “To build it, our teams had to work together to solve complex engineering and design challenges, and I am excited to see how millions of people will use these devices to better their lives and communities.”
